when change brake fluid?

[Robertslowpoke]

hi! thank you ALL for the superb help on all topics! i want to totally overmaintain my 2 cars.

how often should i change brake and steering fluid?

2008 Cadillac DTS northstar V8 30,000 miles
2002 Lexus es 300 around 80,000 miles.

best

bob

 

[ahoier]

I'd say every 2 years. May as well change out both at the same time along with the antifreeze.

 

[Astro14]

Brake fluid every two...

Unless you live in a very moist climate or drive hard (mountains, etc.) then every year...

And if you want to totally over maintain the car, follow the same on PS...

 

[tig1]

I do the turkey baster method every oil change(10K) to draw out the PS fluid and brake master cylinder. If you have a clutch master cylinder, draw it out as well. This has worked very well for me for many years.

 

[AstroTurf]

I agree, Every 2 years.

Jim

 

[Robertslowpoke]

THANK YOU everyone!!

will do

bob

 

[cmf]

Most manufacturer's recommend changing brake fluid every 2 years. IIRC Lexus is 36 months or 30k. I change mine roughly once every year-18 months. Every 2 years is a good interval though.

I generally change power steering fluid every 3 years. I've heard every 50k as well. Most people recommend doing the turkey baster method to remove it but I find it much faster to use the return line.

Turkey baster replacement every oil change is fine for the power steering, but I wouldn't recommend it for brake fluid. Brake fluid doesn't really flow around, it'll homogenize over time but not nearly at the rate you'd want it to. Also plastic containers, especially open containers, of brake fluid take on moisture the same as your brake lines do. Replacing your current fluid with fluid that's been sitting is very close to pointless.

 

[tdpark]

I tend to agree with CMF- you need to bleed the brakes at the caliper to get all the gunk out otherwise it just sits there no matter what you put in the reservoir.

 

[NateDN10]

I agree with CMF too. It would be more beneficial to bleed an ounce from each wheel than it would be to turkey-baster the fluid in the MC.

 

[RV85]

I change the PS fluid in all my cars once a yr....fluid is cheap and it's a 15 min job at the most.

On the brake & clutch fluid,I do a system brake bleed ( all cars have speed-bleeders)every spring and do a turkey baster change of brake & clutch fluid every OCI.Again,fluids are cheap and fresh fluids perform better.

 

[Robertslowpoke]

thank you!! i am still learning!! now i know we have to bleed the brakes, not just change fluid. also, glad to hear i am not the only one who wants to do maintenance!! system brake bleed each spring.

my son's car brake lines totally rusted. i bet he never ever did brake fluid

thanks a lot!!

bob

 

[The motor guy]

How come they don't ever specify a brake fluid change interval in the manual? I've never seen anything on any of our vehicles.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Most German car manual has brake fluid change interval at 2 years with DOT-4, Honda manual has 3 years interval with DOT-3.

 

[The motor guy]

Is just using the turkey baster method and sucking it out through the master cylinder resevoir good enough? Just as long as I don't get it down to the bottom and get air in the system it should be okay right?

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Is just using the turkey baster method and sucking it out through the master cylinder resevoir good enough? Just as long as I don't get it down to the bottom and get air in the system it should be okay right?


After 200-300K I have never had a brake system fail because of bad brake fluid using the turket baster method. And it does cirulate through out the system, only slowly.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Turkey baster method is better than do nothing, but it's not good enough. The correct/right way to do brake fluid is bleeder screws.

 

[wiswind]

The last 2 vehicles that I have bought were used.
The FIRST time that I bled brake fluid at each wheel, the first 1 to 3 bottles for my "one man bleeder" came out looking MUCH darker that the fluid that I saw in the master cylinder.
Would this dark fluid cause a problem? I don't know.
But.....as I like to over maintain my vehicles......and depend upon them to haul my youth group on a mission trip.....towing a trailer on mountain roads, I want to be extra sure about the brakes being top notch.
Every other year to bleed at the wheel sounds like a good plan.
It still seems to come out pretty clean at that point for me.

The location that the fluid is going to experience the most heat stress is at each caliper.....so bleeding at each caliper is draining at the most stressed location.
Of course, the master cylinder could be a moisture entry point as well if it is not sealed well.

