Do you really need to change brake & power steering fluid?

[z1ggy]

I always used to fully bleed and change my motorcycle's brake fluid each season. However, I've never changed my cars brake or PS fluid. I've added a bit more into the res if I see it looks a tad low, but I've never done a full bleed + refill. When I got new tires put on this weekend, the mechanic said it "looked like I needed to get brake and PS fluids changed."

They said it should be done every 30k miles. I'll have to consult my owner's manual, but I've never done it before. Is it crucial to be doing a full change?

 

[lxskllr]

I never have.

 

[boomerang]

Brake fluid, yes. PS fluid I wouldn't bother unless the manufacturer lists it as a maintenance item. Most new cars these days list brake fluid flushing as a maintenance item.

Brake fluid attracts water. Water can corrode parts internally. You really don't want that with antilock brakes. Some of the components are extremely expensive.

Also, you should never need to add brake fluid. If the level is low in the master cylinder that is because as the pads wear, more fluid remains in the calipers which drops the level in the MS. If the fluid level is dropping due to a leak, that needs to be fixed ASAP.

 

[z1ggy]

I'll have to take a look at the brake fluid to see if it's still the clear-ish color that it normally is. When I looked last time when I did my brakes, it looked fine. I didn't notice any discoloration. I don't trust any mechanic unless I know them personally.

Gotta find my car manual to see what it recommends for standard maint. I know sometime soon I should probably do a sparkplug change, and see if a tranny fluid change needs to be done.

 

[JCH13]

I flush both. Brake fluid because it picks up water. Power steering fluid because it gets loaded with metal particles.

 

[z1ggy]

So for the USA maint. schedule, no brake fluid replacement is called for, but oddly enough... it is in Mexico. Manual specifically says the power steering fluid does not need replacement, so that's good.

Also no mention of replacing tranny fluid, only adding more if it reads low.

 

[JCH13]

You may want to check that there's not fluid flush called for during brake pad/rotor replacement, similar for PS. These may not be called out as their own service items, but could be present in other repair or maintenance procedures.

 

[boomerang]

You may want to check that there's not fluid flush called for during brake pad/rotor replacement, similar for PS. These may not be called out as their own service items, but could be present in other repair or maintenance procedures.

That's when I used to do it, at pad replacement. I would suction out the MS, replace with fresh and bleed from farthest wheel from the MS to the closest wheel. I didn't have what was required to cycle any ABS components (if it was even required) so that was as good as it was going to get in my garage. That's back when I used to work on other peoples cars. I lease and don't keep them long enough for anything to be done other than rotations and oil changes.

 

[NutBucket]

Short answer, yes. There is no such thing as a "lifetime" fluid....but maybe I'm just a bit old school in my thinking.

 

[z1ggy]

That's when I used to do it, at pad replacement. I would suction out the MS, replace with fresh and bleed from farthest wheel from the MS to the closest wheel. I didn't have what was required to cycle any ABS components (if it was even required) so that was as good as it was going to get in my garage. That's back when I used to work on other peoples cars. I lease and don't keep them long enough for anything to be done other than rotations and oil changes.

Wait... Why wouldn't you bleed at every wheel? I'd assume there'd be one "big" bleed at wheel #1, then 3 smaller bleeds at 2, 3, & 4, getting smaller each time.

 

[NutBucket]

He said he bled from the farthest to the closest. That implies at each wheel in my mind.

 

[z1ggy]

He said he bled from the farthest to the closest. That implies at each wheel in my mind.

I'd assume so... I was just checking.

It's getting pretty cold out here, not many days left where I want to be outside bleeding breaks, even if it only takes an hour or two. Might have to hold off until spring, I'm not paying some schmuck $100 to do something I can easily do for like $15 in materials.

 

[NutBucket]

Power bleeder is the way to go. Makes it so easy.

 

[z1ggy]

Looks like MAzda3 is not back/front split. Makes sense, it's FWD. It's Diagonally split... So I'm best off going back right, front left, back left, front right when bleeding.

Powerbleeder looks awesome. wish I had this when I did my bike's brakes. What a PITA that was.

 

[JCH13]

+1 to the power bleeder. You can make your own for pretty cheap. Turns brake bleeding/flushing into a short job with little or no risk to ABS sensors, master cylinder, or other components.

 

[bruceb]

I never have, but on modern cars with antilock brakes, it should be done now and then. They say if you don't it could damage the ABS Module and you don't want to spend money on changing or repairing that unit. And brake fluid does lose some effectiveness over time, and also the rubber hoses to the calipers or drums, will wear from the inside. The best thing in that case is replace the lines with some from Crown Performance -- top quality stainless braided lines with an extremely durable inner core.
http://www.crownperformance.com/

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Brake flush is regular maintenance at 36k miles on my 16 civic. I was thinking 3 years or so but I do believe it helps so I'll follow the recommendations.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Well... keeping an eye on those should be part of regular maintenance. (Fluid levels, etc.)

A good mechanic will, when checking those fluids, recommend a flush/replacement if it's needed, regardless of mileage or lack thereof. If they're not a dealership or a Jiffy-Lube type chain repair shop charging a ridonkulous markup on fluid, they'll usually look at the fluid and NOT recommend it unless it's actually needed. If you're like me (a crapton of highway miles, not a lot of braking) you'll go a lot longer than manufacturer recommended mileage between fluid changes. (Well, that and a little luck.)

 

[Torn Mind]

Brake fluid can be neglected for a while, but definitely do it by 6-7 years or 120k at the very latest.
Same with power steering. Around 120k or 6-7 years, do at least turkey baste out the stuff in the container if you don't feel like doing a flush. FYI, many Toyotas just need some plain Dexron/Mercon ATF for power steering.

My mom's most recent new tenant mentioned his car failed him. The issue was that his steering wheel suddenly became extremely hard to turn while making a left. While no one has actually experienced the failure but him, only the PS system would cause such a sudden failure.

 

[pcgeek11]

I'll have to take a look at the brake fluid to see if it's still the clear-ish color that it normally is. When I looked last time when I did my brakes, it looked fine. I didn't notice any discoloration. I don't trust any mechanic unless I know them personally.

Gotta find my car manual to see what it recommends for standard maint. I know sometime soon I should probably do a sparkplug change, and see if a tranny fluid change needs to be done.

You cannot tell the condition of the brake fluid by looking at the clarity of the fluid in the master cylinder. It never gets gunky there, the fluid doesn't circulate.

The place to look would be what comes out at the bleeder port.