Changing Brake fluid?

[Josephd14]

What would you guys say would be the proper steps? Take everything apart and flush it our good? any tricks you track whores know?

[stoinkythepig]

I use a mity vac and avoid getting air in at all costs. Slurping noises are bad news. Just run a pint or more fluid though and you'll flush it nicely.

[union]

I bought a set of speed bleeders last year which have worked out awesome. It makes the job so much easier.

[Degsy]

I use a mity vac and avoid getting air in at all costs. Slurping noises are bad news. Just run a pint or more fluid though and you'll flush it nicely.

A PINT? Are you serious? Maybe for a big truck. You'll need to run about 5 or 6 ounces through at the most on a motorcycle front end.

derek

[stoinkythepig]

A PINT? Are you serious? Maybe for a big truck. You'll need to run about 5 or 6 ounces through at the most on a motorcycle front end.

derek

I realize the brake system holds very little but you have to use all the fluid when you open the container so you might as well flush it as thoroughly as possible.

That said, when I wrote that, I thought the smallest bottles were 16 oz (a pint) but in fact they are 12 oz. That's what I use a 12 oz bottle, not a pint.

[JeffL]

I just pump it up, bleed, pump it up, bleed, top off the master, pump it up, bleed, wash, rinse, repeat until you've got shiny new fluid and no bubbles coming out the bleeders.

[benVFR]

The Mityvac is really worth it. I think mine was $25 at Sears?

It takes like 15 minutes to do the front end on conventional bikes assuming you *don't* have Speed bleeders. You can use both together, if you have the speed bleeders it goes even faster.

I had to get it due to my silly Honda-complicated brakes but I did my roommate's triumph and it's even more worth it on a regular brake system IMO.

If you do it just make sure to avoid spilling the fluid.. it's nasty.

[smf]

mighty-vac a bunch through, then finish up with a manual bleed a few times and it'll be rock solid. been doing it this was for a decade, always had frightening brakes

[SSearchVT]

Get a new fluid with a different color then what is in there now. ATE Blue works great, next time I'll use their gold. When the color changes completely you have all the old fluid out.

I syphon almost all of the old fluid out of the resevoir, fill it back up with new, and then just do the old fashioned manual bleed. Good Luck...

[smf]

oh yeh. and for the street don't use racing brake fluid. you don't need it and it degrades faster.

[OreoGaborio]

Get a new fluid with a different color then what is in there now. ATE Blue works great, next time I'll use their gold. When the color changes completely you have all the old fluid out.

I syphon almost all of the old fluid out of the resevoir, fill it back up with new, and then just do the old fashioned manual bleed. Good Luck...

yeah, i'm gonna give ATE Super Blue a try in my race bike this year.... my brakes on the EX sucked the big one all last year so i'm using different fluid & my caliper is in 50 pieces in my basement waiting for new dust seals. They'll still suck cuz it's an EX, but at least they won't suck as much

[Degsy]

I realize the brake system holds very little but you have to use all the fluid when you open the container so you might as well flush it as thoroughly as possible.

Good point! I didn't think of that. You could always do the rear brake as well and that should use up a full container.

derek

[stoinkythepig]

I assumed we were talking about front and rear...

I mity vac a big bottle of DOT 4 fluid (each) through my Durango, my commuter car, and my boat trailer every couple of years too. Might be a quart size. It's pathetically easy with a mity vac and absurdly cheap considering the benefit. The boiling point of old DOT 3 is something like 280F, new DOT 4 is over 400F. That's a huge margin that's especially important when towing and can mean the difference between stopping with plenty of space and plowing into someone with the pedal mashed all the way to the floor and no brake action to speak of.

[Josephd14]

Thanks for all the tips guys. Looks like i'll be giving sears a few more bucks this year for tools.. I'm going to assume doing the clutch is going to be the same thing..

[stoinkythepig]

You can easily include the clutch with the same 12 oz bottle too.

[Manny]

Good point! I didn't think of that. You could always do the rear brake as well and that should use up a full container.

derek

Why do you need to use up a whole container at once?

[smf]

Why do you need to use up a whole container at once?

you don't need to but brake fluid absorbs water over time (i.e. degrades) so for a street rider once you open a bottle you might as well use it all since it'll probably a while before you bleed them again.

[Manny]

you don't need to but brake fluid absorbs water over time (i.e. degrades) so for a street rider once you open a bottle you might as well use it all since it'll probably a while before you bleed them again.

Ahh.