Not in the salt belt.
easy maintenance often overlooked
- Thread starter lobo11
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remove & replace the mounting hardware with antisieze yearly!
OK, this one isn't dead simple, but on older manual transmission cars for those who like a smooth shifter, this is way overlooked.
After six or seven years the cheap grease the manufacturers use in the shifter ball and socket joint will harden up. As well, you might get a bit of dirt in it.
Try working a bit of Redline synthetic grease into this joint. Better yet is to disassemble it, wipe off the old crude and grease new but this, depending on the car, may not be "simple".
You'll be surprised at how much smoother your shifter becomes.
After six or seven years the cheap grease the manufacturers use in the shifter ball and socket joint will harden up. As well, you might get a bit of dirt in it.
Try working a bit of Redline synthetic grease into this joint. Better yet is to disassemble it, wipe off the old crude and grease new but this, depending on the car, may not be "simple".
You'll be surprised at how much smoother your shifter becomes.
Not quite maintenance, but a real help at the right time: Empty out the entire car. The glovebox, the trunk, move the seats, etc, etc.
Remove every last thing. Inspect and clean up the spare tire. Permanently assign to the garage what needn't be in the car, just near to it on occasion. Update maps, ownership papers, whatnot.
Start a first aid kit, new fire extinguisher (secure it!), breakdown kit with some spares, light tools, blanket/water/food. Some rolled change; a few 20's. You know what I mean.
And make a list of what ought to be done that hasn't been. Not to worry about when, just to have it written and in the car . . . .
Remove every last thing. Inspect and clean up the spare tire. Permanently assign to the garage what needn't be in the car, just near to it on occasion. Update maps, ownership papers, whatnot.
Start a first aid kit, new fire extinguisher (secure it!), breakdown kit with some spares, light tools, blanket/water/food. Some rolled change; a few 20's. You know what I mean.
And make a list of what ought to be done that hasn't been. Not to worry about when, just to have it written and in the car . . . .
I like to clean the CV Boots once a year and spray them with silcone lube to keep them protected. It's a lot easier than changing the joint because the boot is ripped.
Brake fluid should be bled at every oil change and flushed entirely every two years, which is also how often you should flush and replace the antifreeze.
You must be new here. Many here do stuff like that. I think messing with the brakes, more than needed is a good way to cause more problems than it solves. In recent years a number of manufacturers have started recommending replacing the brake fluid every 2 years. I am not sure if it is to enhance dealers profitability, or because the Bosch ABS systems are very sensitive to dirt and moisture. I ran my 92 Grand Am with ABS 10 years and 180 K with no problems and no brake fluid flushes. My 02 Cavalier is doing fine at 75K without ever having the cap off the MC.
Most neglected maintenance items are: brake fluid, power steering fluid, and differential oil ( transaxle if FWD). I like the Pledge idea. How about cleaning and Pledging the plastic wheel wells so that mud or ice won't stick as easily. It should just hose off.
Would tend to agree with Labman on this one. I've been driving for 15 years, including 9 years as a policeman putting 52,000 harsh miles a year on a take home (i knew exactly what kind of maintenance was done on it) police cruiser.
In those 15 years, and driving a wide array of vehicles (ranging from brand new to 200K miles) I have NEVER EVER had any brake service done other than the typical pads and maybe 3 rotor jobs.
Brake fluid flushes are non-existent on my radar screen.
In those 15 years, and driving a wide array of vehicles (ranging from brand new to 200K miles) I have NEVER EVER had any brake service done other than the typical pads and maybe 3 rotor jobs.
Brake fluid flushes are non-existent on my radar screen.
Brake fluid flushes are non-existent on my radar screen.
Old wounds are about to be rehashed.
I second the post on Bosch Brake modulation units. Besides it is a chemistry stand point, brake fluid is HYGROSCOPIC. It will auto contaminate itself with moisture. Caliper seal life may have little to do with ABS fluid I concede. However, H20 in a piston that is a couple hundred degres F is not at all advisable. Sears does ABS brake fluid services for only 35.00$ over the dealer and Goodyears price of 100$+ btw. Also, it is not a bad idea freeing up those caliper bleeders every 1.5yrs or so. It bothers me how many cars out there have working caliper however with seized bleeders only because owners never thought to or had it suggested to them an ABS service.
Old wounds are about to be rehashed.
I second the post on Bosch Brake modulation units. Besides it is a chemistry stand point, brake fluid is HYGROSCOPIC. It will auto contaminate itself with moisture. Caliper seal life may have little to do with ABS fluid I concede. However, H20 in a piston that is a couple hundred degres F is not at all advisable. Sears does ABS brake fluid services for only 35.00$ over the dealer and Goodyears price of 100$+ btw. Also, it is not a bad idea freeing up those caliper bleeders every 1.5yrs or so. It bothers me how many cars out there have working caliper however with seized bleeders only because owners never thought to or had it suggested to them an ABS service.
i usually flush out my brake fluid every few months, however it is recomended to do it after every track day. i will at least flush out the calipers after a hot lap session if i felt any fade. bleeding the brakes is a lot easier when you have an automatic refiller and speed bleeders.
''after a hot lap session if i felt any fade.'' Brake FADE is when you have a hard pedal due to over heating of the lining. The fluid has absolutely nothing to do with it. Bleeding the brakes all the time is so much boy racer bling bling, and has nothing to do with important maintenance for off track use.
ya, when the pads get hot the heat can transfer to the fluid, especially when using a non OEM braking system, such as my Brembo brake setup on my mustang.
my brakes always feel better after bleeding a bit of fluid after they get hot, hot enough to make the pedal softer due to pad fade say on a high-speed autox course or a mild HPDE. The pedal modulation feels much better after fresh fluid is put in as well. Of course, if i stopped using a dual purpose pad like Hawk HP+ i wouldn't get [hardly] any pedal fade. But i'm somewhat lazy to swap pads to Carbotech XP8/9/10. The Carbotech Panther+ pads are harsher than the HP+; a bit less dual purpose.
labman, i've never had the pedal get harder when the pads get too hot. I've always had it get softer and in need of more stroke to achieve the same braking and modulation when the pads heat up.
labman, i've never had the pedal get harder when the pads get too hot. I've always had it get softer and in need of more stroke to achieve the same braking and modulation when the pads heat up.
Soft pedal when hot? I can't imagine that happening unless you are getting things so hot the caliper and hoses are flexing more.
i've got ss braided lines. yeah, when the pads heat up beyond their operating range, pedal gets a bit softer, but perhaps i'm confusing that with the longer stroke needed to brake the same.
As I understand it, soft pedal when hot can be caused when the caliper gets so hot that the brake fluid boils introducing gas into the brake lines. At this point you get a mushy pedal feel. Bleeding the brakes will correct this condition.
That's one of the reasons racing/high performance applications call for brake fluid with very high boiling points. That's also why fluids like ATE super blue and Pentosin cost so much. They help avoid this situation through extremely high boiling points.
That's one of the reasons racing/high performance applications call for brake fluid with very high boiling points. That's also why fluids like ATE super blue and Pentosin cost so much. They help avoid this situation through extremely high boiling points.
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