Low Brake Fluid 2009 Ford Taurus

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Oh, wait. That was somebody else... or was it? [/quote]
It was somebody else. GHT is back on here under a new name (he has revealed himself), and it's not engineer20. [/quote]

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I've been awaiting his arrival
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[/quote]

Struggling, yes. I got that thing on as best I could. Probably should have waited for a stud, then I would have drilled again.. Whatever it's crazy torqued on (that bolt) and the rest are right, if it fails, it will be either between cyl 3 and 4, or Cyl 1.

Engine is timed, motor mount going back on, exhaust bolted back up, engine is on a jack. Intake manifold has most the bolts on, gonna tighten and try to locate the ones around 3 and 4 because coolant flows there.. then it's simple of the brackets, AC, fan, radiator, ignition stuff, brake reservoir, PS fluid reservoir, gonna just use the Denson plugs, old [censored] wires, why even open the NGKS and new dizzy I got.. got oil in there ready to go to flush after 60 or 90 seconds, from old mayhem.. H-T can watch from sidelines..

Goal is by Thanksgiving, the anniversary of it stolen.

Honda name: Cleopatra. Listen the the Frank Ocean song "Pyramids" to hear why.

Sup yall. [/quote]




'prone is back !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! good to have you back, man.let the entertainment begin.so, did you ever find your magic beans ?
have a good day.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if the other oils are hydroscopic. But the big problem is, while brake fluid can get hot enough in application to boil off water, that steam has no place to go. And when it does cause steam, well, that steam is in the form of a gas, which then causes loss of braking--as steam is compressible, whereas fluids are not. Finally, water inside of brake components will cause corrosion.

That's not to say you want water in any other fluid, but other fluids have the ability to breath through various vents; and in general, gets hot enough to boil off any accumulated water.

If brake fluid cost $100 a pint we'd all have ways to keep it from attracting water. It costs like $3 at Walmart, thus, it's penny wise and dollar foolish to bother with year-old opened brake fluid. It's not that it's sopping with water and will immediately eat holes in brake lines--it's just not worth the bother.

*

A can of brake fluid that isn't opened doesn't go bad. Crack the seal and it'll likely keep water out for years to come. But why bother? Why worry?
 
so i may need new brake pads soon, any DIY tips? What special tools would I need and I now have a 25 inch breaker bar to remove my wheels instead of the lug wrench which I struggled with because it wouldn't provide enough leverage in the past. Thanks. And which brand brake pads are the best? NAPA?
 
I am NOT GHT and have no idea who that is. Can somebody change the topic back to "low brake fluid" and I guess now we can add some DIY tips, but a year unopened brake fluid is fine, but opened isn't but what about 1 week old opened brake fluid or 1 month old? that was what I was asking in my originan post.
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
Anyways, you're saying after a year, even if it's never opened, and sealed, the brake fluid goes bad? how? Do other fluids go bad after exposure to air, such as trans fluid, engine oil, coolant, after you break the seal? Or is brake fluid the one that is the most likely to go bad, whereas the others go bad to after the seal is destroyed, but just not as quickly? In order, which fluids go bad the quickest after being opened, or have the longest shelf life after being opened? Thanks.


Of those fluids mentioned, brake fluid is the only fluid that absorbs moisture from the air and the nature of brake fluid requires it to remain a fluid. When you use your brakes, temperatures can go up to 400 degrees or more. Once you're over 212, if there's water, it will boil and you can compress steam, but not liquids. So if you've got steam in your brake lines, you don't have brakes anymore. Water in engine oil doesn't matter as much as it will boil off once it heats up, but you won't get that much lubrication with water, you probably won't get that much in normal operation so it's not a real concern like it would be with brake fluid.

Some car manufacturers recommend brake fluid flushes every 2-3 years, in the past Ford never called for fluid flushes, but it's a good idea when doing the brakes. I wouldn't worry too much about an opened can of brake fluid, the exposure to air is about the same as when you open the reservoir to check the level, but once opened, it'd make sense to just get rid of it after a year if you haven't used it up by then.

Using the ABS/traction control doesn't use up brake fluid. It's a sealed system, the only way the fluid goes low is if you have a leak or the pads get used up so the piston in the calipers have to move out more so the level drops a little. The light could also indicate a failure of the master cylinder or a failure in one side of the braking system. Your parking brake may also be slightly on. Try topping it up first to see if it goes away, if it does, you're all set unless it comes on again which might mean you have a small leak somewhere.
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
but a year unopened brake fluid is fine, but opened isn't but what about 1 week old opened brake fluid or 1 month old?


This is the least of your worries.

Top off the fluid (making sure not to contaminate it, as seems to happen), hope the light goes away and please don't attempt a brake job.



Free life-tip: Become a good "engineer" so that you get paid enough to pay other people to work on your cars. It will make your entire life much easier.
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
so i may need new brake pads soon, any DIY tips? What special tools would I need and I now have a 25 inch breaker bar to remove my wheels instead of the lug wrench which I struggled with because it wouldn't provide enough leverage in the past. Thanks. And which brand brake pads are the best? NAPA?


Maybe. Maybe not. It would be good to look. If you are worried, or don't mind storing the parts, you could buy pads and rotors, and store on a shelf until you actually need them. Your call.

Your best bet is youtube. Odds are someone has made a video showing how to change pads on your exact car. As it is, I do not know if you will need a piston windback tool; rear disc brakes often need those, but not front disc brakes. [But not all rear disc brakes need the tool.] A C-clamp can suffice if that tool is not required, but a proper tool is cheap and will last years. After that, again, look up your car and see what else you need (14mm wrenches, 15mm wrenches, brake grease, jack, jackstands, etc).

