Just noticed something so I thought I'd ask...You always see tons of threads about best oil this and best tranny fluid that, but I can't find a single thread (not that I searched thathard) on "what's the best brake fluid?"

Do you guys not consider it just as important as any other fluid?? I know I do. I completely change mine every brake job or every two years, which ever comes first!! Just pondering, that's all!

 

I'm just taking a guess, but I think its all pretty much the same when it comes to brake fluid. I could be wrong though.

 

you know, I've always wanted to flush the system clean when doing brake jobs on my trucks, but I always seem to be alone when it comes time, so I don't bother. No need to bleed cause I just push the piston back in with a c-clamp, but I'd like to flush my f-150 system when I swap pads this spring.

My questions are:
how much brake fluid will I need to flush it?
and, if I were to go with stainless lines up front, could I bleed the lines myself, or does a shop have to do it because of the abs?
Which fluid do you prefer?

 

DOT3 or DOT4
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question451.htm

 

any body have a write up of a full flush? I'd like to this when i install the powerslot cryos.

 

Just do a gravity bleed in the driveway. Grab a 6 pack and top off the resivor and let all the old fluid just trickly out. Can be done by 1 person and no risk of getting air in the lines.

 

IMHO, yea, you're a tiny bit wrong. A good fluid change is better than nothing, but all fluids are not created equal.


Last time I did my truck, I went through 5 or 6 bottles...I think they were 6 or 10 oz bottles or something. I like to know I got it all out.

No, a shop does not have to do it because of ABS. You can bleed them like any old set of brakes.

Amsoil's new DOT 3 and DOT 4!! Their DOT 3 has the absolute highest boiling point I've seen in a DOT 3 fluid yet!! That's what you want. I've been testing the DOT 4 in my track bike this week and it was phenominal.


I've always done my bleeds the old fashioned way. Takes two people and a little work, but it works, works great, and requires no new or special tools.

You can buy tool like one way bleeder valves and vacuum pumps that make it a one man job, but I've just never found a need for them.

My method....
I completely empty out the MC and refill with the new fluid. Then, starting with the wheel the fartherest away from the MC (which should be the right rear on most cars), just start bleeding!! Keep going until you can tell that you have clean fluid coming out. Move to the next wheel fartherest away (which sould be the left rear / right front / left front) and repeat. Don't forget to keep the MC full. If you run it empty and keep pumping you'll pump air in the lines and be back where you started from. Been doing this method all my life and it works like a champ...on any car, no matter how exotic the brake system!!

 

Ive always used the one man bleeder tool. the autozone 12$ one.its a pain pumping the pedal, checking,pump again etc.. its works well when its just yourself. like galaxy said dont let the master run dry or youll be there all day trying to get that air out.i learned the hard way.

 

Just make sure the MC does not run dry. If you get air in the lines and it gets trapped in the ABS hydraulic control unit, you will need to take it to the dealer. You should bleed your lines every 2 yrs regardless of mileage. I alternate betweeen ATE Superblue Dot 4 and regular dot 3. It makes bleeding easier as you can tell when all the old fluid is out as the fluid will change color.

 

you can't trap air in the ABS unit unless you are driving on an icy road WHILE you are bleeding the brakes. You will have a tiny amount of the old brake fluid trapped in the valves, but as long as you don't activate the ABS, you won't get any air into the valves.

IF you buy a new ABS unit that is dry, then you need a shop to do the bleed... they can hook it up to a computer that will cycle the valves while they bleed so they can get the air out of the new ABS unit. Or you can buy a "wet" ABS unit that already had fluid in the valves.

 

nope... there a differences in the additives and whatnot they use (within each category I mean... not all DOT3 fluids are the same).

Pretty much each OEM uses a slightly different fluid. GM's fluid (Dow 11) is really bad for making things squeek... so if you drive a GM vehicle and it squeeks, flush out the system with a different DOT3 fluid.

One thing to pay attention to - there are Glycol based and Silicone based fluids. Do not mix them. It used to be easy - all the DOT3 fluids were Glycol based... but now I've heard that someone came out with a Silicone based DOT3 fluid. So just watch for that.

There are other things to watch for if you are towing a lot or racing... boiling temp is important.

 

mkosu04,

Thanks for the clarification. My shop manual just said be cautious of the ABS sensor. So if you do a traditional pump the pedal type flush, you don't flush out the ABS sensor valves?

 

that's what I'm wondering about too.
From what I understood, as long as you didn't get any air into the system, the pedal method was fine, but if I replace my lines, there will be air in them.
Now, the air will be at the caliper and past the abs module, so will the air bleed out just like a non-abs system?

 

From what he said above, i think if the ABS isn't operating, the valve don't open and the air will just bypass the sensor and bleed out the bleeder screw.

 

when I referred to ABS valves, I am talking about the valves in the ABS module. These will indeed hold a small amount of the old fluid in them, but such a small amount that it shouldn't be an issue.

I'm not totally sure about the ABS sensor - a concern would be if the sensor is in a position that it can trap a bit of air due to bouyancy (if the sensor is on the top, the air bubble stays up in it. But most (all?) vehicles should be designed that this is not the case. I know for the actuation side of things, we ensure that the design can be bled by the OEM (evac & fill), shop (pressure bleed) and a guy in his garage (pedal bleed).