The Factory Service Manuals for my vehicle, and the former vehicle (Toyota and Ford) both did not call for brake fluid to be bled on any schedule......not even when doing a brake job.
During a brake job, they have you push the fluid back up into the master cylinder.
But I am guessing that it saves time......and in a shop, time is money.....so if you can save a little time on each job, without causing a customer come-back for a problem with the service you have provided, that is more money made.
However, for those who wish to "overmaintain" there vehicle (that would be me), a little extra time to do a extra good job, is well worth it.
I would guess that the vast majority of the vehicles on the road do not get this level of care, so it must not be huge as far as problems if you don't do this either.

 

[Volvo_ST1]

Basting the reservoir instead of a turkey does no harm, but it does nothing to remove the particles that build up and remain in the calipers. Anybody who believes the contaminants are evenly spread throughout all the brake fluid should just once bleed the calipers properly. I change the brake fluid every 12 to 18 months. The old fluid in the reservoir look always fresh and clear without visible signs of contamination. When I crack a caliper bleeder, the first ounce of fluid or so that comes out of the caliper has dark streaks in it. That is visible contamination from the o-ring on the brake piston. You can drain as much fluid from the wrong end, the reservoir, as you want, but you will never remove the gunk that will over time build up inside the caliper. Besides, depending on the climate in which you drive, you really need to rebuild the caliper every 5 to 10 years (or more often, depending on mileage) at least once.

Sucking fluid out of the reservoir is little more than eyewash.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: Volvo_ST1
Basting the reservoir instead of a turkey does no harm, but it does nothing to remove the particles that build up and remain in the calipers. Anybody who believes the contaminants are evenly spread throughout all the brake fluid should just once bleed the calipers properly. I change the brake fluid every 12 to 18 months. The old fluid in the reservoir look always fresh and clear without visible signs of contamination. When I crack a caliper bleeder, the first ounce of fluid or so that comes out of the caliper has dark streaks in it. That is visible contamination from the o-ring on the brake piston. You can drain as much fluid from the wrong end, the reservoir, as you want, but you will never remove the gunk that will over time build up inside the caliper. Besides, depending on the climate in which you drive, you really need to rebuild the caliper every 5 to 10 years (or more often, depending on mileage) at least once.

Sucking fluid out of the reservoir is little more than eyewash.


My '94 LS400 is more than 17 years old and is more than 250k miles with OEM calipers, none had been rebuilt. Yes, I did flush brake fluid properly at least every 2-4 years, may be that why the OEM calipers are working without problems. My 11 years old '00 E430 has more than 120k miles with OEM calipers too.

 

[Volvo_ST1]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: Volvo_ST1
Basting the reservoir instead of a turkey does no harm, but it does nothing to remove the particles that build up and remain in the calipers. Anybody who believes the contaminants are evenly spread throughout all the brake fluid should just once bleed the calipers properly. I change the brake fluid every 12 to 18 months. The old fluid in the reservoir look always fresh and clear without visible signs of contamination. When I crack a caliper bleeder, the first ounce of fluid or so that comes out of the caliper has dark streaks in it. That is visible contamination from the o-ring on the brake piston. You can drain as much fluid from the wrong end, the reservoir, as you want, but you will never remove the gunk that will over time build up inside the caliper. Besides, depending on the climate in which you drive, you really need to rebuild the caliper every 5 to 10 years (or more often, depending on mileage) at least once.

Sucking fluid out of the reservoir is little more than eyewash.


My '94 LS400 is more than 17 years old and is more than 250k miles with OEM calipers, none had been rebuilt. Yes, I did flush brake fluid properly at least every 2-4 years, may be that why the OEM calipers are working without problems. My 11 years old '00 E430 has more than 120k miles with OEM calipers too.


My car is 16 years old with a bit over 200k miles on it. I have rebuilt the front calipers twice, the rear calipers once (then replaced them) so far. I have replaced all brake hoses once. Fluid gets replaced every 12 to 18 months.

In a harsh climate I would rebuild the calipers more frequently. I see no reason why a well-maintained caliper can't last pretty much indefinitely. If the piston seal wears too much, scuffing of the caliper cylinder may occur. Then the caliper may need replacing. That's why I would not go more than 5 years or 100k miles without rebuilding the calipers. One front caliper for my cars costs over $300. The rear caliper is a bit less costly. A rebuild kit costs about $14 per caliper. You do the math.