2 1/2 Year Old Brake Fluid

[Kantaro]

ATE says 5 year shelf life for factory sealed metal containers: https://www.ate-brakes.com/media/2318/ate_td004_dot3-web.pdf

AC Delco also says 5 years for their factory sealed plastic containers: https://acdelco.com.au/gm-b2cau/cms/pdf/Specification/acdelco_specs_brake_fluid_global_dot4.pd

I personally wouldn't hesitate to use that, especially since it is sealed and stored indoors (ie not exposed to extreme temperatures). You could test its moisture level to see if it's still under 3%

 

[demarpaint]

Sealed, never opened, stored inside, 2.5 years old, I'd use it w/o hesitation as long as it's the brake fluid called for for my vehicle.

 

[willbur]

For future reference, Bosch ESI6 comes in a metal can and is a fair price

great fluid, too. Higher specs than most

 

[willbur]

DMM probes held apart an inch in the fluid indicates about 15 MOhm (and climbing very slowly) resistamce. I don't think this test gives us any useful information.

I use voltage with engine running. Less than 0.3 DC volts between reservoir fluid and a clean ground is fine, IMO

 

[willbur]

ATE says 5 year shelf life for factory sealed metal containers: https://www.ate-brakes.com/media/2318/ate_td004_dot3-web.pdf

AC Delco also says 5 years for their factory sealed plastic containers: https://acdelco.com.au/gm-b2cau/cms/pdf/Specification/acdelco_specs_brake_fluid_global_dot4.pd

I personally wouldn't hesitate to use that, especially since it is sealed and stored indoors (ie not exposed to extreme temperatures). You could test its moisture level to see if it's still under 3%

If it's like drug/pharmaceutical expiration dates- they just test out to a set number of years; if its ok, they just say its good to that date. It could last alot longer. YMMV

 

[andyd]

The bottle left over from the brake repair I did 2.5 yrs ago. Emergency use only. DOT 4 has a higher boiling point than DOT3. There is a trade off. 4 is more hydrophilic and needs to be replaced sooner as a result.