Brake fluid

**jroc** · 08-03-2008, 06:17 PM

I was recently told by my trusty mechanic that a tune up on my 30,000 rarely driven 2002 WS6 was "not needed" at all. Is this true??

Also I was told that the brake fluid needed to be flushed at 36,000 or 3 years . whichever comes first. Should I get this done now?? Its been 6 years this October since I got the car new and have never changed the brake fluid??

JR.

**1 TRANS AM** · 08-03-2008, 06:34 PM

Once a year! Brake fluid attracts moisture thats why calipers lockup. Its cheep and another great reason to work on the car!!

**sunsetorangess** · 08-04-2008, 04:51 PM

Changing plugs and wires, not a big deal but when it comes to fluids just keep in mind, all fluids break down and some also break down so much they turn into almost an acid, Ie Antifreeze.
I would change all the fluids and keep it lubed and clean and you should be fine.
J

**Cutlass** · 08-04-2008, 04:55 PM

I don't know about the whole brake fluid flush thing. I'm torn on the subject. Yes brake fluid absorbs moisture. That moisture causes corrosion and dirty build up in the fluid which can cause problems now or down the road. But think of all the cars out there that have never had the hydraulic system opened up since they were new and they don't have problems.
So I mean, yes it feels great to have nice clean new fluid and its good piece on mind, but is it necessary? I'm not real sure. Imports like Honda and Toyota really push these flushes hard, so maybe they know something we don't.

**yodabill** · 08-04-2008, 05:11 PM

fluids i wouldnt touch them ! i had a broken trans mount and desided to have the fluid changed while there "not good " a week later the trans trashed its self !!!! one week to fix it and $1,500.00 poor
i will never touch another fluid again . i will stay to changeing oil only

**Orcus79** · 08-04-2008, 06:12 PM

The moisture in the fluid will lower it's boiling point. not a big deal unless you really get on the brakes a lot. But like any other preventative maintence it's a good idea.

**bigrondownhiller** · 08-05-2008, 03:07 PM

Definatly change it. Moisture=rust. You wont see the brake lines rust on the outside but inside they rust. Also not good for the rubber parts in the brake system.

**bigrondownhiller** · 08-05-2008, 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by yodabill

fluids i wouldnt touch them ! i had a broken trans mount and desided to have the fluid changed while there "not good " a week later the trans trashed its self !!!! one week to fix it and $1,500.00 poor
i will never touch another fluid again . i will stay to changeing oil only

How many miles on the car at that point?

**konigandy6** · 08-06-2008, 07:15 AM

Originally Posted by yodabill

fluids i wouldnt touch them ! i had a broken trans mount and desided to have the fluid changed while there "not good " a week later the trans trashed its self !!!! one week to fix it and $1,500.00 poor
i will never touch another fluid again . i will stay to changeing oil only

Thats not very good advice at all. If you wait for a long time to change your fluids then this is a possibility. If you stay on top of your maintenance schedule and change the fluids when you should, this will surely not happen, in 95% of the cases. Higher mileage vehicles with an automatic transmission should have their internal trans filters changed out as well. Transmission fluid and coolant should be FLUSHED every 5 years or 50k miles, power steering and brake fluid should be flushed 3 or 36k. Clutch fluid should be changed once a year.

**Cutlass** · 08-07-2008, 05:16 PM

Originally Posted by konigandy6

Thats not very good advice at all. If you wait for a long time to change your fluids then this is a possibility. If you stay on top of your maintenance schedule and change the fluids when you should, this will surely not happen, in 95% of the cases. Higher mileage vehicles with an automatic transmission should have their internal trans filters changed out as well. Transmission fluid and coolant should be FLUSHED every 5 years or 50k miles, power steering and brake fluid should be flushed 3 or 36k. Clutch fluid should be changed once a year.

I agree and I'd like to add that there is no such thing as a transmission that wants old dirty fluid and that changing it will cause transmission failure. Thats just absurd.

**farmer_ron_99** · 08-07-2008, 05:50 PM

What brand of brake fluid is the best?

**konigandy6** · 08-07-2008, 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by farmer_ron_99

What brand of brake fluid is the best?

If you change it regularly, OEM dot 3 fluid will work great.

**bodyman5000** · 08-07-2008, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by Cutlass

I agree and I'd like to add that there is no such thing as a transmission that wants old dirty fluid and that changing it will cause transmission failure. Thats just absurd.

That is not absurd. There are plenty of old crappy automatics out there running around with most if not all of the clutch pack material suspended in the fluid. Your clutch packs need friction to hold the planetary gears and such as needed. No friction material equals no holding power.

If you have a car with 100000 miles on it that has never had a tranny flush and you only want to get 10000 more miles out of it...leave it alone.

If you have a nice car and want to take care of it....change the fluids. Duh.

I knew a girl who wouldn't wear her seatbelt because some friend of hers was joyriding with her boyfriend in a Jeep and they drove off the road into a creek and flipped upside down. Her friend drowned, she said it was because she couldn't get her seatbelt off.

So she used a personal experience to guide her even though that is like getting hit by lightning. Happens....but not very often.

CHANGE YOUR FLUIDS REGULARLY.

**wesmc** · 08-08-2008, 12:33 PM

bleed or flush your brakes. Brake fluid is cheap. Contaminated fluid causes rust, breaks down seals, performs poorly.

If your tranny cashes in after a fluid change your shop did some thing wrong. Everyting must be clean, clean, clean. Just a little crap in there will kill an A/T. Clean the pan completely. Change the filter. Do a complete fluid change. Only swapping out what is in the pan will kick sludge loose and send it through the tranny.

I have a fleet of six trucks on the road everyday and have never lost a tranny. I keep the trucks well into the 200k mile range.

**Cutlass** · 08-11-2008, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by bodyman5000

That is not absurd. There are plenty of old crappy automatics out there running around with most if not all of the clutch pack material suspended in the fluid. Your clutch packs need friction to hold the planetary gears and such as needed. No friction material equals no holding power.

If you have a car with 100000 miles on it that has never had a tranny flush and you only want to get 10000 more miles out of it...leave it alone.

If you have a nice car and want to take care of it....change the fluids. Duh.

I knew a girl who wouldn't wear her seatbelt because some friend of hers was joyriding with her boyfriend in a Jeep and they drove off the road into a creek and flipped upside down. Her friend drowned, she said it was because she couldn't get her seatbelt off.

So she used a personal experience to guide her even though that is like getting hit by lightning. Happens....but not very often.

CHANGE YOUR FLUIDS REGULARLY.

well you haven't convinced me, I still say absurd. And your explanation of how an auto trans works backs me up.

**konigandy6** · 08-11-2008, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by Cutlass

well you haven't convinced me, I still say absurd. And your explanation of how an auto trans works backs me up.

That's why it's owners responsibility to have their fluid changed at set intervals. Granted we have seen several problems when people let these items go for an extended period of time, namely caliper bleeder valves and calipers themselves, but why risk it when you can prevent it?

And the largest problem we see with not changing trans fluid in automatics is the clutch material wearing down and floating around in the fluid...and running through the valve body. I see you are a mechanic so I dont know why I'm trying to explain this all to you