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Brake fluid flush capacity

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Old Feb 5, 2025 | 06:17 PM
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Default Brake fluid flush capacity

1969 SB, manual brakes

Doing some winter maintenance.

How many ounces do you remove at each caliper to flush the entire brake fluid system?

Tips and/or thoughts are welcomed.

Regards
Rick
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Old Feb 5, 2025 | 09:16 PM
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Remove 99.7 percent of the brake fluid from the master. Pick up 2 quarts of brake fluid, run about 1/4 of a quart or so out of each caliper. Using up about a quart and a half to do the whole job.
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Old Feb 6, 2025 | 08:19 AM
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I will flush the brakes until the color changes in the brake fluid. But then I push the fluid up to the master cylinder and remove the excess as it gets there. I just find that pushing the air up and out is easier than forcing the air to go down. The Phoenix Reverse Bleeding System is a well designed system that allows me to do all the brake maintenance myself. I have several name brand brake bleeding tools and they are all gathering dust and breaking down from lack of use. Once you use the Reverse Bleeder it is hard to use anything else.

While bleeding the system be sure to tap lightly on the calipers to get them to release the air bubbles inside. I also tap on the brass blocks used in the brake system. The little bubbles will get loose and go on up and out with the old brake fluid.

Considering that we are supposed to Flush the fluid every five years it is important that you find a system that works for you. I also use a high quality brake fluid and after 5 years the difference in color makes it easy to se when the new fluid is there.
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Old Feb 6, 2025 | 08:25 AM
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I second Phoenix. Jerry
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Old Feb 6, 2025 | 09:02 AM
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I always struggle with this. I usually cant tell the difference in the color of old vs new fluid and the passenger side rear is going to take more fluid than the drivers front. Since brake fluid is relatively inexpensive I error on the side of caution and wait until my collector jar is almost full which is probably 8 ounces.

Several years ago you could buy ATE brake fluid in blue or amber. Id alternate colors when flushing making it very easy to tell when the old was out. Unfortunately DOT banned blue brake fluid i think in 2013.
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Old Feb 6, 2025 | 11:47 AM
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Color fluid would have been nice.
I was thinking to do gravity bleed, I will have to look into Phoenix Reverse Bleeding System. I remember reading right rear, then left rear, then right front, lastly left front, so more out of the farthest. So maybe 16oz out of farthest
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Old Feb 11, 2025 | 07:22 AM
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Originally Posted by pltmgr
I always struggle with this. I usually cant tell the difference in the color of old vs new fluid and the passenger side rear is going to take more fluid than the drivers front. Since brake fluid is relatively inexpensive I error on the side of caution and wait until my collector jar is almost full which is probably 8 ounces.

Several years ago you could buy ATE brake fluid in blue or amber. Id alternate colors when flushing making it very easy to tell when the old was out. Unfortunately DOT banned blue brake fluid i think in 2013.
I remember that. That was great.

Not sure if it’s true, but they said with the blue color you couldn’t tell if your brake fluid is dirty.

Back to your original question, I think ctmccloskey is right on. You can tell when the fluid runs clear.
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