brake fluid change
Thread Starter
Supporting Vendor
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 50,281
Likes: 518
From: Cleveland OH
St. Jude Donor '11,'13
brake fluid change
my cars a 2000 a4 and has 10,500 miles on it and the brake fluid is black. is this easy to do or should i have a pro do it and how much money do think it would cost. thanks in advance :cheers:
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 1,190
Likes: 0
From: Jonestown, TEXAS
Re: brake fluid change (stunna)
It is easy to do. Take the wheels off and install some speed bleeders. Run the system with some ATE SUPER BLUE. It will be a different color so keep pumping until you see blue through the lines!
Good Luck! :cheers:
Good Luck! :cheers:
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 36,453
Likes: 2
From: Overwhelmed as one would be, placed in my position.... DFW, TX
St. Jude Donor '05
Re: brake fluid change (dahoof)
It is easy to do. Take the wheels off and install some speed bleeders. Run the system with some ATE SUPER BLUE. It will be a different color so keep pumping until you see blue through the lines!
Good Luck! :cheers:
Good Luck! :cheers:
It's really pretty easy. I bleed mine once a month before every autocross. I'm a masochist- I don't even have speed bleeders. :eek:
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 43,084
Likes: 33
From: Raleigh / Rolesville NC
Re: brake fluid change (stunna)
Brake fluid should be bleed a minium of once every six months. The color should be transparnt weather you use DOT 3, 4 gold or blue fluids.
Brake fuild absorbs water, which it is intended to do, that is called the wet boiling point. the Dry boiling point is when the brake fluid as no water mixed in. However, brake fluid will absorbe water from humidity and with in a week of opening a can , bottle the brake fluid is close to the water saturation point. Saturated brake fluid can reduce your braking power by as much as 25%. Not a good idea when you need your brakes in an emergancy which we never plan for.
There for choose a brake fluid with a high WET boiling point. I would suggest anything close to or above a 400 degree wet boiling point.
I also change my brake fluid regulaly and bleed my brakes each time I go to the track about once a month. I do not use speed bleeders and know many ppl how have had the speed bleeders then removed them as they became too messy.
Rember brake fluid is costict to paint, and not to nice on skin either. :eek:
Also you may want to look at your clutch fluid ( which is DOT 3 brake fluid )as well.
Good Luck
[Modified by AU N EGL, 4:29 PM 4/19/2004]
Brake fuild absorbs water, which it is intended to do, that is called the wet boiling point. the Dry boiling point is when the brake fluid as no water mixed in. However, brake fluid will absorbe water from humidity and with in a week of opening a can , bottle the brake fluid is close to the water saturation point. Saturated brake fluid can reduce your braking power by as much as 25%. Not a good idea when you need your brakes in an emergancy which we never plan for.
There for choose a brake fluid with a high WET boiling point. I would suggest anything close to or above a 400 degree wet boiling point.
I also change my brake fluid regulaly and bleed my brakes each time I go to the track about once a month. I do not use speed bleeders and know many ppl how have had the speed bleeders then removed them as they became too messy.
Rember brake fluid is costict to paint, and not to nice on skin either. :eek:
Also you may want to look at your clutch fluid ( which is DOT 3 brake fluid )as well.
Good Luck
[Modified by AU N EGL, 4:29 PM 4/19/2004]
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
From: MI
Re: brake fluid change (AU N EGL)
Caution: The clutch fluid is NOT DOT 3 (brake fluid) the correct fluid is 12345347 Hydraulic Clutch Fluid. Using DOT 3 brake fluid will prematurely degrade the clutch master cylinder & slave cylinder. Many C4 Corvette owner have learned the hard way. :nono:
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 36,453
Likes: 2
From: Overwhelmed as one would be, placed in my position.... DFW, TX
St. Jude Donor '05
Re: brake fluid change (redvett01)
Caution: The clutch fluid is NOT DOT 3 (brake fluid) the correct fluid is 12345347 Hydraulic Clutch Fluid. Using DOT 3 brake fluid will prematurely degrade the clutch master cylinder & slave cylinder. Many C4 Corvette owner have learned the hard way. :nono:
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 9,913
Likes: 1,867
From: Hot Springs AR
Re: brake fluid change (stunna)
How often you change your brake fluid is really dependent on if you autocross or road race your car. Those activities can put a LOT of heat into the system, trust me! :eek:
If you're only driving on the street, then I'd recommend changing out your fluid every 2 years, primarily to eliminate corrosion concerns in the brake system. It's fairly simple to do, but really requires 2 people to do it right (I'm not a fan of the speed bleeders).
