Hey all, I was going to change out my brake fluid and maybe pads this coming week while Im at home (no fun spring break for me...and its my last one )

anyway, I know my dad has done it on other cars, so it is pretty straight forward?

I have 84k miles now - I would think it could use some new fluid?

 

I bought a Motive Power Bleeder to bleed brake fluids so I can pressure bleed the old fluid by myself. ATE Super Blue is great, is has high wet boiling temp and the blue color is extremely helpful - you know when to stop bleeding since Honda's brake fluid is yellow.

 

Just make sure that you don't get ANY kind of dirt or crud in the reservoir. Once that dirt gets into the master cylinder, it will be under pressure and score the inside of the cylinder.

 

StopTech's web has some helpful info on brake fluid and why you need a brake fluid change every year or two.

MYTH # 3 - A SOFT BRAKE PEDAL IS THE RESULT OF PAD FADE

The all too familiar mushy brake pedal is caused by overheated brake fluid, not overheated pads. Repeated heavy use of the brakes may lead to "brake fade". There are two distinct varieties of brake fade

A) When the temperature at the interface between the pad and the rotor exceeds the thermal capacity of the pad, the pad loses friction capability due largely to out gassing of the binding agents in the pad compound. The brake pedal remains firm and solid but the car will not stop. The first indication is a distinctive and unpleasant smell which should serve as a warning to back off,

B) When the fluid boils in the calipers air bubbles are formed. Since air is compressible, the brake pedal becomes soft and "mushy" and pedal travel increases. You can probably still stop the car by pumping the pedal but efficient modulation is gone. This is a gradual process with lots of warning.

MYTH # 4 - BOILED BRAKE FLUID WILL BE SERVICABLE AFTER IT COOLS.


Once the brake fluid inside the caliper has boiled, it has lost a significant percentage of its original boiling point and should be replaced. It is not necessary to remove all of the fluid in the system, just bleed until clear fluid appears.

MYTH # 5 - BECAUSE THEY ARE NON-HYGROSCOPIC SILICONE BASED BRAKE FLUIDS ARE SUITABLE FOR USE IN HIGH PERFORMANCE CARS


DOT 3 AND DOT 4 brake fluids are ether based and are hygroscopic in nature - i.e. they absorb water vapor. As the braking system in not quite airtight, a significant amount of water can be absorbed from the atmosphere in the course of a year. A 3% water content in brake fluid drops the boiling point as much as 170 degrees F. Brake fluid should be completely replaced annually.
DOT 5 fluids are silicon based and are non-hygroscopic, which is good. They are also subject to frothing from high frequency vibration, which gives a soft pedal. Soft brake pedals may be OK in non-high performance cars (in fact, most drivers accept mushy brake pedals as normal) but they are not acceptable in any situation where the driver intends to modulate braking at high force values

 

interesting, I guess changing it out would be a good thing to do...because I have had the car for more than 2 years and I have not done a thing to the brakes (fluid, pads or rotors), so I think they deserve some TLC. BTW thanks TunedTL for the info

 

our car is a "diagonal brake system" you bleed rear right, then front left, then rear left, and lastly front right. This is the correct way.

Some people believe its furthest from master cylinder, which is RR, RL, FR, then FL...this may be right for rear wheel cars, but this is incorrect for our car.

 

this is why I ask on a site like this...lots of good info. Why is it necessary to do it that way? Just the only way to get all the fluid out? thanks again

 

ive done it on other cars

its not hard but you want a buddy to help you out.