25" is a bit short. Usually when I need leverage I wind up grabbing a 3 or 4' cheater bar go to over the breaker bar.

I won't touch what is the best brake pads. There's a whole section here devoted to that...
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
I am NOT GHT and have no idea who that is. Can somebody change the topic back to "low brake fluid" and I guess now we can add some DIY tips, but a year unopened brake fluid is fine, but opened isn't but what about 1 week old opened brake fluid or 1 month old? that was what I was asking in my originan post.


No, you aren't. You are a troll.



7b6162c9e406f3a34812c3461328c1f7.jpg


Eat that and digest it, I don't take my former screen name in vain.
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20

does using the ABS a lot or esc waste or use up brake fluid? that's what caused it to be low, by using abs a lot under slippery conditions from the 20 mile previous day drive in the middle of the snowstorm.


Nope. Not unless something is leaking. You could use ABS or ESC all day long and the only thing that would be used up is your pads.
 
If your ABS kicks in it cuts braking power to one wheel so you the driver compensate by hitting the pedal harder so more force goes to the other three wheels. It's because you want to stop, now, and things are not going well.

This can force more fluid past, say, a rear wheel cylinder that's starting to go. Crawl under your rear wheels and look for dampness, it'll ooze out the drums.

Midas and Minekie do free brake inspections. They're your friends.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
If your ABS kicks in it cuts braking power to one wheel so you the driver compensate by hitting the pedal harder so more force goes to the other three wheels. It's because you want to stop, now, and things are not going well.

This can force more fluid past, say, a rear wheel cylinder that's starting to go. Crawl under your rear wheels and look for dampness, it'll ooze out the drums.

Midas and Minekie do free brake inspections. They're your friends.


This is a little off. When ABS kicks in, it has nothing to do with more force going to other wheels. In theory you kick in max braking and ABS senses wheel lockup and releases the brakes to each wheel so that the tire continues rolling. It's basically the difference between the coefficient of static friction vs kinetic friction. Static friction is a rolling wheel, kinetic friction is a locked wheel. It will take longer for a lock wheel to stop than a rolling wheel. A really good driver wouldn't need ABS, they bring the car to max breaking without locking up the wheels. ABS kicks in when you go over that threshold. I think most if not all drivers can't do it which is why ABS is so nice to have.

Using brakes more and having the light come on is one of those cause and effect things, they don't always go together. It's basically either a leak somewhere, defecting braking system, parking brake on, or low fluid due to brake pad wear.
 
I may be in the minority here, but I am a staunch opponent of topping off brake fluid. In a disc brake system, low fluid either means that the friction material is thin or there is a leak in the system. If doing a brake fluid exchange without replacing friction material, the fluid level should be set to what it was before.

There are very few instances in which topping off is ok, but almost all involve the person doing the topping off being the same person that will change friction material.
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
I may be in the minority here, but I am a staunch opponent of topping off brake fluid. In a disc brake system, low fluid either means that the friction material is thin or there is a leak in the system. If doing a brake fluid exchange without replacing friction material, the fluid level should be set to what it was before.

There are very few instances in which topping off is ok, but almost all involve the person doing the topping off being the same person that will change friction material.


I used to be of the same opinion as you, bdcardinal, but...

In the region I live in we have less air to cool the brakes [5,000'+ elevation], it's always warm out, the highways are extremely curvy and steep, and many rotors are worn well beyond the limit [sometimes 5 mm or more]. These reasons combined with customers that push the clutch pedal to the floor every time they step on the brake pedal, put the car in neutral [but leave the motor running] on long grades "to save gasoline", and who drive like absolute maniacs has led me to change my mind.

Now, when we do oil changes, etc., we top off the customers' brake fluid with clean unused leftover fluid from previous brake flushes in order to raise the boiling point, even if it is just a little bit. This also keeps my customers from getting ripped off at gas station by getting sold a low quality fluid to raise the level an 1/8".
 
Why is something necessarily just gone wrong? Probably a coincidence that the weather was bad and you used ABS alot.
Brake pads probably just worn, fluid level hit the threshold where the light is triggered.
Top off the fluid and check in a week.
Cant believe the tangent this topic has gotten on.
 
Originally Posted By: RudeRED
Why is something necessarily just gone wrong? Probably a coincidence that the weather was bad and you used ABS alot.
Brake pads probably just worn, fluid level hit the threshold where the light is triggered.
Top off the fluid and check in a week.
Cant believe the tangent this topic has gotten on.



to answer your question -- because this is bitog.occam's razor never applies here.lot of drama/drama queens here.this is why the site is so great.you can't buy entertainment like this.
you'll love it here on bitog.
your post might be the most logical one that I've read all year.
have a good evening.
 
Originally Posted By: yeti
Originally Posted By: RudeRED
Why is something necessarily just gone wrong? Probably a coincidence that the weather was bad and you used ABS alot.
Brake pads probably just worn, fluid level hit the threshold where the light is triggered.
Top off the fluid and check in a week.
Cant believe the tangent this topic has gotten on.



to answer your question -- because this is bitog.occam's razor never applies here.lot of drama/drama queens here.this is why the site is so great.you can't buy entertainment like this.
you'll love it here on bitog.
your post might be the most logical one that I've read all year.
have a good evening.


Yeah, but don't use 0W-20 in your GMC
crackmeup2.gif


Lamborghini? Go for it......
 
I added brake fluid when I got it at meijer for a small bottle for 3.49. I passed by a quick lube and drove in there and they assisted me. They told me my level was low and showed me where the full mark was. They said they couldn't add it because they don't do brake fluid so I opened the seal tightly and added it to the full mark. Then I left and drove home . I havent noticed any leaks yet but i will pay attention to the fluid level daily and have a mechanic inspect it for a leak soon.
 
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