After cleaning my 06 Base coupe, I noticed that the brake fluid is completely black. Ordered a Motive Products pressure brake bleed kit.
What makes the brake fluid get so much dirt in it. It is in a close system. Where's the dirt come from?
With fluid so dirty, can I wait two weeks for the brake bleeding kit to arrive?

 

My belief is the black is part reside from rubber hose lines and other rubber parts.
I may be wrong, perhaps is it a function of age?
IMO, the black tinting/ color change occurs in almost every brand of car, not an issue just means time to change the fluid.

 

Your power steering fluid and clutch fluid (if an auto) are probably black as well.

 

Just a FYI, but will need a tech II to flow the ABS pump to push the old fluid out of it as well.

Yes, on rubber in the fluid, and maybe even some brake dust that made it way past the brake caliper plungers as well.

As for brake fluid, should be power flushed every 2 years per the manual to keep the fluid from building up with humidity/water that is draws out of the air, and if the brake fluid is dark, bank that the rest of the fluids that have not been flushed are dark as well.

 

Hummm... Did not consider changing the power steering fluid. I will take a look at it and find a tech manual listing on how to bleed power steering.

 

Just suck it out and replace. It will take few driving cycles but it works. I do the same for brake fluid, they always stay nice and clean.

 

In the absence of having the tool, couldn't you just change the fluid, cycle the ABS a bunch of time by hard stopping on a slippery surface repeatedly, and then changing the fluid again?
Also, regarding the change interval, this is one of those things that is mentioned in the manual that hardly anyone does. There also doesn't seem to be much of a risk or downside to changing it less frequently if you only normally drive the car (e.g. commuting, normal driving

 

Great idea. Get myself a turkey baster to suck the fluid from the master cylinder and replace the fluid, same goes for the power steering pump.
I autocross the car (hard steering and breaking), which may have contributed to the color of the fluid.

 

You will feel a noticeable difference in braking after changing the fluid with a Tech II

 

I purged the power steering fluid yesterday by removing the lower reservoir return line. There are a few how to videos on youtube. It is not hard but it takes some time.

There are a few things they don't say that will make the job easier.

Disconnect the upper coolant hose at the radiator after draining a quart or two. No need to remove the hose from the engine. I also removed the air intake and upper radiator trim. This gives ample work space.

To avoid a mess, buy a 6" diameter sheet metal funnel. Squish it to fit between the radiator and the engine placed underneath the PS reservoir. Run a vinyl tube into a container on the floor. You won't spill a drop of fluid in the engine bay.

Lastly spin the pump by hand a few times to purge the pump also.

 

It would be a very slow process with a turkey baster. I have mityvac hand vacuum pump where. You can get a large reservoir, that will attach, few pumps equals at least 10 baster trips. But still doable.

 

If you have a compressor at home this is the way to go.
https://www.harborfreight.com/brake-...der-92924.html

 

I've ordered a Motive Products pressure bottle.

 

On my daily driver (07 Z51) I could not feel a difference changing the fluid after 75k miles and 5 years.

 

I use this on all my vehicles and have even lent it to others.
Great buy.

 

Being that you are in Huston with higher humidity, should have made a huge difference.
My guess is you still have air in the lines, or did not get all the old fluid powder flushed out instead.

The way I power flush, going to go through a full quart of fluid.
So step one is to just through the first power bleeder on the car to go through the calibers to get most of the old fluid out to start with.
From there with at least new fluid to the ABS itself, will do the automated brake bleed with tech II so the new fluid is flushed through the abs pump and Valves. Now will do one more power bleed through the lines to get what the ABS pushed out, out through the calibers as well.

Now last step, is one last standard brake bleed, with someone pumping on the pedal to do pressure build ups with the power bleeder still on the car. Hence hard/jarring pedal pump ups, to knock any air bubbles that may have collected on the caliper seal parts, and quick opens and closing of the bleed valves before the pedal hits the floor. I will do a couple of these to check for air bubbles to start with per caliber, and if any air bubbles come out, will do a few more after no bubbles come out just for good measure on each caliber. Really, its this final pedal pump up/bleed process that make a huge difference once all the fluid in the system has been powder flushed out.

 

Speed bleeders & a mityvac for brake bleeding... super easy & quite quick to complete... when that air is completely out of the lines, you will absolutely know it by the pedal feel.

 

I have found that using a vacuum pump to bleed brakes is a real problem. When you pull a vacuum on the pump at the caliper and open the bleeder screw air is drawn around the threads on the screw, pulling air in and failing to draw the fluid out of the lines. The best way I have found to bleed a system is to use the proven two-man method.

 

Last year, I bought one of those vacuum bleeders. It was a total mess. I will never use a vacuum bleeder again. All of the issues you highlighted were there. I ended up using my friends Motive Products pressure bottle at the fluid reservoir. So, I bought one and are waiting for it to arrive.

Motive Products 0108 Brake System Power Bleeder
For Most Late Model GM Cars and Trucks

 

Actually, my car was braking great for my usage. I just changed it after 5 years because I figured it be a good idea. The point is that even after several years and 75k miles, changing the fluid didn't make any noticeable difference in the way my car braked.