 

You can do it at each wheel like mentioned Just need a piece of hose (vacuum line, etc) that fits over the end of the bleed bolt on the caliper and use a box wrench and a jar to catch the fluid. Just make sure you loosen the bolt as a friend presses down the brake pedal to the floor and then tighten the bolt before he lets up on the pedal so as not to allow air to get sucked into the system. Repeat this until the fluid comes out clean at each wheel. Also, I usually suck out the master cylinder first with a turkey baster and add new fluid to start. This will make it go quicker as well. Make sure you check the reservior as you are doing this and add fluid as you go. Don't let it get too low. Also, do not get any fluid on any painted items- it will damage the paint.
I have never tried the ABS reservior. The procedure for that in the repair manual looks rather detailed and requires some special equipment. Unless anyone has done that before and can provide some tips?

 

here go to this link and make this! i and acouple other friends have made one and it works AWSOME! http://www.bmw-m.net/TechProc/bleeder.htm

 

oh im not sure if the gm brake cap works (since the guy who worte this up did it for a bmw) i used a spare honda one laying around.

once made it makes quick work on bleeding brakes (you may want to do it more often after this thing is made!

 

My 99-00 TL Service Manual states bleeding sequence as LF, RF, LR, RR on page 19-8.

 

are you sure, your always supposed to bleed furthest wheel from master cyl first, then work your way to closest

 

What TunedTL wrote is what's in the Service Manual.

 

Yes, that is what service manual says. I think with ABS, brake lines are now routed more complicated than before, so furthest one may not be RR.

 

i agree when it comes to bleeding farthest brake caliper from master cyl.
as a general guide to all cars. but also if it has abs it is also a general rule of thumb to bleed from rr,fl,rl,fr. but if the service manual states it (i gotta get that book, im missing out) gotta go with that
take it from me going to Auto tech school couple of things

-dont use dot5 brake fluid thinking just because the number higher is for better performance big it will damage your brake system over time, because it is silicone based it was meant to be used for certain makes and models, stick with your dot3 that may also be with dot4,

-try lookin on the bottle for some info i've done some shopping and came up with the cheaper brands may have similar standards but look for the something that deals with high dry boiling point and wet boiling points. It will have a minimum temp rating most of the cheaper brands only show that they meet the standards and dont even mention boiling points, however check something like Motul, and you'll see that they have some high boiling point figures(their fluid is expensive) thus for racing specs, i checked some brands out like Gunk,Castrol, and Valvoline: gunk didnt even have the min boiling point(stay away), castrol was like min 350-400 deg. and the valvoline was synthetic and meant for abs systems and rated around 500 deg i believe this is the one that would be best. the higher the temp rating the better the durability is for heavy braking

-i would also suggest that you bleed the brakes annually if you have heavy foot, every 2 years if you're a softy!

-check inside your master cylinder resevoir you'll find some nice algae or gunk in there. this is where you should use a turkey baster and some cleaning brush, scrub down the green lifeform, and suck out the fluid mixed with the gunk and refill.

-try your best to transfer brake fluid from the bottle to the master cylinder with the least amount time exposed to the air(dont bleed your brakes on a rainy or really humid day) meaning make sure you keep that cap closed asap moisture in the air will get absorb right into the fluid.
in fact the brake fluid bottle once you open it and used it, manufacturers suggest to keep the fluid airtight sealed, and discard if it is not used for like 6 months

-try not to get brake fluid on your skin or on your car's paint, if you leave brake fluid on the paint fluid will strip your paint. hose it off if it does get on there

make sure you keep that resevoir full when bleeding because if that resevoir, goes below while bleeding just know you will have to remove your master cyl and manually bleed the m.c. to rid of the air stuck in the m.c. otherwise no matter how much you try to bleed it through its not going to come out.

if you need a one man bleeder kit i would suggest the speed bleeder, inexpensive and simple process. good stuff

maybe most of you know this stuff but for the noobs you need to know this!

 

hey thanks for all the help! I know some (almost noob style) about brakes, so this is all very helpful for sure.

 

For a one-man bleeder kit. I've use MityVac. Worked quite well. I bled my the brake line after I upgrade to SS line.

It created a little suction so when you open the bleeder valve, air is not introduced and the brake fluid is drawn out into a little reservoir.