Also, my brake fluid of choice is Valvoline's Synpower DOT 3/4 fluid. It's easy to find, has decent characteristics, and is inexpensive.
HTH, and have a good one,
Mike
If you're only driving on the street, then I'd recommend changing out your fluid every 2 years, primarily to eliminate corrosion concerns in the brake system. It's fairly simple to do, but really requires 2 people to do it right (I'm not a fan of the speed bleeders).
Also, my brake fluid of choice is Valvoline's Synpower DOT 3/4 fluid. It's easy to find, has decent characteristics, and is inexpensive.
HTH, and have a good one,
Mike
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,456
Likes: 5
From: Bothell WA
Re: brake fluid change (AU N EGL)
Brake fluid should be bleed a minium of once every six months. The color should be transparnt weather you use DOT 3, 4 gold or blue fluids.
Brake fuild absorbs water, which it is intended to do, that is called the wet boiling point. the Dry boiling point is when the brake fluid as no water mixed in. However, brake fluid will absorbe water from humidity and with in a week of opening a can , bottle the brake fluid is close to the water saturation point. Saturated brake fluid can reduce your braking power by as much as 25%. Not a good idea when you need your brakes in an emergancy which we never plan for.
There for choose a brake fluid with a high WET boiling point. I would suggest anything close to or above a 400 degree wet boiling point.
I also change my brake fluid regulaly and bleed my brakes each time I go to the track about once a month. I do not use speed bleeders and know many ppl how have had the speed bleeders then removed them as they became too messy.
Brake fuild absorbs water, which it is intended to do, that is called the wet boiling point. the Dry boiling point is when the brake fluid as no water mixed in. However, brake fluid will absorbe water from humidity and with in a week of opening a can , bottle the brake fluid is close to the water saturation point. Saturated brake fluid can reduce your braking power by as much as 25%. Not a good idea when you need your brakes in an emergancy which we never plan for.
There for choose a brake fluid with a high WET boiling point. I would suggest anything close to or above a 400 degree wet boiling point.
I also change my brake fluid regulaly and bleed my brakes each time I go to the track about once a month. I do not use speed bleeders and know many ppl how have had the speed bleeders then removed them as they became too messy.
Also, 1 panic stop is not going to heat up the brake fluid enough to cause any problems. Its repeated stops that will soak the brakes with heat and potentially cause problems.
Good brake fluid with high wet boiling points is always a good thing, but for most cars its overkill. If you are running your car on a road track, then yes you should definitely have high performance brake fluid.
I also don't understand your issue with Speed Bleeders. When they're closed, they are just like stock bleed screws in that they seat internally to close the valve. I don't see how they could be a problem.
- Mark
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Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 43,084
Likes: 33
From: Raleigh / Rolesville NC
Re: brake fluid change (redvett01)
Well then why does my clutch master cylinder cap say 'USE DOT 3 BRAKE FLUID ONLY'? Yes I have an 03' MN6 not an A4. My G/F 04 vert with an A4 master cylinder cap also says, 'USE DOT 3 BRAKE FLUID ONLY' ?? and the C5 tech at the local Chev dealship ( also member of Corvette club) and the shop that did most of my after market work also says use DOT 3 FLuid only for the clutch, so you have me a bit confused?? :confused:
As far as brake fluid changes I do not mean to scare ppl as it is thier brakes, but when one reads a little research on brake fluid types, Wet vs Dry boiling points and how water gets into the brake fluid and the change in braking ablilty as a result - but it is each persons car and their brakes.
:cheers: Tom
As far as brake fluid changes I do not mean to scare ppl as it is thier brakes, but when one reads a little research on brake fluid types, Wet vs Dry boiling points and how water gets into the brake fluid and the change in braking ablilty as a result - but it is each persons car and their brakes.
:cheers: Tom
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
From: MI
Re: brake fluid change (AU N EGL)
AU N EGL, I was refering to the last part of your post on clutch fluid. The fluid for the clutch is different for the cluch system than the brake system. Use only the GM clutch fluid its compatable with the plastic M/C & slave system. What has happened is you will have a squeeking and stiffness in the cluch system over time.
