drjay Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 I have 24000 miles on my '02 RT. The brake fluid has never been changed. I have not noticed any decrease in braking in the 5 years that I have had it. What is the rationale for the recommended yearly brake fluid changes. Am I in danger of brake failure? Thanks for the input. Link to comment
Rob L Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 Rational???????? It's a BMW Seriously, the manufacturer recommends the flushing of the wheel circuits yearly and the control circuits every 2 years. The clutch should also be flushed. Replacing the fluid removes contaminates and moisture that can damage the system. The cost to replace the ABS unit, calipers, master cylinders, etc. should be reason enough to do some maintenance. I know that it is a PITA time and labor wise, but the only real cost is a homemade funnel and some fluid. Could save you some bucks if you plan to keep the bike Link to comment
T__ Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 I have 24000 miles on my '02 RT. The brake fluid has never been changed. I have not noticed any decrease in braking in the 5 years that I have had it. What is the rationale for the recommended yearly brake fluid changes. Am I in danger of brake failure? Thanks for the input. Jay, Dot 3-4 brake fluid is hydroscopic (that means it retains water).. It can hold a certain percentage in suspension but if the moisture content in the brake fluid gets too high it can cause internal brake corrosion & parts failure.. Replacing the brake fluid & bleeding the system every couple of years is in your wallets best interest.. Especially seeing as the ABS controller brake fluid reservoirs are basically open to atmospheric moist air through their vent system.. Twisty Link to comment
psmoss Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 Jay, Dot 3-4 brake fluid is hydroscopic (that means it retains water).. I hate to be anal retentive on these forums, but isn't it "hygroscopic"? Link to comment
Ken H. Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 The cost to replace the ABS unit, calipers, master cylinders, etc. should be reason enough to do some maintenance. That pretty much sums it up right there. Link to comment
T__ Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 Jay, Dot 3-4 brake fluid is hydroscopic (that means it retains water).. I hate to be anal retentive on these forums, but isn't it "hygroscopic"? Yes, the way I spelled it is wrong.. I'm not even sure there is a word hydroscopic.. Twisty Link to comment
Tipover_Bob Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 I have 24000 miles on my '02 RT. The brake fluid has never been changed. I have not noticed any decrease in braking in the 5 years that I have had it. What is the rationale for the recommended yearly brake fluid changes. Am I in danger of brake failure? Thanks for the input. DJay: The boiling point (temperature) of brake fluid drops as the brake fluid becomes contaminated with moisture. The lower boiling point allows your brakes to fail just when you need them the most like descending a big hill to a stop sign. I generally change my brake fluid once per year. Years ago I had to replace a master cylinder in a VW bug. I believe the damage to its original master cylinder was caused by contaminated brake fluid. Tipover Bob Link to comment
philbytx Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 Absolutely flush it through!!! Here's what I did..... Buy Ate Brake Fluid in the 1 litre cans....1 each Typ200 and SuperBlue. It is DOT 4 with 396 wet and 536 dry temps (normal DOT4 specs are 311 and 446). Flush your brakes out with the Blue until you see blue! then at your next change simply flush it through until you see the Gold. Kinda brain dead.... Link to comment
Eckhard Grohe Posted July 28, 2007 Share Posted July 28, 2007 Not only does it retain water, it absorbs water, thereby upping the moisture content with time. I still like the notion of silicone fluids but am too scared to try it. Link to comment
notacop Posted July 28, 2007 Share Posted July 28, 2007 Like the others said. Important every year or so. Just did my 200RTP and with 100K miles and a 96 RS with 170K miles. The RS had some goup starting to grow in the resevoir. Mine was clean. New juice is mo betta every time. Use a Mity Vac and don't spill the juice on the paint. Don't listen to country music with a jazz nut when doing said service or you may end up with laughing fits while splilling the brake fluid at the same time. Get help from a qualified quack too. Go to the dealer if all goes very wrong! Link to comment
SinNH Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Absolutely flush it through!!! Here's what I did..... Buy Ate Brake Fluid in the 1 litre cans....1 each Typ200 and SuperBlue. It is DOT 4 with 396 wet and 536 dry temps (normal DOT4 specs are 311 and 446). Flush your brakes out with the Blue until you see blue! then at your next change simply flush it through until you see the Gold. Kinda brain dead.... I like that idea , but can't find a place that carries the Ate brand, can't even find a site where I can search for a dealer. Philby, do you buy yours online ? Steve Link to comment
psmoss Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I like that idea , but can't find a place that carries the Ate brand, can't even find a site where I can search for a dealer. Where are you located? CAS-Purchasing@contiteves.com Link to comment
T__ Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Not only does it retain water, it absorbs water, thereby upping the moisture content with time. I still like the notion of silicone fluids but am too scared to try it. Eckhard, silicone brake fluid has it’s issues also.. First off it has a moisture issue just like the glycol based but instead of holding the moisture in suspension it won’t mix with the moisture so the moisture condenses & settles to the low points in the brake system.. That can form corrosion in the low spots like calipers & lines.. There have even been instances of freezing in real cold weather.. Secondly you will very seldom if ever find silicone based brake fluid in ABS equipped vehicles.. It just doesn’t flow fast enough to allow ABS response times in the 7-10 times a second range required to get good stopping distances while in ABS mode… Harley used the DOT 5 for years but has recently switched back over to DOT 3-4 fluid.. Silicone fluid’s big claim to fame is it can safely be used around painted parts with no risk of damaging the paint.. Twisty Link to comment
PapaJ Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 Have you tried the Valvoline DOT 4 synthetic, yes it will absorb moisture, yes it will damage paint. It just takes longer to damage the paint and it absorbs moisture at a slower rate. It is also compatible with other DOT 4 fluids so you don't end up with a gunky mess like changing to DOT 5. Link to comment
T__ Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 Have you tried the Valvoline DOT 4 synthetic, yes it will absorb moisture, yes it will damage paint. It just takes longer to damage the paint and it absorbs moisture at a slower rate. It is also compatible with other DOT 4 fluids so you don't end up with a gunky mess like changing to DOT 5. Greg, what is the difference between Synthetic DOT-4 brake fluid & regular old man made DOT-4 brake fluid? Well other than the word synthetic on the can.. As far as I can tell all DOT-4 brake fluid has synthetics in it.. Twisty Link to comment
NoHeat Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 Buy Ate Brake Fluid in the 1 litre cans... One liter? That's about the right amount to completely bleed all 4 wheels of my truck or my wife's minivan. I haven't done the bike yet, but I didn't expect it to be that much fluid for a vehicle with brakelines that are shorter than in the cage, and with half as many wheels. I'd hate to buy extra, not because of the cost, but because you can't really store it long after opening it, and it's a pain to dispose of the stuff (to dispose of brake fluid, I have to phone the landfill in advance to make an appointment, and then drive out there early and sit around waiting for the appointment so that I'm not late). Link to comment
philbytx Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 Steve, Here you go... Apex has both types but here's the link to the SuperBlue and then click on Brake Fluid and it will show the Gold About the best prices on the Internet I've found. Link to comment
philbytx Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 Id hate to buy extra, not because of the cost, but because you can't really store it long after opening it, and it's a pain to dispose of the stuff (to dispose of brake fluid, I have to phone the landfill in advance to make an appointment, and then drive out there early and sit around waiting for the appointment so that I'm not late). Landfill???? I use my excess as paint stripper Link to comment
SinNH Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 Steve, Here you go... Apex has both types but here's the link to the SuperBlue and then click on Brake Fluid and it will show the Gold About the best prices on the Internet I've found. Thanks, got two litres on the bench ready to go ! Link to comment
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