Corroding brake lines or old fluid?

[cwilliamsws6]

Today I was doing my usual check of my fluid levels and I noticed my brake fluid had a significant greenish tint to it, I recall it being the typical clearish brown color last time I checked. Brakes still work perfectly fine, or at least I'm not feeling any difference. Any cause for concern or am I overthinking this?

 

[Kestas]

How old is the brake fluid?

You are correct to be be concerned. Changing out the brake fluid is something you want to do proactively instead of waiting for problems to occur. It could be wear contaminants, corrosion, or excessive copper discoloring the brake fluid.

Brake fluid should be changed every two years in our climate.

 

[cwilliamsws6]

I haven't changed the brake fluid since owning this car for 2 years and I am pretty sure the previous owner just topped it off as needed since this car has complete service records and a brake fluid change isn't in there.

I don't have a brake bleeder or the time to do it myself between school and work, how much would it reasonably cost for the dealer to bleed and put in new fluid?

 

[supton]

Hmm, I'd be wary, as the bleeders may give grief. Hopefully they don't break off if they go to bleed them. When I got my 18 year old Camry the bleeders came out just fine--good. Year or two later they were stuck in place... go figure. You might want to try to see if they turn first, if they do, should be an hour at a shop for them to do.

That said, my fluid was green; after flushing, a year later it was green again.

 

[The_Cams]

The green indicates copper. Time to change fluid. Corrosion preventive additives are depleting. The last time I shopped around, Sears Auto and Jiffy Lube gave me decent prices. I ended up doing it myself anyway.

 

[supton]

HF has a couple of vacuum pumps; I think you might get enough use to justify getting one. At the very least you can use it to drain the MC and dump new fluid in. Then if the bleeders crack you could always just attach some 1/4" PVC to each bleeder and let gravity do its job over an hour or so. The vacuum pump can speed up the process by pulling fluid faster, but gravity bleeding does work too.

 

[atikovi]

Originally Posted by cwilliamsws6
I recall it being the typical clearish brown color last time I checked.


Should be clear and you should barely be able to tell the level looking through the reservoir.

 

[HowAboutThis]

Originally Posted by cwilliamsws6
I haven't changed the brake fluid since owning this car for 2 years and I am pretty sure the previous owner just topped it off as needed since this car has complete service records and a brake fluid change isn't in there.

I don't have a brake bleeder or the time to do it myself between school and work, how much would it reasonably cost for the dealer to bleed and put in new fluid?


$80-120 depending on the shop.

 

[cwilliamsws6]

Well shoot, looks like I have myself a project for my next day off. May as well just do it myself so I learn something..

Will 1 bottle of fluid be enough to refill the system once it's bled out? Or should I buy another?

 

[mclasser]

My indy charges $70 to pressure bleed the system. Brake fluid is nasty stuff and is the one fluid I don't mind paying someone else to deal with.

Honda's need the fluid changed every 3 yrs, regardless of mileage.

 

[Donald]

Start by climbing under and spraying PB Blaster on all bleeder screws. Ahead of time. Even if bringing it someplace.

You can gravity bleed the brakes. No chance of air as long as you keep reservoir filled. Bleed farthest one first. Time it for one beer per caliper while waiting. Use 6 point wrench. Buy one if you have to.

Suction out all old fluid from reservoir first, then refill. Then start gravity bleed.

 

[MasterSolenoid]

Originally Posted by cwilliamsws6
Well shoot, looks like I have myself a project for my next day off. May as well just do it myself so I learn something..

Will 1 bottle of fluid be enough to refill the system once it's bled out? Or should I buy another?

One of the 'bigger' bottles (32 oz) would be fine.

Read again (and remember) what Donald wrote above

 

[Kestas]

Help is impossible for me to find, so I use a one-man bleeding system. With some clear tubing over the bleeder and the other end in a jar, I crack the bleeder open just a bit. The fluid comes out nicely with foot pressure, and very little is slurped back in on the return strokes. Been doing this for years.

I urge you to do this task yourself instead of paying someone to do it. You say you're going to school and working and it's hard to find the time to do this task. You'll save a lot more money with the time spent doing the job yourself, than you would using the time to earn money to pay the mechanic.

 

[Kamele0N]

Green is copper (actually traces of it).....sooner or later one of your copper lines will evolve a leak somewhere.....been there...done that at my 21yrs old LC

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted by Donald
Start by climbing under and spraying PB Blaster on all bleeder screws. Ahead of time. Even if bringing it someplace.