The dealership (most of them) care about the bottom line and when you complain about the clutch will replace the whole system.
We went through the whole thing on our ZR-1's years ago.
Please check out the C4 & C5 service manual on the proper fluid for the clutch. I dont think a bottle is more than 7-8 dollars and will bleed the system more than 3 times. I have done mine 3 times on 1 bottle.
The dealership (most of them) care about the bottom line and when you complain about the clutch will replace the whole system.
We went through the whole thing on our ZR-1's years ago.
Please check out the C4 & C5 service manual on the proper fluid for the clutch. I dont think a bottle is more than 7-8 dollars and will bleed the system more than 3 times. I have done mine 3 times on 1 bottle.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
Re: brake fluid change (redvett01)
Does anyone here gravity bleed their system? I found it to work quite well, but it obviously takes more time. It is a one man operation and I usually do other things while the bleeding is taking place.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 4,411
Likes: 1
From: Wilmington NC
Re: brake fluid change (AU N EGL)
I do not use speed bleeders and know many ppl how have had the speed bleeders then removed them as they became too messy.
[Modified by AU N EGL, 4:29 PM 4/19/2004]
[Modified by AU N EGL, 4:29 PM 4/19/2004]
Also after using Superblue I have really cut down on my bleeds after track events. I used to do it after every track event but I never found any bubbles or discoloration. Now I just change it once a year and have only checked (bleed) it a couple of times. Part of that could be that I am running DRM ducts which really make a difference in how hot everything gets.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 43,084
Likes: 33
From: Raleigh / Rolesville NC
Re: brake fluid change (Richin Chicago)
The speed bleeder comment is from what I and a few other have observed. I dont think the normal bleed valve is a problem at all. Part of the messyness may have been from the tygon tube not compleetly attached to the speed bleeder valve.
I do a visual check of my brakes, calipers, rotors, pads - feel the brake peddle and bleed as neccessay before and after each track event. I also change pads from street pads ( Hawk HP plus ) to track PFC-01 pads then back again after the track days. Yes it takes 90 min each time but I feel it is well worth the effort for my safty and others. Also after the event if gives me time to clean the brake dust off the wheels and the rest of the car.
SOme once mentioned that if your not bleeding your bakes before or after a track day or race your not going fast enough or deep enough into the corners. :eek: I will take him on his word for that one, thank you very much.
Rich I think you also hit an imprortant point is to use GOOD brake fluid. watch for discoloration and cooling. I also have the DRM ducts, which has made a big difference ( pics on link below - then into Mods ) Next I am going to put in the 'home depot' / mobile 1 ducts to cool the rotors. I also use NAPA rotors, much better IMHO then stock
I do a visual check of my brakes, calipers, rotors, pads - feel the brake peddle and bleed as neccessay before and after each track event. I also change pads from street pads ( Hawk HP plus ) to track PFC-01 pads then back again after the track days. Yes it takes 90 min each time but I feel it is well worth the effort for my safty and others. Also after the event if gives me time to clean the brake dust off the wheels and the rest of the car.
SOme once mentioned that if your not bleeding your bakes before or after a track day or race your not going fast enough or deep enough into the corners. :eek: I will take him on his word for that one, thank you very much.
Rich I think you also hit an imprortant point is to use GOOD brake fluid. watch for discoloration and cooling. I also have the DRM ducts, which has made a big difference ( pics on link below - then into Mods ) Next I am going to put in the 'home depot' / mobile 1 ducts to cool the rotors. I also use NAPA rotors, much better IMHO then stock
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 4,411
Likes: 1
From: Wilmington NC
Re: brake fluid change (RAO-3)
This may sound like a stupid question, but where can one buy speed bleeders?
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 4,411
Likes: 1
From: Wilmington NC
Re: brake fluid change (TriStar)
Their list does not show the P/N for newer Vettes. Does anyone have the P/N for an 04?
[Modified by TriStar, 5:05 AM 4/24/2004]
[Modified by TriStar, 5:05 AM 4/24/2004]
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 7,393
Likes: 7
From: Los Angeles CA
Re: brake fluid change (redvett01)
Caution: The clutch fluid is NOT DOT 3 (brake fluid) the correct fluid is 12345347 Hydraulic Clutch Fluid. Using DOT 3 brake fluid will prematurely degrade the clutch master cylinder & slave cylinder. Many C4 Corvette owner have learned the hard way. :nono: