sunrise.cm

my 89 suffered from neglect. Don't think the previous owner ever changed any fluid other than oil. Just finished master cylinder rebuild, brake fluid was beyond dirt; almost black. Flushed it with 2 quarts of fluid. Also did auto trans, radiator coolant (along with head gaskets). Looked at the power steering and looks like that stuff should be changed while I am at it. Is there an effective method for flushing the PS with new fluid. Any recomendations as to PS fluid brands? :seeya

vader86

Its easier to get a baster and suck out the old fluid and pour the new stuff in, im gonna use the Valvoline PS fluid, or some type of synthetic when i change mine this winter.

Theres always some fluid in the rack that you cant get unless you take it all apart.

Caboboy

There was a pretty good post on this a couple weeks ago or so. I don't remember who it was, but the end result was the turkey baster method. The guy who posted said it took him several changes over a period of time to clean up the fluid to the point where it remained normal colored. He also said it helped his morning sickness problem as well.
I gotta do that too, it's on the list.................like everything else on a 15 year old car............. :lol: :lol:
Try a search on recent subjects, maybe even use the key words "turkey baster" you might find it that way.

FlyboyZR1

Yeah turkey baster method works very well.

JonM

I used this...and its also good for filling tranny, and rear

jsaunde2

I don't know about earlier cars, but on mine I just take a hose off of the cooler and let it all drain out, then refill. This is simple as it's just a hose clamp, well at least since I threw the factory hose clamp away.

Jason

OleDog

Did the Turkey baster thing. Every night for over a week(as long as I drove the car) I took out the old and put in some new. The fluid is perfectly clear now. Used around 4 quarts. Sure, I wasted a lot of fluid but so what. Did the turkey baster on my master cylinder after I bled the brakes.
Used a paper towel to clean the resevior(?) DONT DO THAT use a clean rag.
The paper towel dissolves.
Live and learn

VBP

I just take the return line off the pump and butt in a hose extension and connect it to an antifreeze or gallon jug. Then I start up the car and pour new fluid in until it comes out clean. It helps to have someone turning the steering wheel from lock to lock to ensure you got all the old fluid out. :seeya

sunrise.cm

Neat idea. How much fluid do you need? and how quickly do you have to add fluid? :cool:

Sam Lam

I have used the method described by VBP and achieved good results. It can be messy if you do not do it correctly. However, my fluid looks clear and clean.

VBP

He's right it can be messy if you don't use the right extension hose and jug. I bought two quarts because the capacity is only about a quart. :yesnod:

PeteL

On my 89 to use this method requires two people. The fluid pumps so fast I can't fill the pump fast enough and a second person has to shut off the car before I go dry.

sunrise.cm

I thought that it would go quickly, especially turning it lock to lock, which I would think, is necessary to get it clean. I'll bet I will need more than a quart too. I will start looking around for the necessary hoses and stuff and might try it next weekend. I am too impatient to do the clean by dilution method. Thanks for the tips :cheers:

Wadoka

I tried the turkey baster method today. My old fluid is the color of new motor oil - amber-gold. I pulled all the fluid out of the reservoir and topped it off. I'm going to keep this up until the fluid stays clear.

I got a new baster and took all the brake fluid out of the front chamber of the mater cylinder reservoir. My old brake fluid hasn't been changed or bled in the three years I've owned the car (bad, I know). So it's been in there at least three years. The old fluid is a dark green color! It's also got a lot of floating trash in it.

If I keep changing the brake fluid in the reservoir, do I still need to bleed the system?

sunrise.cm

Yes, you will need to bleed each one of brake cylinders since the brake fluid does not circulate the way power steering fluid does. When my master cylinder started giving me trouble (pedal went to the floor) it developed a leak internally from one reservoir to the other. It pumped fluid from on reservoir to the other. I suspect that that some of that trash floating around was pieces of the seal that failed or possibly caused the leak. Bleeding the brakes is really simple, especially with one of those one-person bleeders available for $5. I didn’t take off the front wheels - only the back ones for easier access. I used 2 quarts of fluid, one for the front, and the other for the back. I was amazed at the junk in the old fluid.

:cool:

PeteL

Matt I don't know what would cause a DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid to turn green. ATE makes a blue fluid, DOT 5 is purple. Only thing I can think of is perhaps it's HSMO fluid? Think this was used in some older French cars? Don't know, but wonder if you better do a full brake fluid flush sooner rather than later.

If it were my car I'd look into it.

I wonder what happens when you mix a standard DOT 3 or DOT 4 with HSMO fluid? :(