Brake question

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Jan 30, 2019 | 04:05 PM

#21

CleverName

Veteran Member

Joined: Dec 2011

Posts: 3,453

Likes: 880

From: Pacific Northwest

Quote:

Originally Posted by jagtoes

With those cars I would use a different color brake fluid and bleed the system.

That was my practice as well. Sadly the US government stepped in and made any color other than amber illegal to sell here. Superblue had to pull all their shelf stock. Grrrrr
Still not hard though as older or contaminated fluids are easy to distinguish from new.

Vince

Jan 31, 2019 | 02:23 AM

#22

neilr

Senior Member

Joined: Sep 2014

Posts: 606

Likes: 330

From: Germany

Quote:

Originally Posted by cubist

Hi There,
One thing to consider is that Brake Fluid is hygroscopic so can and will absorb moisture over time. As the moisture is not compressible it can appear that the brakes are soft and/or there is more travel on the pedal. It's generally recommended to replace the brake fluid every two years.
Cheers,
Cubist

Not quite. Liquids are effectively non-compressible and that is exactly why they are used in hydraulic systems. Mechanically, cold water would work fine. When it boils though, it turns into a gas which is compressible and water boils at a much lower temperature than brake fluid making it less suitable for systems that generate heat. Having to compress any gas in the system before being able to transmit pressure over the liquid is why the pedal goes long. Too much gas and the system cannot transmit any appreciable pressure to the pistons and you have a brake failure.

Feb 3, 2019 | 12:07 PM

#23

JaguarJeffrey

Thread Starter

Senior Member

Joined: Aug 2016

Posts: 215

Likes: 75

From: Southwest

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkyUK

More specifically moisture.

The more I read forums the more I am amazed at the lack of the most rudimentary of automotive knowledge.

'Jeffrey' in the UK is an old name, and one not held by many under 60. If the OP is of that age group he should be ashamed of not changing his brake fluid every 2yrs...but at least he's learnt sommat new...which he will (hopefully) retain

My parents named me "Jeffrey", as they wanted something that would look good on an office door. That was back in the 1960s, so, no, I am not over 60 . . . yet. Rather a more common name on this side of the pond, though.