Brake fluid flush

[Tim d]

Yes, new stuff is ultra low viscosity to account for higher ABS cycle rates. It also absorbs water faster.

No, not a money grab (although 3 years may be if living in say AZ) due to the caustic nature of water in the ABS pumps. I know other hybrids like the Prius have failures in their systems, no one really knows why, my thought is due to not replacing brake fluid often enough.

I have 2 other mopars that do have abs brakes, a ram and a caravan that are both over 16 years old. i have never changed the brake fluid on those either and no issues.

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[Maverick123]

I have 2 other mopars that do have abs brakes, a ram and a caravan that are both over 16 years old. i have never changed the brake fluid on those either and no issues.

I've seen someone go 3 years & 60,000 miles without changing engine oil

Was the motor still (somehow) working? Yes
Was the motor completely f**ked from lack of maintenance? Yes, but they sold the car after 3 years so in their minds everything was fine (until it blew up in year 4 with the new owner)

Did this person jump into forum threads saying that engine oil changes were an unnecessary money grab? Probably ...

It blows my mind how some people think they're smarter than engineers ...

 

[tiktokbrainrot]

I have a classic car that I have not changed the brake fluid in 35 years. Did they change the brake fluid formula? Or is this another money grab.

Nope. It's always been like this, all brake fluid absorbs water. What will happen in somethign that old is the brakes will feel like absolute junk, and you'll end up doing pads and rotors and new calipers, and of course this means new fluid, and then remark how bad the old brakes are.

Old timer mechanics really think brake fluid is a forever fluid for some strange reason. Probably the same neuron that fires whenever they talk about how "tough" the old cars were.

 

[Tim d]

I've seen someone go 3 years & 60,000 miles without changing engine oil

Was the motor still (somehow) working? Yes
Was the motor completely f**ked from lack of maintenance? Yes, but they sold the car after 3 years so in their minds everything was fine (until it blew up in year 4 with the new owner)

Did this person jump into forum threads saying that engine oil changes were an unnecessary money grab? Probably ...

It blows my mind how some people think they're smarter than engineers ...

Well my brakes work fine after not changing anything for 35 years, so maybe iam! Lol

 

[notfast]

Nope. It's always been like this, all brake fluid absorbs water. What will happen in somethign that old is the brakes will feel like absolute junk, and you'll end up doing pads and rotors and new calipers, and of course this means new fluid, and then remark how bad the old brakes are.

Old timer mechanics really think brake fluid is a forever fluid for some strange reason. Probably the same neuron that fires whenever they talk about how "tough" the old cars were.

Or after a brake fluid change, they realize that the brakes aren't supposed to feel spongy, especially on long downhills where several brake applications are needed.

 

[Maverick123]

Well my brakes work fine after not changing anything for 35 years, so maybe iam! Lol

Maybe!

Truth is, your neglected brakes still work well enough for tooling around slowly. But engineers have to make sure that your brakes can take repeated high-speed stops, or get you safely down the longest, steepest hill without fading.

Also the moisture in compromised fluid can rust your braking system from the inside. How thick are those 35 year old hard lines, can they survive the pressure from an emergency stop? Is the crud in the far end of your master cylinder going to cut the piston seals if you have to stomp hard on the pedal?

You can get by doing the absolute minimum maintenance, but someday you might need that extra last bit of braking

 

[Maverick123]

Nope. It's always been like this, all brake fluid absorbs water. What will happen in somethign that old is the brakes will feel like absolute junk, and you'll end up doing pads and rotors and new calipers, and of course this means new fluid, and then remark how bad the old brakes are.

Same thing happens when ppl install braided stainless brake lines - when you do that, you need to flush and bleed the calipers.

After the change, they'll go "OMG those braided brake lines give AMAZING brake feel!" but it wasn't the lines that did the magic, it was the flush and bleed. Confusing cause and effect FTW ...

 

[LAClippers420]

What is the dealership charge for the brake fluid flush and how does the fluid tester work .... with pictures if possible....ty

Thy quoted me 200.

 

[Quest]

Same thing happens when ppl install braided stainless brake lines - when you do that, you need to flush and bleed the calipers.

After the change, they'll go "OMG those braided brake lines give AMAZING brake feel!" but it wasn't the lines that did the magic, it was the flush and bleed. Confusing cause and effect FTW ...

Braided lines actually do help, they don't "balloon" anywhere near like generic lines
In racing it makes a difference but for the average guy not so much

PS: DOT 3 does not absorb water as fast as DOT 4 so the old guys are sort of right about flush intervals

 

[dalola]

Thy quoted me 200.

A bottle of DOT4 ULV is ~$20 (check the expiration date), if you have DIY ability, save yourself some money.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

A bottle of DOT4 ULV is ~$20 (check the expiration date), if you have DIY ability, save yourself some money.

For a hybrid don't you need a FORScan setup?

 

[dalola]

For a hybrid don't you need a FORScan setup?

No, all that, and FDRS, does is cycle the ABS solenoids. So, a small amount of fluid will remain during a normal flush, thus the importance of staying on schedule with maintenance. It's also a good idea to *safely* cycle the ABS in a slippery parking lot after a snow fall... this pushes fresh fluid into the solenoids.

 

[Tiger Dude]

So I brought my truck in for an oil change and they let me know that I was over due for a brake flush. Apparently I had to do it at 30k but I’m at 45k right now. What’s the worst thing that could happen?

The worst thing that could happen is your bakes fail and you die while killing a minivan filled with children.

The most likely thing to happen is you never notice it.

 

[HeyBales]

I'm sure it's been figured out what is the highest humidity the truck is likely to be used in - then safety factor added.

Because no one is likely going to correctly measure moisture level.

So the time span is for that location.
Everyone else is even safer yet - so it would take years to show up, to it's so dry it'll never be a problem.

I blew out a used Sable brake line that rusted from outside. But the whole line I replaced had some rust farther down on the inside.
Replaced the other side too for good measure.
My only experience bending tubing with sand. Don't need it again.

 

[surfstar]

Is 3 years in a dry climate the same as 3 in the PNW?

Bleeding/flushing brakes is one of those things that can easily make the situation worse than leaving it alone - but that's just my opinion (maybe based on early experiences).

I've also simply sucked out the master cylinder and replaced with fresh fluid for a middle ground. Yeah, it won't get to all the fluid (at the calipers etc, some will argue), but there is definitely some exchange of molecules that will happen.

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