One man job this morning

Changing the fluid -
1 litre SL.6 ATE brake fluid (Amazon $21) or Super DOT 4 fluid
19mm deep well socket for wheel lugs
@2' piece of clear vinyl tubing (I think its 1/4" ID?)
bottle or can to drain fluid into
9mm open end wrench (front caliper nipples)
10mm open end wrench (rear wheel nipples)floor jack
bucket or sprayer with hot soapy water for cleaning and/or neutralizing spilled brake fluid
I like using my Motive power bleeder, makes things easy!
Turkey baster or MonoJet syringe for removing older fluid from reservoir
Anti-sieze for wheel studs

Cleaning the wheels -
Stuff needed - I tried using soapy water with white vinegar, Turpintine, Simple Green, Easy Off oven cleaner... hands-down winner was Easy Off!
Scrub brush
I liked using a plastic putty knife as a scrapper
Simple green, hot soapy water, car wax, tire dressing dejour

Procedure -
Crack all wheel lugs, open hood, remove cover over brake reservoir (its on the drivers side at firewall), wipe the brake reservoir clean with a paper towel to ensure no dirt or debris gets in. Jack up passenger side rear wheel so tire is an inch or so off the ground and remove it. Remove as much of the brake fluid on the reservoir as you can with a syringe or baster


ATE SL.6 brake fluid



Removing older brake fluid with Monojet 412

Make DAMN sure you don't get any brake fluid on any painted surface it WILL remove the paint!!! Keep a spray bottle or soapy water just in case you drop any. Sprite bottle is where I drain into. Try to use something you can see through
Once wheel is removed go wet it down then spray it with Easy Off cleaner, let that sit a bit while you go back to the fluid change

Now fill your master cylinder up with fresh fluid and put the rest into your Power Bleeder. Connect the Power Bleeder to the cylinder and pump to 10Lbs to make sure it seals properly.



Go hook up the vinyl tube to the caliper bleed nipple, put the other end in the bottle. Go back and pump the bleeder to 20 PSI.as it drains. Now go crack open the bleeder nipple (10mm open end box wrench) and watch carefully. Being this is the longest brake line run it'll take a while for the new fluid to reach the caliper so be patient




it may take another few pumps to get the Motive Bleeder back to 20 PSI. When the color changes you're done with that one, retighten the nipple, replace the little rubber cap, wipe it off with soapy water. Now go back and finish cleaning that wheel. I found Easy off on the inside worked AWESOME especially with the plastic scrapper! For the front side I then sprayed it with Simple Green, then soapy water to remove any cleaners, then dried, wiped, and waxed inside and out, dressed the tire and reinstalled the wheel. I highly recommend using anti-sieze on the wheel studs.

Only lightly tighten the wheels, drop that side and move onto the rear drivers side do the same thing. This will take much less bleeding due to the fact that new fluid in already in the lines and it is a shorter run.



Now move to the front Passenger side. Proceed the same way however this time it'll be a 9mm not the 10MM the rears take... go figure. This will again take less time and fluid than the preceding one. Once done with that go to the Drivers side front. Once done with the bleeding carefully remove the Power Bleeder making sure not to drip any fluid on your car. Check your fluid level in the master cylinder

Now go back and torque all your lug nuts to 93 ft/lbs in a star pattern... you're done! Beer time, preferably a SwithWicks, Ale Smith, or other fine beverage of your choice. New fluid is good for at least a 6 hp gain, the sparkling clean wheels are good for probably 10 hp AND chicks dig them so there's that too!

Total time today start to finish was a hair over 2 hours.

 

Uh, yeah..... it's 24 degrees F here right now. Not gonna do all this. Spring is only 75 days away! Changing fluid is OK in the garage, but hosing off grimy wheels would cause a REAL problem.

 

Pretty (and expensive) ice sculpture!


BTW I painted the inside of my wheels black. Best thing evar!

 

Think I'll do this in spring, a nice ultra-gloss enamel would do wonders for cleaning.

 

which adapter did you use to fit the master cylinder reservoir

 

The adapter is the one it came with, got it year's ago for my BMW chose the European adapter not sure that helps you

 

Question: how come you never tried cleaning the wheels with brake fluid?

 

Is that a serious, rhetorical, or sarcastic question?

 

Its more economical and gentler than easy off.

 

What about regular wheel cleaner like P21S or Sonax? My wheels are clean as a new as with regular use with either one (inside or out)?

 

Easy Off does not damage the clear coat on the wheels, knowing what brake fluid does to paint I wouldn't try it on my wheels. I was reluctant to try Easy Off but after reading many reviews I have it a shot and it worked great.

I have P21S, great stuff that works well but also costs many times that Easy Of does

 

LEEPER,
Great write up!
BUT remember OEM torque values are for DRY threads only; if you must use anti-sieze, apply only sparingly to threads and NOT under nut contact area with wheel.
Commercial vehicle specs often show lower torque values for lubed treads..........so tread lightly using lube on treads so as to not distort the discs and NEVER use your impact wrench for final tightening!

Cheers, Adrian

 

Braver than a bull and many times wiser. It takes outside the box thinking to have p21s on hand and go for Easy-Off and save many dollars. But you ae not being completely generous with us, you havent told us what you are saving P21S for...Ultimate leather cleaner.