Brake Fluid Capacity?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 227
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From: Las Vegas, NV
Brake Fluid Capacity?
Hi Guys,
Re-doing the brakes (standard calipers with hawk pads) and flushing the brake fluid. Going to put in the heavy duty Ford DOT 3 fluid (yeah... I know Ford fluid in a Chevy?). Question - what is the capacity of the brake system? I am trying to figure out how much brake fluid to buy. The stuff is a little $$$.
Cheers,
Dennis
Re-doing the brakes (standard calipers with hawk pads) and flushing the brake fluid. Going to put in the heavy duty Ford DOT 3 fluid (yeah... I know Ford fluid in a Chevy?). Question - what is the capacity of the brake system? I am trying to figure out how much brake fluid to buy. The stuff is a little $$$.
Cheers,
Dennis
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 34,873
Likes: 487
From: Lacey WA RVN 68-69
NCM Sinkhole Donor
If that fluid is still sold in the small 12 oz bottles, get 3 of them. That should be enough for the system. It may even be a good idea to get 4 bottles and if one isn't used, you can always take the unused sealed bottle back to the dealer.
Nothing really wrong at all with the Ford Motorsports HD fluid; the wet boiling point is close to the top of the DOT3 scale.
Nothing really wrong at all with the Ford Motorsports HD fluid; the wet boiling point is close to the top of the DOT3 scale.
Instructor
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 146
Likes: 13
From: San Jose CA
I use a high-performance fluid from Ate, TYP 200. You used to be able to get it in blue and clear/amber. They are the same except for color, so by alternating colors on each flush, you could tell when the new stuff comes out of the bleeder by the color change.
These products come in 1 liter containers (33.8 fluid ounces) which was always enough to flush the system with a bit left over. I'd guess the total system capacity is less than ~28-30 oz. Three 12 oz bottles will be enough to fully flush the system, but only if you can clearly tell when you've got new, fresh fluid coming out of the bleeder screw. If you're flushing the system because it really needs it and the fluid is the color of Coca Cola, that won't be a problem. But if you're doing this on a routine maintenance schedule, you might be challenged to tell when the old stuff has been pushed out completely. Having a 4th bottle on-hand (one that could be returned if unopened) might be good insurance.
As an aside, the NHTSA stepped in and declared that blue dye could not be used in brake fluid in the US, because it could be confused with wiper fluid! So Ate is no longer importing the Super Blue fluid, only the amber TYP 200.
These products come in 1 liter containers (33.8 fluid ounces) which was always enough to flush the system with a bit left over. I'd guess the total system capacity is less than ~28-30 oz. Three 12 oz bottles will be enough to fully flush the system, but only if you can clearly tell when you've got new, fresh fluid coming out of the bleeder screw. If you're flushing the system because it really needs it and the fluid is the color of Coca Cola, that won't be a problem. But if you're doing this on a routine maintenance schedule, you might be challenged to tell when the old stuff has been pushed out completely. Having a 4th bottle on-hand (one that could be returned if unopened) might be good insurance.
As an aside, the NHTSA stepped in and declared that blue dye could not be used in brake fluid in the US, because it could be confused with wiper fluid! So Ate is no longer importing the Super Blue fluid, only the amber TYP 200.
