April 2017 locations & Gossip

Ragman

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Holy crap...
30fe8692366606461004b0f1ef994457
 

brokcanadian

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Living proof brake fluid does NOT need to changed and doesn NOT get contaminated over time...as per technician one time told me.
Brake fluid is hygroscopic so it can absorb water which is a contaminant. Water also lowers the boiling point. Brake fluid is cheap. Why not replace it at every brake job?
the biggest cause of contamination is the person opening the container and for no good reason...its clear and the only reason it appears to be low is because brake pads are wearing low....change the pads and viola...fluid is back up....
Change the pads and bleed the system of air. Some old fluid will be evacuated during the purge. The more the better. After bleeding the fluid is topped off and viola, the fluid is back up.
Yep that's the only time it gets a little top off when needed...
where does it absorb water ! Where's the source ? It's a sealed system ...
My fluid is fine the shop says...
Nobody's going to change you, OVM. I had a million mile van too, it gets to be more superstition than sense. My first trans fluid flush was about 500k miles, I did it once or twice more, never dropped the pan.

My brake fluid was black at 180k in my employee driven Sprinter, every vehicle is different. I have a feeling you would notice the difference if you changed it. But no need to mess with what works lol.

That would be the reason to change it if clear, after significant miles...the pedal just feels better. I've never worried about water in the fluid, but thermal breakdown. Brakes get HOT...touch a rotor after a long downhill if you doubt me. There is nowhere for the heat to go, no radiator on brake fluid. If thermal breakdown didn't matter, everybody would run toilet paper oil filters and never change their oil either.

But you can retire this year happy you didn't change it :p
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
Living proof brake fluid does NOT need to changed and doesn NOT get contaminated over time...as per technician one time told me.
Brake fluid is hygroscopic so it can absorb water which is a contaminant. Water also lowers the boiling point. Brake fluid is cheap. Why not replace it at every brake job?
the biggest cause of contamination is the person opening the container and for no good reason...its clear and the only reason it appears to be low is because brake pads are wearing low....change the pads and viola...fluid is back up....
Change the pads and bleed the system of air. Some old fluid will be evacuated during the purge. The more the better. After bleeding the fluid is topped off and viola, the fluid is back up.
Yep that's the only time it gets a little top off when needed...
where does it absorb water ! Where's the source ? It's a sealed system ...
My fluid is fine the shop says...
Nobody's going to change you, OVM. I had a million mile van too, it gets to be more superstition than sense. My first trans fluid flush was about 500k miles, I did it once or twice more, never dropped the pan.

My brake fluid was black at 180k in my employee driven Sprinter, every vehicle is different. I have a feeling you would notice the difference if you changed it. But no need to mess with what works lol.

That would be the reason to change it if clear, after significant miles...the pedal just feels better. I've never worried about water in the fluid, but thermal breakdown. Brakes get HOT...touch a rotor after a long downhill if you doubt me. There is nowhere for the heat to go, no radiator on brake fluid. If thermal breakdown didn't matter, everybody would run toilet paper oil filters and never change their oil either.

But you can retire this year happy you didn't change it :p
I know how hot our cheap ass rotors get after coming down the steep grade with 2500 pounds on there smoking ! With only two or three at most more loads to go I'm more so certainly not worried about it !
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
And the moisture in the fluid caused the corrosion on the piston that stuck it and the wheels on the $printer go round and round... :pokepoke:
Actually it was due for a brake job
I hit a pothole in Nogales and the brake pad somehow jump up enough on 1 side and 1 of the pistons jammed under it...freak thing. Cool eh?
 
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