Honda DOT 3 Turns Brown Quickly?

[The Critic]

I did a brake fluid flush on my Prius at about 35k with three 12 oz bottles of Genuine Honda DOT3 brake fluid. Yes, I used the Techstream software to perform the fluid exchange.

After about 5k, I noticed that the fluid had turned rather dark. Even though Honda DOT 3 starts out rather dark for new brake fluid, I was surprised that the fluid had turned almost dark brown in such a short period of time. In comparison, the original Toyota fluid I flushed out was barely amber after 35k.

Anyway, I did an air bleed last weekend at 45k (had to bleed out some air since I did not fully follow the directions at the 35k flush) with 1 bottle of Honda DOT3 and noticed how dark the fluid was coming out considering the age of the fluid.

Of course, water accumulation and copper content are the main indicators of fluid condition - but what can cause the brake fluid to turn dark so quickly?

Thanks.

 

[mongo161]

The Summer Heat, Humidity and Hot weather will destroy brake fluid in a very short period of time.

I change my Brake Fluid, via the Turkey Baster method, 2X a year....in late Fall and early Summer. I found that Pennzoil HD Brake Fluid, sold at Big Lots, seems to hold up the best for DOT 3 brake fluid.

I also siphon out the Power Steering fluid once a year, via the turkey baster method. I use Mobil 1 for the PS and re-fill the reservoir with clean Mobil 1 ATF fluid.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I have not noiced the color change. About 10 months ago (12,000 miles for us), I did a full fluid exchange on our Acura MDX with Honda DOT3 and from what I can tell, it's still the same color today...at least in the reservoir. Our Honda CR-V has what I would assume to be the original brake fluid in it, and it's not overtly dark. I do plan to change it this winter.

 

[cchase]

Originally Posted By: mongo161
The Summer Heat, Humidity and Hot weather will destroy brake fluid in a very short period of time.

I change my Brake Fluid, via the Turkey Baster method, 2X a year....in late Fall and early Summer. I found that Pennzoil HD Brake Fluid, sold at Big Lots, seems to hold up the best for DOT 3 brake fluid.

I also siphon out the Power Steering fluid once a year, via the turkey baster method. I use Mobil 1 for the PS and re-fill the reservoir with clean Mobil 1 ATF fluid.


How does the "turkey baster method" work for brakes? I would assume contaminants would settle to the calipers, where they will accumulate safely away from your fluid changes.

 

[hate2work]

Originally Posted By: cchase


How does the "turkey baster method" work for brakes? I would assume contaminants would settle to the calipers, where they will accumulate safely away from your fluid changes.


Yep. Brake fluid doesn't circulate, so the only way to get fresh fluid where it counts is with a flush.

OP- The Honda fluid I used on our 99 Civic when we had it was amber color. Could the fluid you used have been going bad?

Also, why Honda fluid in a Toyota?

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: hate2work


OP- The Honda fluid I used on our 99 Civic when we had it was amber color. Could the fluid you used have been going bad?

Also, why Honda fluid in a Toyota?


It was amber, a fairly dark amber when new. These bottles were fairly fresh and were purchased from a high-volume Honda dealership.

Why Honda fluid? At the time, I thought the issue about polymers in the brake fluid was a big deal after the master cyl cup recall fiasco. Wasn't confident that aftermarket fluids had the proper amount of polymers, so I figured that I go with an OEM DOT3 fluid to be safe.