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brake fluid...

C

chin311

Diamond Member
How often do you flush this fluid? I've only done it when doing brake jobs...

my g/f just had the timing belt replaced on her Hyundai and they recommended the fluid flush, has about 61k on the car...

i've also been told by some oil change joint to do the same on my Nissan versa with 50k~....

so whats the consensus?
 
Nemesis 1 said:
Pure BS. You don't need to replace the brake fluid. But if you do try dot 5
Click to expand...

Um, No.

Standard glycol based DOT-3/4 brake fluid has a tendency to absorb water over time.
Water compresses differently and can cause brakes to become spongy, it also can create acids that eat at components from the inside.

DOT-5 brake fluid is silicone based, and is usually used for extremely high temperature applications such as racing. But has extreme disadvantages for everyday use, like the fact that it doesn't lubricate mechanical parts.

To make the change if you truly wanted to you would have to drain and then clean the entire brake system as the two fluids are not compatible.
 
CrackRabbit said:
Um, No.

Standard glycol based DOT-3/4 brake fluid has a tendency to absorb water over time.
Click to expand...

This

Water compresses differently and can cause brakes to become spongy, it also can create acids that eat at components from the inside.
Click to expand...

It also lowers the boiling point of the brake fluid, which increases the chances of vapour lock... which is bad.

DOT-5 brake fluid is silicone based, and is usually used for extremely high temperature applications such as racing. But has extreme disadvantages for everyday use, like the fact that it doesn't lubricate mechanical parts.
Click to expand...

It also requires a thorough flush, as DOT-5 fluid doesn't contain the same quantity of corrosion inhibitors and doesn't disperse the water. Although if flushed to remove all the water it can provide better corrosion inhibition as it is not hygroscopic...

DOT-5 may also be unsuitable for use in cars with ABS (as far as I am aware all car manufacturers recommend avoiding DOT-5 if your car has ABS) - the silicone fluid can froth if the brakes are rapidly applied and released, leading to a situation very similar to vapour lock (bad).

To make the change if you truly wanted to you would have to drain and then clean the entire brake system as the two fluids are not compatible.
Click to expand...

This. DOT-5.1 is compatible with DOT-3 or DOT-4, and ABS, and offers a higher dry BP than DOT-5, the drawback is that it is expensive.
 
To be honest in 26 yrs of car ownership I've never flushed brake fluid.
Thats mostly high mileage cars as well.
I flush transmissions and coolant but never brake or power steering.

Typically I don't service my own brakes so whatever the shop does when I need new pads is what gets done and I don't think they bleed them, usually just compress the caliper and put new pads on

Not that I'm promoting that you don't as most of my driving is HW on dead flat ground so even pads usually last 80k miles
 
I do it when I do the brakes, or when any random brake issue arises, its a safe cheap bet to flush the fluid

get a mity vac, and its easy as pie
 
My 10 year old car with 130k has had it done twice and I won't do it again for a few years.

My other 6 year old car with 83k I've been meaning to for the last year or so but obviously aren't in a huge hurry.

I do power steering every several years because it's so easy (turkey baster to replace the reservoir several times).
 
do it every two years. as the brake fluid absords water, your brake lines will start to corrode from the inside. you really don't want to start replacing brake lines, trust me.
 
canadageek said:
do it every two years. as the brake fluid absords water, your brake lines will start to corrode from the inside. you really don't want to start replacing brake lines, trust me.
Click to expand...
Where is this water coming from, exactly? The system is sealed within rubber and metal pathways, both of which are resistant to movement of water vapor through them.
 
Brake fluid is hydrophilic. Air in the reservoir and through the cap seal. You answered you own Q with mentioning rubber & "resistant". I don't know the exact comp of the brake fluid lines, but some rubbers have pretty high MVTRs.
 
Hmmm I should probably get mine done. My car is 4 years old with 63k miles and still has plenty of break pad left on the stock pads, so i've never touched the breaks. Funniest thing is it's a Mazda 3 which use to be notorious for going through break pads very fast. I just did the coolant for the first time too. Been doing oil every 5k though.
 
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