I was wondering why this thread had 100+ replies

I wish he wouldn't have been banned. That was awesome.

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I propose dubi change her screenname to dubidumbass

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I was "proposed to" right in front of the bathroom at work. Seems fitting!

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3 years or 30k miles is a normally recommended interval.

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ABATTBQ11,

Read the Tundra manual and find the brake fluid change interval please.

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It's not in the manual. They will tell you to check the discs, drums, hoses, etc, but fluid changes aside from oil are usually on an "as needed" basis. My Tacoma manual says check the differential fluid every 30,000 miles, but it never says I have to replace it. It doesn't even say to check the brake fluid. That doesn't mean I don't do it at every maintenance interval though. Color is a good indicator of how much moisture your brake fluid has absorbed, with darker fluid having more moisture. If you don't believe me, just Google brake fluid change interval.

See the following graph:

Mity Vac FTW.

http://mityvac.com/hq_images/MV6830.jpg

Flush=/=bleed, but they're very close. You don't need the vac tools for this.

When you flush the brakes, you're simply moving new fluid through the system to replace the old, not trying to get air bubbles out like when you bleed. Flushing can be done with nothing more than a turkey baster, a clear tube, and plastic bottle with a hole drilled in the cap.

To flush using this method, get a 2'-3' long clear tube that fits very snugly over your bleeder valves. Get a plastic bottle and durll a hole in the cap that is the same size as the OD of the tube. Open your master cylinder and suck out most of the brake fluid using a turkey baster, putting it into your bottle. Don't take out all of it. Leave it at the min line if you're not sure how much is too much. Fill the master cylinder with brand new brake fluid. You can go passed the full line because it will all go into the system.

Go to the farthest brake from the master cylinder, slightly crack the bleeder valve (don't open it just yet), and then put one end of the tube over it (yiu may want to zip tie it on as well. Screw the cap on your bottle, and make insert the tube through the hole. Make sure the end is below the fluid level in the bottle and at least part of the tube is always >1 tube diameter above the bleeder valve. This way, any air will always rise in the tube and never be sucked back into the system. Only brake fluid will be sucked into the tube when air is expelled.

Open the bleeder valve just enough for some fluid to come out into the hose, and begin pumping the brakes. There is no need to close the bleeder between pumps, because your tube and bottle setup prevents air from entering the system. Your tube and bottle will eventually fill with old fluid. About every ten pumps or so on the brakes, check the fluid level in your master cylinder and bottle. If the master cylinder gets low, add more new brake fluid. If the bottle gets full, close the bleeder valve, pull the tube out of the bottle, and empty the old brake fluid into a larger container. Since fluid will drain from the tube, it may be helpful to have the bottle in a tub to catch any spills. Leave some in the bottle (1/4 full), and setup the tube and bottle again. Reopen the bleeder and continue. Once you start seeing new brake fluid coming through the tube, close the bleeder and move to the second farthest brake from the master cylinder. You will be able to see a definite color difference if your fluid is dark or dirty. Repeat until you've done all of the brakes and gotten new fluid from each one. I suppose you could bleed with this method, but you may want to prime the hose with some brake fluid at the bleeder. I'd hold up one end of the hose, pour some fluid on with a funnel, and then put the free end into the bottle while making sure the fluid in the tube already stays at the bleeder. This way, fluid will be sucked in as air comes out.

I did this on my wife's 4Runner a couple of weeks ago with great results. I have noticed a significant increase in her braking performance and a firmer feel in the pedal. It also only took about an hour and a half, and I did it by myself.

Also, I forgot to mention earlier that one of the other reasons to regularly change your fluid is to prevent corrosion in your brake lines. The brake fluid holds moisture, which will corrode your lines from the inside. Changing your fluid is the only way to regularly remove this moisture build up and prolong the life of your lines.

I think 2-3 years is more than often enough. Maybe 4-5 years is a good time. This is for daily driven cars.

I did it after every track day, the fluid that came out was done.

Places that recommend replacing brake fluid more often are in the business to make money, of course they'll recommend it more.

When you replace friction material, while you've got it all apart, why not.

Mity Vac makes flushing a really quick job. And it makes bleeding easy. Just saying....that's why I have one.

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To flush using this method, get a 2'-3' long clear tube that fits very snugly over your bleeder valves. Get a plastic bottle and durll a hole in the cap that is the same size as the OD of the tube. Open your master cylinder and suck out most of the brake fluid using a turkey baster, putting it into your bottle. Don't take out all of it. Leave it at the min line if you're not sure how much is too much. Fill the master cylinder with brand new brake fluid. You can go passed the full line because it will all go into the system.

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Do you have a picture of this setup or a guide you used? I think i got it down, but I haven't done brakes in a while (nor on my own without guidance), so a little hesitant.

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Mity Vac makes flushing a really quick job. And it makes bleeding easy. Just saying....that's why I have one.

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Which Mity Vac do you have?

Definitely disagree regarding the interval to change BF. Well....i should qualify that with DOT4 systems. I would say 4-5 yrs as well. Folks aren't going to heat up their fluid anywhere close to even those lowered boiling points In normal driving conditions.

It is overkill...plain and simple. If you do a track event, then absolutely. OTherwise you are just wasting time and money.


Now..dot 3. Perhaps every 3 yrs.

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Mity Vac makes flushing a really quick job. And it makes bleeding easy. Just saying....that's why I have one.

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Which Mity Vac do you have?

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The one that uses compressed air.

I put the link up but here it is again:

http://mityvac.com/hq_images/MV6830.jpg

You can vacuum out the old fluid from the reservoir, refill it with fresh and then tie on to the caliper bleeder and withdraw fluid until it runs clear. You have to maintain a level in the reservoir while bleeding but the brakes are good to go once you close the bleeder. It is especially effective on brake systems where the bleeder is not positioned well to avoid getting trapped air out of the caliper....like on many motorcycles.

