Brake fluid
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 2,769
Likes: 1,116
From: Howell N.J
Brake fluid
Hello,
My 'Vette sat on the lot for approx. 7-8 mos. before I bought it, the fluid looks a bit yellowish ( I understand that the rest of the fluid throughout the car is that way too). I want to suck the old fluid out of the reservoir and replace it with new from a sealed container. Is this dot 4 GM fluid any different than what I can buy in any auto parts store.
Thanks,
Rich
My 'Vette sat on the lot for approx. 7-8 mos. before I bought it, the fluid looks a bit yellowish ( I understand that the rest of the fluid throughout the car is that way too). I want to suck the old fluid out of the reservoir and replace it with new from a sealed container. Is this dot 4 GM fluid any different than what I can buy in any auto parts store.
Thanks,
Rich
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 2,769
Likes: 1,116
From: Howell N.J
Synthetic dot 4 O.K ?
Rich K ( Vette Ski )
I have been doing this to all my trucks and cars. Every 6 mos. or so I take a syringe and suck out the reservoir and top off with new.
Rich K ( Vette Ski )
I have been doing this to all my trucks and cars. Every 6 mos. or so I take a syringe and suck out the reservoir and top off with new.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,872
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From: Olmsted Falls Ohio
St. Jude Donor '12 thru '24
The cap on the brake reservoir of my '15 says DOT 3, as does the owner's manual as well. Did GM change the spec to DOT 4 in later years, or is this just a personal preference? And yes, I'm aware that DOT 3 and DOT 4 are compatible with each other. As noted above, the clutch reservoir specifies DOT 4 on the cap, with the owner's manual further specifying a Super DOT 4 product.
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 4,303
Likes: 2,055
From: Margate, FL
The fluid that takes the abuse is in the calipers, so technically you should bleed them. The manual says every 10 years which seems high, most other vehicles I've owned put brake fluid flush at around 2 to 3 years. More info here: https://www.cars.com/articles/how-of...1420680336417/
Also a bit yellowish is the normal color, so if the car is less then a year old I wouldn't even bother. Also I wouldn't top off the fluid either, if the fluid gets low that means one of two things is happening: either there is a leak (very bad) or the pads are getting worn down (time for replacement). The car has a sensor and when the fluid gets low a warning will appear on the dash.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,044
Likes: 9,808
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
GM says DOT3 for the brake fluid but there is nothing wrong with putting in DOT4 or Super DOT4 (which is also brake fluid), there is no harm putting in DOT 4 Race Fluid (like Castrol SRF) that has dry and wet boiling points that are a lot higher than regular meet the spec DOT4 fluids. There are even some DOT3 fluids (Ford) that have a higher dry boiling point than a lot of over the counter DOT4 fluids.
For street operation anything that meets or beats DOT3 specifications is fine.
Bill
For street operation anything that meets or beats DOT3 specifications is fine.
Bill
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,016
Likes: 250
OP: sitting on the lot doesn't mean anything as far as brake fluid goes. Until the car is three years old, I wouldn't touch it, unless you're doing HPDE's. Opening the reservior just introduces moisture from the atmosphere.
When it's time to flush it at 3 years, I did my own using a Motive Power Bleeder with the cap for the C7. Be careful with this car because unlike my Porsche where the Euro cap fits very well and you can pump the Motive Power Bleeder to 15 psi, with the C7 it lost the seal just over 10 psi (I was dry fitting it with no fluid in the jug yet) and it still sprayed brake fluid that was in the reservoir on the underside of the hood and the engine compartment. No damage, but I hosed it down quickly.
I use the same brake fluid as I do in my Porsche--ATE Type 200 DOT 4. I'll never understand why (other than to save a few pennies) GM uses DOT 3 in the Corvettes. I know Porsche has used DOT 4 (and I presume other Euro sportscar companies do too) as factory fill for years.
When it's time to flush it at 3 years, I did my own using a Motive Power Bleeder with the cap for the C7. Be careful with this car because unlike my Porsche where the Euro cap fits very well and you can pump the Motive Power Bleeder to 15 psi, with the C7 it lost the seal just over 10 psi (I was dry fitting it with no fluid in the jug yet) and it still sprayed brake fluid that was in the reservoir on the underside of the hood and the engine compartment. No damage, but I hosed it down quickly.
I use the same brake fluid as I do in my Porsche--ATE Type 200 DOT 4. I'll never understand why (other than to save a few pennies) GM uses DOT 3 in the Corvettes. I know Porsche has used DOT 4 (and I presume other Euro sportscar companies do too) as factory fill for years.
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If you decide the change out the fluid, 2 pints is all it takes to replenish the system.
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