brake fluid flush

[Bradley G]

I just put new tires on and had the front end aligned before I went to Woodward this past week.
Both shops I took it to for the tires and alignment had a comment that my brake pedal is too soft.
I'm sure with the degrading of the fluid over time, had me not really noticing actually how soft it really is.
Jerry Barnes drove my car a few times while I was in Michigan, most recently when we went to hang out at Wooward Dream Cruise,
On the way out, he nearly azz ended a car stopped in front of us.
It did seem to take a long time for the car to stop as we neared the car ahead of us.
Seeing how I have not flushed the brake system yet, I put this as a top priority to get serviced.
Marc (Shakes) also had a turn piloting the Marauder in our travels.
He claimed that the shops now offer a flush that cycles the ABS pump simultainously while the brake system is being flushed.
I was quoted by my local Ford dealer 144.00 & taxes, to complete the two hour service.
Just letting the members know that this is now available and what sort of time and expense you may be looking at.
I declined the appointment for as early as tomorrow.
I did make a call to a Ford tech pal of mine, to see if he wanted to do this for me, as a side job.
Has anyone done this type of service? do you feel that the costs quoted to me, are in line of what you were charged?
Was it at a dealer or private garage?
I already purchaced the brake fluid and was just going to proceed with the old school method myself.
Now that I learn that there is a dedicated machine that more completely flushes the system, I am not going that route.

[FastMerc]

I hade mine done at the dealer last year.My cousin is the service manager so I got a little better rate.But due to the fact you get the pump flushed it is the way to go.The old school methode does not flush the pump out,you will contaminate your new fluid as you drive the car.

[frdwrnch]

Brake fluid is Hydroscopic (it absorbs water). This promotes rusting of the pistons and brake caliper bores as well as other brake system components. European manufacturers have mandated brake fluid changes for years. American car makers would rather sell you new calipers. This is a very important service.

[Black_Noise]

Brake fluid is Hydroscopic (it absorbs water). This promotes rusting of the pistons and brake caliper bores as well as other brake system components. European manufacturers have mandated brake fluid changes for years. American car makers would rather sell you new calipers. This is a very important service.


true, recommended changed every 3 yrs to keep the corrosion levels tolerable....

also soft pedal was probably more of air in the system than bad fluid.

[RoyLPita]

My MM had the job done at 14k. That was about 4 1/2 years ago. With 82k it still has great pedal feel.

[SpartaPerformance]

There is a hand held machine for that it makes it much easier especially if you're doing it on your own.

[tbone]

Brad - I will help you do it with the bleeder I have. Price = $0. Guaranteed results!

[liquid]

I figure there is no way to avoid at least some leftover fluid, so I have never bothered with the expense of ABS cycling during a bleed. However, the expense of speed bleeders has been a worthwhile investment.

[Krytin]

I just did mine with the hand held vacuum pump. The instructions that came with the pump explained how to prep the ABS system to bleed through and get all the fluid/air out. It sure worked on mine. I have had a soft pedal since the last time I tried to pump up the pedal and bleed the old fashoined way three years ago!
The difference was night and day with the vacuumm bleed.

[SC Cheesehead]

There is a hand held machine for that it makes it much easier especially if you're doing it on your own.




Brad - I will help you do it with the bleeder I have. Price = $0. Guaranteed results!

Yeah, 03mmmonroe has a pump/bleeder set-up, it works well, and makes a difference.

Definitely will reduce the "spongy brake" syndrome, Bradley. :up:

[2vmodular]

wonder how much brake fluid you'll end up flushing through the system to get clear stuff flow out of the caliper bleeders. i've dealt with some cars with brake fluid so black that it took close to a gallon of brake fluid to get the system flushed to a clear color again.

at the parts store they sell little 12oz bottles of brake fluid. for a flush, you want the big 32oz size. even then, you might need a few of those big bottles if the system is really dirty inside.

[2vmodular]

if the system is really dirty, you might also consider replacing all 4 calipers with new remanufactured ones. a lot of debris can build up inside these. and you often cannot get all the junk out without removing the caliper and disassembling it.

[tbone]

wonder how much brake fluid you'll end up flushing through the system to get clear stuff flow out of the caliper bleeders. i've dealt with some cars with brake fluid so black that it took close to a gallon of brake fluid to get the system flushed to a clear color again.

at the parts store they sell little 12oz bottles of brake fluid. for a flush, you want the big 32oz size. even then, you might need a few of those big bottles if the system is really dirty inside.


I went through 1 1/2 of the 32 oz. bottles for all 4 wheels. Fluid that came out in the end was crystal clear. Brake feel is perfect. Best I've ever had in a car. :beer:

[justbob]

I flush mine almost yearly. Takes longer to jack it up and take the wheels off.

[boatmangc]

I flush mine almost yearly. Takes longer to jack it up and take the wheels off.
Like he said!!
Along with the transmission, coolant and all of that recommended stuff.

[2vmodular]

you are really spoiling your car with yearly brake fluid flushes.

a lot of the general car owning public in my area of the country never bother to flush their brake fluid. the first time the fluid ever gets changed out is when the brake system develops a big leak from a rotted brake line or a busted caliper flex hose.


I flush mine almost yearly. Takes longer to jack it up and take the wheels off.

[2vmodular]

btw: i'm amazed how frugal some older cars owners are. i recently saw one older car with a rusty engine oil pan that was leaking. the owner brought into into the repair shop and told the mechanic to apply jb-weld over the rust holes.

you can't apply this stuff when the engine oil pan is full of oil. so you've got to drain all the oil out. now here comes the really odd part, the customer insisted the shop couldn't install new oil after they drained out the old oil. they had to drain all the old oil out into a dirty 5 gallon bucket and then pour the old dirty oil back into the engine cranckcase when they were done. the oil in the engine wasn't expensive amsoil or mobil1 either, it was the cheapest stuff that the last oil change shop had in stock.

[Bradley G]

OK like was said eariler, this is really easy and well worth the results!

I got the deluxe bleeder kit from Advance auto , it was about fifty dollars.
Took me about 10-15 minutes per wheel.
I had to empty the cup about three times per wheel.
The difference is very noticeable.
The pedal is much more responsive and does not require nearly as much foot pressure to stop /slow the car.
I will be doing it again at least once every two years, now that I know how significant this is.

[computertech]

I gotta get me one of these, my pedal is noticeably softer on my trilogy then my other cars


OK like was said eariler, this is really easy and well worth the results!

I got the deluxe bleeder kit from Advance auto , it was about fifty dollars.
Took me about 10-15 minutes per wheel.
I had to empty the cup about three times per wheel.
The difference is very noticeable.
The pedal is much more responsive and does not require nearly as much foot pressure to stop /slow the car.
I will be doing it again at least once every two years, now that I know how significant this is.

[Bradley G]

The bleeder kit is available for anyone to use here, PM me if you do not want to purchase a kit you can borrow this one.

[BBereziuk]

i used Dormans check valve bleeders, you can bleed the systems by yourself, all i did was put small clear tubes off the bleeders running into pop bottles and just bought cheap fluid from advance flushed the system then i filled my car with DOT4 its has a higher heat index and will not rot out your bushings/seals like the silicone based DOT5 can sometimes do to certain rubbers in the master and whole braking system, just make sure you have someone watching the fluid level and keep filling so you wont suck in air and youll be fine then just once its all clear coming out you can start adding either a synthetic DOT3/4 or DOT4, it worked great for me, just an idea