Brake Fluid Bleed 16' Lacrosse BIG Difference

Joined
May 25, 2017
Messages
69
Location
Arlen Texas..... (Houston)
Hello Yalll!!

Just wanted to inform yall of a brake bleed I did on my vehicle(few weeks ago) that had AMAZING results.
Vehicle was not very old or had many miles either, 16' lacrosse with 30k miles.
Wasn't expecting it to be so effective

Brake pedal felt very soft/mushy and took a while to engage.
Initially thought it was just cheap GM pads.

Bled the rear and had clear fluid come out.
Was going to quit but said to he-ll with it and do front.
Fronts were full of milky water fluid that wasn't quite dirty but I guess absorbed moisture.
Took a while for it to be clear.

Results were Amazing, wouldn't have expected that on such a new car.

When in doubt of your brake pedal, Bleed your Brakes!!!!
 
Oh I see! It's a 2016 LaCrosse. At first I thought it was a 16 foot long LaCrosse.
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Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Oh I see! It's a 2016 LaCrosse. At first I thought it was a 16 foot long LaCrosse.
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It's actually 16 feet 5 inches!
 
Something is not right. Brake fluid in a sealed system does not just absorb that much moisture in 1-2 years. Was this vehicle in a flood??

It can't be air in the lines from the factory, nobody would take delivery of a car in that state. Meaning if it started out with the air it would have had the severely mushy brakes brand new. There's no way that would go unnoticed.

I suspect there is still something wrong with the brake system, either that or your wife is trying to kill you sneakily by dumping water into your brake reservoir.
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That's why most OEM's recommend replacing the brake fluid every two years.
 
Originally Posted By: Kibitoshin
That's why most OEM's recommend replacing the brake fluid every two years.


No, it's not. They're just passing on the maintenance buck. You read something, completely misunderstood what you read, then went and made a mountain out of a mole hill.

No properly working brake system will have this happen within two years, usually not even 10 years to this extent, except during a rare event of extreme driving/braking where it heated up enough to vaporize what little water was in it . I don't recall reading that this situation is only when it happens.

Only people with more time and money than knowledge flush their brakes every 2 years unless they drive like they stole it and have worn out their master cylinder and calipers in that time instead of getting over triple the life out of them. You can in fact drive like that to prove this, lol.

It's a closed system. People who don't understand what that means say it absorbs moisture, unable to grasp that it needs exposure to moisture to absorb it. Closed seems to be a word they don't understand.

If this happened due to two years of not changing brake fluid, I guarantee you'd see it plastered all over the news, and massive lawsuits.
 
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Originally Posted By: Dave9
Something is not right. Brake fluid in a sealed system does not just absorb that much moisture in 1-2 years. Was this vehicle in a flood??

It can't be air in the lines from the factory, nobody would take delivery of a car in that state. Meaning if it started out with the air it would have had the severely mushy brakes brand new. There's no way that would go unnoticed.

I suspect there is still something wrong with the brake system, either that or your wife is trying to kill you sneakily by dumping water into your brake reservoir.
eek.gif



This may be the answer. Just the rear brakes on my F150 and I believe they were original (I'm the 2nd owner). It's a 2011 with 80k. I also flushed the fluid as we tow with it and the fluid came out a dark amber, almost like a light maple syrup color. No whiteness or anything like that. Seemed to help improve the pedal feel. But that's 6-7 year old fluid with 80k on it.

I think the OP should check for leaks or maybe a hose or fitting that's not right.
 
I don't think brake systems are sealed so well that moisture can't get in. In a very humid place like Houston I believe this could be possible.
 
I agree with the others- fluid should not be visibly contaminated with water or moisture at this age/mileage. Was the master cyl cap left loose at some point?

Originally Posted By: Dave9
Only people with more time and money than knowledge flush their brakes every 2 years unless they drive like they stole it and have worn out their master cylinder and calipers in that time instead of getting over triple the life out of them. You can in fact drive like that to prove this, lol.


Nissan has Brake Fluid Replacement listed as an annual service on their newer vehicles if operated under severe service. Nissan's definition of Severe Service pretty much encompasses most city driving conditions. For this reason, we recommend the brake fluid service annually and if we have no prior record of the service being performed.
 
Maybe it was flooded and just not reported in autocheck or carfax.
It's clear for literally everything, however we all know it's only for what was reported.

Rear was pretty clear but front end had water.
Would have thought if water went into master cyclinder, rear would have had some water as well.

Will check lines for any leaks soon as it stops raining.

Must have bleed at around 5-6 cars and there usually dirty colored, not milky water.
Definitely peaked my interest.
 
Originally Posted By: Dave9
Originally Posted By: Kibitoshin
That's why most OEM's recommend replacing the brake fluid every two years.


No, it's not. They're just passing on the maintenance buck. You read something, completely misunderstood what you read, then went and made a mountain out of a mole hill.

No properly working brake system will have this happen within two years, usually not even 10 years to this extent, except during a rare event of extreme driving/braking where it heated up enough to vaporize what little water was in it . I don't recall reading that this situation is only when it happens.

Only people with more time and money than knowledge flush their brakes every 2 years unless they drive like they stole it and have worn out their master cylinder and calipers in that time instead of getting over triple the life out of them. You can in fact drive like that to prove this, lol.

It's a closed system. People who don't understand what that means say it absorbs moisture, unable to grasp that it needs exposure to moisture to absorb it. Closed seems to be a word they don't understand.

If this happened due to two years of not changing brake fluid, I guarantee you'd see it plastered all over the news, and massive lawsuits.

