Brake fluid is i of those things that can escape united states. When a car needs a service there are things we think of straight away: oil, oil filter, air filter, spark plugs.

But how ofttimes do y'all retrieve about your restriction fluid? Exactly. And we at Haynes don't want you to come a cropper.

Every bit such, we've put this guide together for you lot, and then yous know when and how to change your brake fluid.

are brake fluid and clutch fluid the same

How brake fluid works

Unless y'all bulldoze something actually, really old, your car is going to have hydraulic brakes. And that's good, because hydraulic braking systems are commonplace and besides the about effective. Withal, they're merely any good if they're maintained properly.

Yeah, there is the matter of discs and pads, but don't go forgetting the fluid. Without this, your brakes won't do annihilation. When you press the pedal, you human action upon the fluid, which then in turn acts upon the brakes.

The problem with restriction fluid is that it's hygroscopic. That means it likes to suck up wet. The more moisture that becomes a part of the brake fluid, the lower the humid signal of the fluid becomes. And so, logic would dictate that the longer you leave information technology, the less effective it will become.

Can brake fluid become bad in any other way?

If at that place is a fault with your braking arrangement at any indicate, and the fluid gets likewise hot, you can boil it. The lower the fluid boiling point, the easier it volition boil. If the fluid boils, lots of air bubbles class, which will allow the fluid to be easily compressed. If the fluid tin can exist compressed, information technology tin no longer act upon the brakes when the pedal is depressed. The pedal becomes 'soft' and the brakes no longer work. This can happen after a period of prolonged braking, such as descending a long, steep hill. In fact this can as well happen when the car is driven enthusiastically (on a race track, for example), where the restriction fluid can overheat and cause something chosen brake fade, where the hydraulic action of the fluid is less effective.

Take the cap of the brake master cylinder and smell the fluid, if it smells burned, or if it's exceptionally dark in color, it's time to modify it.

Your Haynes manual volition guide y'all through the process of how to change the brakes, and information technology volition also comprehend what brake fluid your car needs. While some fluids are technically interchangeable, it's ever best to make sure y'all're filling your braking system with the correct stuff.

How often should I modify my brake fluid?

Well, this is a tricky one to answer, considering information technology varies from car to machine. Near vehicle manufacturers recommend the brake fluid is changed every 2 years, regardless of the mileage. It may be that the fluid would be proficient for longer, but why take the chance?.

Even if the fluid looks okay, you lot should still alter it. You're not going to see the moisture in the fluid – it happens on a microscopic level. The all-time and most definitive way to know is to check your trusty Haynes Transmission.

One affair to consider about brake fluid is that fifty-fifty if you're not changing information technology, you should regularly check it. As a bare minimum, yous should be giving it a cursory inspection every few weeks. Which leads united states neatly to…

How tin I tell if my brake fluid needs to be replaced?

Brake fluid is advisedly engineered to have a sure thickness, hence the 'DOT' rating yous'll see on the bottle when you lot buy it.

Your restriction fluid should always be clear. If it has any dirt or murkiness, it needs to go. If it smells burned, it also needs to get. Other indicators will be if the level drops on the reservoir (it goes downwardly as the brake pads habiliment, so don't automatically recall that there's a leak), or if you notice that the restriction pedal is spongier than information technology used to be when pressed.

  • What are the unlike types of brake fluid?
what brake fluid for my car

How to change your brake fluid

Each car volition exist e'er so slightly different, or subject area to its ain intricacies. However, the general procedure remains the same, which we'll go through now. Earlier nosotros do, in that location is one caveat: get a 2nd person to help you. There are 'one-man' drain kits, but they're seldom as constructive equally having a friend pressing on the pedal for you lot.

1) Bleed the old fluid

Have the cap off the brake master cylinder and, using a syringe or something like, remove as much of the fluid every bit possible. Put this old fluid in a suitable container. Once you've removed equally much as you can, information technology's fourth dimension to get to the brakes themselves. The all-time manner to tackle this is with the machine upwards on axle stands, with all iv wheels removed.

2) Fill it back up

Now y'all demand to get a lint-gratuitous cloth and clean out any debris that might be in the reservoir. Once that's washed, you need to make full the main cylinder support with new fluid, right up to the MAX line. Only employ new fluid from a sealed container. If the container is open, the fluid volition absorb moisture from the air. What brake fluid do you need for your car? Consult your Haynes transmission or your automobile'southward manual to make sure you lot utilize the correct-specification fluid.

three) Affluent the calipers/wheel cylinders

Each brake calliper/wheel cylinder has a drain nipple on the back. You'll need to release this to let the quondam fluid out, but before going at it with the spanners, spray it with some restriction cleaner and then penetrating oil to free it upwardly. Information technology'll be total of road dirt. Affix a pocket-sized length of rubber hose to the nipple, and then submerge the stop of the hose into the container yous put the old restriction fluid from the chief cylinder in.

4) Get help

Stick a small block under the brake pedal (this stops your friend from pushing it to the floor, which is as well far). With your helper in the driver's seat, become to the prescribed caliper/wheel cylinder (usually the ane farthest from the master cylinder to offset with, but check your Haynes Guide to exist sure) and open the bleed nipple.

Shout "DOWN" and get your helper to echo when he or she has pushed the pedal downward. Now close the nipple, shout "Up" and have him or her practice the aforementioned when they're off the pedal. If they come up off the pedal while the bleed nipple is open, you lot're just going to suck air into the organisation – the very thing we're trying to avert.

With each downwards pump, you'll see the fluid escape from the nipple. You lot volition besides see any air bubbles, and that's good, because we need to get rid of them. Go on doing this until the new fluid is coming through, without whatever bubbles.

5) Meridian-ups

Keep an eye on the fluid level in the primary cylinder, because you will need to summit this up equally yous progress. Do not pump the pedal if it gets also depression, because over again, you'll simply suck in air.

6) Ascent and echo

Do the same on each caliper/wheel cylinder, working closer to the master cylinder as you become. By this stage, y'all should have a decent pedal 'feel', by which we mean the pedal should feel firm. This is good, because it ways the brake system is full of decent quality fluid. All you lot need to practice now is check the level in the master cylinder one terminal time, summit off if needed, and so shut information technology up, put the wheels dorsum on and be on your style.

Dispose of the old brake fluid sensibly. Don't cascade it down a drain or tip it onto waste matter footing. Have it to your local council'southward recycling heart; you'll be directed to the correct place when yous drive in.