Have I been had?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 285
Likes: 1
From: Loudon TN
Have I been had?
A performance tech who I have a lot of respect for made two "mods" to my 02 auto that I kinda thought were odd. First, he swore that dark (gray) brake fluid must be flushed and changed because that is an indication that there has been water infiltration. Also, he installed a "cleaned up" throttle body and bypassed the small hose that carries radiator coolant through the throttle body (to warm it), saying that it is not necessary in warm climates (I'm in Georgia). Whadda you'all think??????????????
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,554
Likes: 33
From: Not on either liberal coast.
You probably won't find to many who would disagree with changing out discolored brake (or clutch) fluid periodically. It does lose it's purpose when contaminated. It boils at a lower temperature which is not advisable on any vehicle where brakes (or clutch) operation is critical.
It could be contaminated with water or the rubber components in the system of either. Every time you open the reservoir you allow air to enter the system(s). Maybe that's why the reservoir(s) are clear. That's also why partial bottles of brake fluid are (generally) not recommended to be used.
As far as the throttle body bypass of the coolant, it's a well known modification to many cars that come that way from the factory. It was supposed to ease start up and idle in cold climates. Owners of LT1/LT4 cars were doing it. Whether you'll actually see any improvement in performance (or operation) is debatable. It's a great topic for bench racing theories though...
It could be contaminated with water or the rubber components in the system of either. Every time you open the reservoir you allow air to enter the system(s). Maybe that's why the reservoir(s) are clear. That's also why partial bottles of brake fluid are (generally) not recommended to be used.
As far as the throttle body bypass of the coolant, it's a well known modification to many cars that come that way from the factory. It was supposed to ease start up and idle in cold climates. Owners of LT1/LT4 cars were doing it. Whether you'll actually see any improvement in performance (or operation) is debatable. It's a great topic for bench racing theories though...
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,037
Likes: 0
From: Independence Missouri
St. Jude Donor '06
Based on what i see, sounds like he did the right thing. If your brake fluid has never been changed or has turned dark, one contributor is condensation which is not good for the system so flushing is warranted. Regarding the TB, it depends on what he did and what the root cause for concern was. Butterfly could have been sticking, excessive oil through the PCV or something that alarmed him otherwise it needed replacing. Ask him why he did it...In terms of the by pass he did, if you live in a warm warm weather climate or don't drive it during the cold, you are good to go. The purpose of the original line in the TB was to run warm circulated water/antifreeze from the radiator through TB to "Warm it up". I wouldn't be worried.