You can gravity bleed the brakes. No chance of air as long as you keep reservoir filled. Bleed farthest one first. Time it for one beer per caliper while waiting. Use 6 point wrench. Buy one if you have to.

Suction out all old fluid from reservoir first, then refill. Then start gravity bleed.
PB Blaster won't cut the mustard on old bleeders in the rust belt. I would go straight to acetone/atf, you're going to have limited attempts on a soft alloy bleeder screw. If you can apply the penetrant multiple times and let heat cycling do the work for you, you should.

The Trav method for breaking them loose is gold: six point wrench with a decent amount of tension, then beat the top of the bleeder with a hammer. Do yourself a favor and get four new bleeder screws and apply anti seize to them.

Gravity bleeding took forever on my car, I'm not sure if it's due to neglect or old brake hoses that may have been crimped a time or two.

It's a very easy job on a car that you know the bleeders have been exercised. A massive potential nightmare when they haven't been. Might be worth taking it to a shop if it's your DD. You can let them crack the bleeders and then DIY it in two years time.

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted by maxdustington

The Trav method for breaking them loose is gold: six point wrench with a decent amount of tension, then beat the top of the bleeder with a hammer. Do yourself a favor and get four new bleeder screws and apply anti seize to them.

It's a very easy job on a car that you know the bleeders have been exercised. A massive potential nightmare when they haven't been. Might be worth taking it to a shop if it's your DD. You can let them crack the bleeders and then DIY it in two years time.

I've had to take a pair of Vise Grips to a seized bleeder screw, luckily I was able to bleed the brakes and that caliper was replaced at the earliest opportunity. Penetrating oil(I like Penetro 90) applied a few days before the job and heat-cycled might help you out.

In this case, having a shop do it might not be an bad idea. If a bleeder screw seizes or breaks on them, you may get a caliper on the house. I don't think Honda uses Ni-Cu lines in their braking systems. The Japanese seem to prefer stainless steel, I could be wrong.

For the cars I can get this to fit, this has been a time saver, and it's better than risking a damaged master cylinder(if the fluid was never changed, since rust past the MC's piston travel can damage the seals in it) - https://www.motiveproducts.com/coll...r-kits/products/import-power-bleeder-kit

 

[cwilliamsws6]

Honestly I'll probably just have my local shop do it for me. I live in the heart of the rust belt and last winter when I had to replace some front end suspension stuff (long story short I hit a pole) I had to use tons of PB blaster and eventually a blowtorch and sledge hammer to make stuff come loose. Probably in my best interest to make it someone else's problem. On top of that I'm working 6 days a week and on my day off I just want to chill and keep to myself lol. With my luck I'd probably break all of the bleeders or strip them anyway.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by cwilliamsws6
Well shoot, looks like I have myself a project for my next day off. May as well just do it myself so I learn something..

Will 1 bottle of fluid be enough to refill the system once it's bled out? Or should I buy another?

How often will you do repeats on this job? Me, I kinda like running a bit of fluid on a yearly basis--I never have to think about "getting it all out". So I keep 2-3 bottles on the shelf.

IMO, while the large bottle (quart?) is slightly cheaper per ounce than the pint, I prefer the pint sized bottle. Easier to work with, plus if you don't break the seal it should be able to sit on the shelf indefinitely. The usual advice is, once opened the bottle should be used up or discarded after two years, so unless if you are going through "lots" it may be false economy to get the big bottle. For econoboxes I've not seen anything that would indicate Walmart brake fluid is "bad".

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by cwilliamsws6
Honestly I'll probably just have my local shop do it for me. I live in the heart of the rust belt and last winter when I had to replace some front end suspension stuff (long story short I hit a pole) I had to use tons of PB blaster and eventually a blowtorch and sledge hammer to make stuff come loose. Probably in my best interest to make it someone else's problem. On top of that I'm working 6 days a week and on my day off I just want to chill and keep to myself lol. With my luck I'd probably break all of the bleeders or strip them anyway.

Fair enough; even us old guys sometimes have to "do the math" and take the better path. When the car "must" be working tomorrow (or at least not in over our heads in the driveway with no way to turn back), sometimes prudence dictates sucking it up and paying someone else to do the job. All it takes for the job to go slightly sideways and then, what is a massive headache for us is a triviality for a seasoned mechanic.