JMAX95

I've noticed recently my brake fluid in my resevoir seem darker than it used to be. My brakes sqeak sometimes but are working fine. Is the darker color an indication of a potential problem? Thanks in advance for any input.

Daniel B. Martin

The principal problem with old brake fluid is water, and color is not an indicator of water contamination. Water content may be detected in several ways, including ...
- chemical test strips
- an electronic tester made for this specific purpose
- a refractometer (scientific instrument)

If you like to do your own "wrenching" you can bleed your hydraulic system, consuming $5 worth of fresh fluid. This procedure is not difficult but usually requires an assistant. I say "usually" because there are one-man bleeding methods.

Instructions for bleeding the brake system may be found in the Chilton repair manual (page 9-5) and the Haynes repair manual (page 9-16). You will need a jack, jack stands, wrenches, plastic tubing, and a glass "catch can".

For a good overview article about the service life of brake fluid, go to http://www.babcox.com/editorial/bf/bf40142.htm

bill99gxe

iTrader: (1)

It's normal wear on your fluid. Your fluid is beginning to absorb water through the rubber brake lines due to simple biology. It's usually good to replace your brake fluid every 1 to 2 years.

Search results for "brake fluid flush":

http://forums.maxima.org/search.php?...der=descending

In particular, this thread is helpful:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....ke+fluid+flush

You can order ATE Super Blue Brake Fluid through ogracing.com. They extend the fluid replacement interval to 3 years. They're the only ones I know of that allow 3 years between fluid changes.

ATE makes blue and gold brake fluid for a reason. This time, you use blue fluid so you can tell when you've flushed out a respective caliper. Next time, get gold fluid and when it runs nice and gold, you'll know that you've flushed the "old" blue stuff out.

Good luck!

JMAX95

Thanks Daniel and Bill for the great info on the fluid. I've also found a previous thread on speedbleeders. I'll probably get a set of those and give it a try myself. Hopefully I won't run into any problems.

Daniel B. Martin

I haven't tried SpeedBleeders myself. They certainly look good on paper. Here is an alternative for your consideration.

The Mityvac hand-operated vacuum pump is another means to do a one-man brake bleeding job. Harbor Freight sells a basic Mityvac kit for $30 + S/H (item # 38053) and a fancy Mityvac kit for $50 + S/H (item #2068). You can buy this tool at many other places too.

Mityvac is a versatile tool. You could use the same Mityvac for bleeding your clutch, or bleeding the brakes on your other vehicles. It is also useful for testing a wide variety of engine control parts such as the power brake booster, the EGR valve, and solenoid-actuated vacuum valves. See the Chilton repair manual (pages 4-11 and 9-4) and the Haynes repair manual (page 0-12).

For more information about Mityvac, go to http://www.mityvac.com/

JMAX95

Wow, this Mityvac seems like a better idea than the speedbleeders. The speedbleeders installs one time on the car you're bleeding. This Mityvac should work for other cars too. Do you have this product? What do you think about it's effectiveness?

Daniel B. Martin

I got a Mityvac only recently. It was a gift from a friend. I've used it only once so far, and it did the job. I like it. Of course, I am a Tool Junkie and like almost any kind of tool.

JMAX95

I'm sold on the product. Thanks.

B.C.

Daniel, I read your link about brake fluid. Very interesting. Have you seen these moisture test strips for sale anywhere? I've seen test strips for coolant condition but not for brake fluid. I have never changed my fluid in my 95 and wonder what the moisture content in my fluid is. I hope it hasn't attacked my ABS solenoids as mentioned in the article. It's interesting the opinions one gets about brake fluid changes. My Nissan mechanic (master level) says it never needs to be done as have many other mechanics I have asked about this but now I think I will do after reading this thread. One would think it is a closed and sealed system but I was unaware of the potential porosity of the brake lines themselves.

When reading the order of brake bleeding in the FSM, does left mean driver side?

Thanks

Daniel B. Martin

No, but I haven't looked for them. My local auto parts suppliers are able to get almost anything within 24 hours. I think those test strips are primarily used by shop owners as a sales aid. It helps them convince customers that a brake fluid change is needed. As a home mechanic, I wouldn't bother with a test. If I had any concern about the condition of the brake fluid, I would just go ahead and replace it.

I guess this is a matter of "religion", along with synthetic versus mineral-based oil in your engine or distilled water versus tap water in your battery. I drove an '87 Stanza (wonderful car!) from '87 to '99 ... never changed the brake fluid, never had a problem. However, I maintain a Honda Accord for a family member and change the brake fluid regularly because the Honda manual calls for it.

Yes.

B.C.

Thanks Daniel

Between work and home responsibilities, sometimes I am only able to check in on this website every couple of days so please forgive my tardiness everyone in responding to answers you all give to some of my own questions. Please know they are definitely appreciated!

pianoman41

The other night I'm watching this DIY mechanic show and they have a segment on brake fluid flushing. Again, because the fluid is hydroscopic, as the fluid gets older the moisture content goes up and the risk of corrosion to exposed parts becomes greater. Or at least that's the theory. They then showed the innards of a master cylinder and an ABS control valve on a three year old car compared to a new one and you could definitely see the corrosion. Their advice--never leave brake fluid in a vehicle for longer than two years.

I've never changed the brake fluid in my car. With my '97 Maxima going on five years and 84,000 miles, I got a little nervous. So I call a couple dealers to get a price quote for the service (plus an overdue coolant flush) and the first dealer says "we don't do brake flushes." Huh? She asks if I'm a previous Toyota owner as they seem to be the ones that want that service. I say nope. So I call another dealer (these are Nissan dealers, not local garages) and the service manager says "we don't do brake flushes." What's up with that I ask? He says although they *can* do it (for about $60), they don't normally do it in the course of scheduled maintenence for Nissans and don't recommend it. "You're wasting your money," he says "but if you want to do it, I'll take your money just as happily as the next guy."

Now I'm really confused. Most dealers will push maintenence that is marginally necessary because of the money they make. Even if there was a slight chance it was beneficial, I'd think Nissan would be recommending it as a smart maintenence item. But they're not. The guy even had to look up how much it would cost because it had been so long since they had done a brake flush there he didn't know the price off the top of his head.

Now I plan on keeping the Maxima for another 5 years. Should I be doing brake fluid flushes or not?

hokiemax

iTrader: (2)

Because, it feels good to do so. But I still dont understand why those dealers in your area wouldn't push that service. Maybe they are just honest.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Think of it this way. If your service center (Nissan) doesn't change or flush the brake fluid, the system will ware out sooner or later. Calipers, ABS systems, Master Cylinder. All these parts will make some very good profit for your dealer to replace.

Sort of like if you never changed your oil, your dealer would make a fortune on selling you new engines every 5 years or so.

Change your brake fluid every time you change your pads.

SuDZ

It cannot hurt to do it anyway. It shouldnt take all that long and will be relativly inexpensive. Might as well do it then even if they dont say it is needed you dont have to worry about it again someday.

SuDZ

95emeraldgxe

if yor a nOOb when it comes to brake fluid - get someone to fool around with it for you, its a very corrosive substance and if u put a few drops of it on metal it will eat right through it - and even if u try to clean it.....it wont work