Brake and Power Steering Fluid Replacement?

[asenna]

Brake and Power Steering Fluid Replacement Intervals?

One thing I don’t often hear mentioned is brake fluid and power steering fluid drain/change intervals.

What are they? Recommendations for replacement fluids please.

 

[unDummy]

I siphon/refill the brake and PS fluids at every oil change. This only takes a couple of minutes and keeps everything squeaky clean.

I would bleed the brakes only if brake hydraulics were serviced. Same with the PS, only if air got into system during PS hose, pump, or rack replacement.

 

[digitaldrifter91]

intervals should be at 30k for all of it. if ur a serious BRAKER then ur brake fluid should be changed (bleeded) more often like at maybe 20k intervals. brake fluid looses its ability after time and time again of heating up. hehe i change my fluid at 10k becuase i brake so hard and have a tendency to get the brakes super hot, not too good =).

power steering is a little less often. though it doesnt take long as well, its up to u..lol its ur cash. good luck.

 

[labman]

You are talking about mostly sealed systems. Apparently the manufacturers' experience is that changing the fluids will not increase the life of the components. Cars that have been allowed to set for a while usually need all their brake components rebuilt or replaced. This is partly due to the limited life of rubber and its tendency to take a set. I have seen brake fluid that turned to granules after setting for years. Replacing regular brake fluid with silicon is common in old restored cars that somebody plans on keeping for a long time.

On the other hand, the brakes on my 77 LUV are still working fine likely with much of the original fluid. I have rebuild the calipers and wheel cylinders and replaced all the hoses and some of the lines. This meant losing and replacing part of the fluid. I don't think I ever even added any power steering fluid to the 92 grand Am I traded off at 10 years old and 180K miles.

Oil picks up crud from the combustion process and lack of total gasket sealing. In the cooling system, you have hot water, metals, gaskets leaks, etc. Those fluids need to be changed regularly.

 

[Ken2]

There are electronic and chemical testers for measuring the amount of moisture in brake fluid, but the easy way is to flush it every two years.

I know of two incidents caused by moisture in the brake fluid where the brakes were used hard, the brakes got so hot that the fluid boiled due to the low boiling point caused by the moisture, and in one case a crash and a death resulted.


Ken

 

[7TFord]

I've never replaced the brake fluid on anything I've ever owned other than to upgrade to a Silicone fluid in my classic car. Silicone fluid doesn't absorb moisture which is a good characteristic for a vehicle that is stored. There is a recommended change interval though I'm sure on daily drivers that won't be using Silicone fluid, as there is the chance of moisture entering the system and causing problems. If brake components are serviced though when required and under normal driving conditions, it's hard for me to visualize the need for changing the fluid regularly as it should be difficult for moisture to enter a maintained closed system. I did change the fluid in my power steering though only to upgrade it to a synthetic type and haven't touched it in a few years now.

 

[satterfi]

For brakes I'd say every 2 years or 30k miles, which ever comes first is ok. I do it twice that often.

I cheat on the PS fluid and don't flush it. I suck the resevior empty and refill (twice) every oil change.

 

[Jimbo]

German cars have always recommended periodic brake fluid replacements, usually about every two years. The problem is that bleeding of the ABS unit requires a special service tool. My Ford's ABS is the same.

I have never seen a recommended PS fluid replacement. My BMW steering started making noises when cold. The fluid was dark grey. I flushed it over time by repeatedly changing the ATF in the oil tank, which is separate from the pump. Now I have a small leak in one of the return (non-pressure) hoses. New fluid must have cleaned out dirt that was plugging the leak.

 

[VaderSS]

There is a pretty long and informative post here on brake fluid.

The ABS actuator on my car lists for $1700 and is available with a discount for $1200.

Personally, I feel an annual brake fluid flush is darn cheap insurance.

 

[darrenc]

Flushing your brake fluid is very, very easy if you use a power bleeder like the one sold by Motive products (www.motiveproducts.com). Failure to flush your fluid at least every two years can result in your fluid’s wet boiling point become dangerously low. If you get your brakes hot enough to cause your fluid to boil the brake pedal will become soft, and you will effectively not have brakes.

It’s always good to start with a good quality fluid with both a high dry and high wet boiling point. I like the Ate Super Blue Racing Fluid. It comes in both blue and amber, and is a DOT 4+ fluid. I alternate between the blue and the amber, that way I know when my flush is complete. The blue fluid isn’t DOT approved due only to its color (not an approved color), the amber is DOT approved. Both meet the same spec, the blue is only dyed. A very good widely available OTC fluid is the Valvoline SynPower. It is also DOT 4 +.

Because water will always find its way into your brake fluid (it isn’t a hermetically sealed and water vapor does enter through the fluid reservoir), DOT 5 should only be used in racing applications. DOT 5 does not absorb water, but has a very high dry boiling point. But, because water is not soluble in the DOT 5, any that enters the system remain separate, and this has a very adverse effect on the wet boiling point. If you get hotter than 212 F, any water in the system will move to a vapor state, effectively creating a situation of “air” in the brake hydraulic system, resulting in a soft pedal or ineffective brakes. Bad. DOT 5 should be flushed frequently. Since DOT 3 and 4 are both water miscible, they are able to remain effective hydraulic fluids under high-heat conditions over a long period of time (years), before they become significantly compromised.

Sorry for the ramblings.