Do yourself (and family) a favor and buy measuring tool that: a) measures % of moisture, b): measure boiling point.
Let us know then how it works.
When you said "closed system" you forgot that that system is still exposed to moisture primarily thru reservoir in the engine compartment.
I see bunch of people like you here in Colorado, especially on the Pikes Peak, filling insurance claims (if they are lucky).
 
Originally Posted By: Dave9
Originally Posted By: Kibitoshin
That's why most OEM's recommend replacing the brake fluid every two years.


No, it's not. They're just passing on the maintenance buck. You read something, completely misunderstood what you read, then went and made a mountain out of a mole hill.

No properly working brake system will have this happen within two years, usually not even 10 years to this extent, except during a rare event of extreme driving/braking where it heated up enough to vaporize what little water was in it . I don't recall reading that this situation is only when it happens.

Only people with more time and money than knowledge flush their brakes every 2 years unless they drive like they stole it and have worn out their master cylinder and calipers in that time instead of getting over triple the life out of them. You can in fact drive like that to prove this, lol.

It's a closed system. People who don't understand what that means say it absorbs moisture, unable to grasp that it needs exposure to moisture to absorb it. Closed seems to be a word they don't understand.

If this happened due to two years of not changing brake fluid, I guarantee you'd see it plastered all over the news, and massive lawsuits.
\

+1000.....I have been saying this for years. It's a SEALED system...
 
Do yourself (and family) a favor and buy measuring tool that: a) measures % of moisture, b): measure boiling point.
Let us know then how it works.
When you said "closed system" you forgot that that system is still exposed to moisture primarily thru reservoir in the engine compartment.
I see bunch of people like you here in Colorado, especially on the Pikes Peak, filling insurance claims (if they are lucky). [/quote]

but Pikes Peak is an outlier. I live in the flat lands.....it's impossible to boil my brake fluid around here.
 
If you ever dealt with brake systems in 10 or 20 year old vehicles I'd rather change brake fluid as a PM. I had to service the brakes on a 1990 Toyota 4Runner and everything was rusted internally (rather this brown gunk when I disassembled one of the whel cylinders.) After new wheel cylinders and calipers the fluid could never appear clear in the MC reservoir after a few weeks. The proportioning valve, ABS block, calipers and brake drum cylinders are made of iron so the high moisture level in the original fluid rotted them internally.
 
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Originally Posted By: E150GT
I don't think brake systems are sealed so well that moisture can't get in. In a very humid place like Houston I believe this could be possible.


They are. They are so well sealed that they contain over 1000PSI hydraulic force. The exception would be if something is damaged or some careless owner or mechanic didn't put the reservoir lid back on tight.
 
Originally Posted By: edyvw
Do yourself (and family) a favor and buy measuring tool that: a) measures % of moisture, b): measure boiling point.
Let us know then how it works.
When you said "closed system" you forgot that that system is still exposed to moisture primarily thru reservoir in the engine compartment.
I see bunch of people like you here in Colorado, especially on the Pikes Peak, filling insurance claims (if they are lucky).


I am not burdened to do this. I already know the truth. DIY with two year old fluid in a new vehicle.

I did not forget at all that there's a reservoir. It has an air tight cap on it.

You don't see a bunch of people like me at all. You're trying to stereotype based on an imaginary misconception. I have done 100% of our extended families' brake work for decades, including hard lines, booster, MC, and ABS. NEVER a braking failure related accident and I'm not talking about just new vehicles, also some over 20 years old.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Kibitoshin
If you ever dealt with brake systems in 10 or 20 year old vehicles I'd rather change brake fluid as a PM. I had to service the brakes on a 1990 Toyota 4Runner and everything was rusted internally (rather this brown gunk when I disassembled one of the whel cylinders.) After new wheel cylinders and calipers the fluid could never appear clear in the MC reservoir after a few weeks. The proportioning valve, ABS block, calipers and brake drum cylinders are made of iron so the high moisture level in the original fluid rotted them internally.


Absolutely, I do not mean to imply that brake fluid should never be changed, only that by itself in a properly working (undamaged/new) brake system, it cannot degrade to a visible water state in the FIRST two years. However I don't usually see significant internal rust from infrequent fluid flushes, rather the rubber components wearing and soft lines rotting inside caused the browish-black fluid color once they get that old.
 
Originally Posted By: Dave9
Originally Posted By: edyvw
Do yourself (and family) a favor and buy measuring tool that: a) measures % of moisture, b): measure boiling point.
Let us know then how it works.
When you said "closed system" you forgot that that system is still exposed to moisture primarily thru reservoir in the engine compartment.
I see bunch of people like you here in Colorado, especially on the Pikes Peak, filling insurance claims (if they are lucky).


I am not burdened to do this. I already know the truth. DIY with two year old fluid in a new vehicle.

I did not forget at all that there's a reservoir. It has an air tight cap on it.

You don't see a bunch of people like me at all. You're trying to stereotype based on an imaginary misconception. I have done 100% of our extended families' brake work for decades, including hard lines, booster, MC, and ABS. NEVER a braking failure related accident and I'm not talking about just new vehicles, also some over 20 years old.

I told you already, you get a tool that measure % of moisture and boiling point in car and you will see.
It is really not that hard, in many countries you cannot register car if moisture level is above 3% (and I can guarantee you moisture level is going to be above 3% after 2-3 years depending humidity) and boiling point is below 140c (depending on fluid, this might happen even after a year in fluids like Valvoline, Prestone etc.).
But, you know the truth
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