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Mity Vac makes flushing a really quick job. And it makes bleeding easy. Just saying....that's why I have one.

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Which Mity Vac do you have?

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The one that uses compressed air.

I put the link up but here it is again:

http://mityvac.com/hq_images/MV6830.jpg

You can vacuum out the old fluid from the reservoir, refill it with fresh and then tie on to the caliper bleeder and withdraw fluid until it runs clear. You have to maintain a level in the reservoir while bleeding but the brakes are good to go once you close the bleeder. It is especially effective on brake systems where the bleeder is not positioned well to avoid getting trapped air out of the caliper....like on many motorcycles.

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Thanks - saw the link earlier, but wasn't sure if it was that exact model. Appreciate it.

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Is this accurate, only 17 states do inspections?!? I hope so! I was thinking we were getting closer to having emissions testing mandatory state-wide, I would love for inspections to just go away instead.

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I can't quite understand. Do you want inspections to go away while retaining emissions testing? Or do you want emissions testing to go away, as well?

I don't really understand the hate for inspections. They seem like a good idea, in concept.

Emissions inspections are a good thing. We should be testing more vehicles, ie diesel trucks, big and small.

robert

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I want them to go away all together. It MAY be an OK idea in concept, but (as with all government programs) it is not executed well. The whole thing is a waste of money, for the inspection station as well as the motorist.

Emissions inspections are not a good thing. I don't know where your coming up with that idea but if you do enough research into what has to be done to our fuels (gas and diesel) as well as what goes into the emissions equipment and the processes they run thru on our vehicles, I bet the amount of pollutants released is about the same either way. EPA is the biggest waste of government resources and has been allowed to over-step their bounds way to much over the past decade or two. The EPA hates America

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Mity Vac makes flushing a really quick job. And it makes bleeding easy. Just saying....that's why I have one.

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Which Mity Vac do you have?

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The one that uses compressed air.

I put the link up but here it is again:

http://mityvac.com/hq_images/MV6830.jpg

You can vacuum out the old fluid from the reservoir, refill it with fresh and then tie on to the caliper bleeder and withdraw fluid until it runs clear. You have to maintain a level in the reservoir while bleeding but the brakes are good to go once you close the bleeder. It is especially effective on brake systems where the bleeder is not positioned well to avoid getting trapped air out of the caliper....like on many motorcycles.

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I use a Motive bleeder. Makes it even easier since you don't have to keep running back to the MC to add fluid. Fill the pressure tank with fluid, pump it up, and start opening up your bleeders. Works really well.

Mr Dubi does it the old fashioned way without any gizmos. I sit in the vehicle and pump the brake pedal while he does all the work.

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I use a Motive bleeder. Makes it even easier since you don't have to keep running back to the MC to add fluid. Fill the pressure tank with fluid, pump it up, and start opening up your bleeders. Works really well.

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Or you can make your own for about $15 worth of parts.

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Mr Dubi does it the old fashioned way without any gizmos. I sit in the vehicle and pump the brake pedal while he does all the work.

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I don't like to inconvenience my wife, this is why I have one of the gizmos. Silly I know.

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Mr Dubi does it the old fashioned way without any gizmos. I sit in the vehicle and pump the brake pedal while he does all the work.

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I don't like to inconvenience my wife, this is why I have one of the gizmos. Silly I know.

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I usually sit out side and "help" (ie ask questions) when he works on our cars. So I fetch his tools and help out when possible.

Of course our kids are grown and we have much more free time than many of you.

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Clean air is a good thing. The micro-managing must eliminate the last molecule of pollutants monster that EPA has become is not.

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Not to mention that the EPA has very little to do with the actual levels of cleanliness we've attained as a country.


I tried to find the thread from a little over a year ago (IIRC) on the politics board where someone posted the actual EPA levels for different air quality components and the current levels attained. I couldn't find it.

We've made them our b/tch, basically. In other words "the market" totally kicked ass and took names...not the EPA.

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So you think companies spent time and money developing those technologies just because? The threat of EPA regulations/penalties played no role in that?

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Clean air is a good thing. The micro-managing must eliminate the last molecule of pollutants monster that EPA has become is not.

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Not to mention that the EPA has very little to do with the actual levels of cleanliness we've attained as a country.


I tried to find the thread from a little over a year ago (IIRC) on the politics board where someone posted the actual EPA levels for different air quality components and the current levels attained. I couldn't find it.

We've made them our b/tch, basically. In other words "the market" totally kicked ass and took names...not the EPA.

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So you think companies spent time and money developing those technologies just because? The threat of EPA regulations/penalties played no role in that?

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I think consumers played 99% of it in the long run. The EPA's 1% might have been the kickstarter in the 70s, though. Also, it's not just car manufacturers thinking sh/t up. They buy a lot of their tech from other, non-mfg-related inventers and incorporate it into their hoorides.

Do you work in an industry that's tightly regulated by the EPA? I do. The EPA has changed the way America does business in a MAJOR way.

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I use a Motive bleeder. Makes it even easier since you don't have to keep running back to the MC to add fluid. Fill the pressure tank with fluid, pump it up, and start opening up your bleeders. Works really well.

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Or you can make your own for about $15 worth of parts.

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I bought it almost 15 years ago for ~$40. I've gotten my $40 out of it. Easy enough to make one with a pressure sprayer, but the direct fit MC caps are useful.

They are more like $50 now and the caps are easy to get at your FLAPS. Though to tell the truth. The reason I made my own was because I needed it TODAY and there weren't any local, only some 2 days shipping away