On the way home from work tonight, I stoped by Pep Boys and picked up 2 qts of Castrol GT LMA brake fluid. Came home, and with the help of my 11 year old son, flushed the entire brake system.

I couldn't believe how dark the OEM fluid was. It was VERY darkgreen, bording on black. I don't drive/brake hard, and rarely do any towing... The new fluid OTOH was nice transparent amber color.

First I siphoned as much of the old fluid out of the master cylinder as I could. Then filled it back up with the new Castrol LMA. Proceeded to bleed each caliper until new fluid came out.

All in all, probably took us about an hour or so. Pretty simple, and not very messy.

FWIW, I also purchased a Mityvac 07000 brake bleeder vac. It sucks! I gave it a try for about 3 minutes, then I ditched it. After connecting the hose to the bleeder valve, you have to pump this thing 15-20 times, then crack the bleeder valve. The vacuum suction pull out less than an ounce, then you have to shut the valve, and pump another 15-20 times, then repeat. WAAAAAAAYYYYY too time consuming... I just called my son out, had him pump the brake pedal, and the fluid poored out... Too bad I can't take that peice of crud back.

 

sweet

 

Im only 20 years old and not a father but start them young and they will thank you later on. Teach them how to do this kind of stuff young then theyll know how to do it later plus they can help you for those 2 or more people jobs. I only say this cause I work with my little cousin whos 8. Hes like my little brother. Plus they can fit into smaller spaces that you couldnt.

 

I flush mine every other year, it'll get flushed again this summer. You should never use a vacuum bleeder on an ABS system, it can trap air in the ABS module creating a whole new headache.

 

thats not necessarily a problem... the brake fluid turns dark for multiple reasons. The quickest reason is the heat of the engine - some of the additives in the brake fluid will turn dark from the heat. The greenish color you see is due to copper fittings in the brake lines. Small amounts of copper precipitate into the brake fluid and turn it dark/green. And finally, you will get small particles of rubber that will wear off the seals in the brake system and turn the brake fluid dark.

If you aren't experiencing other issues, dark brake fluid is not indicative of a problem.