Ghostrider

My car is in for the A service and my advisor said that it is time for a brake fluid renewal.

My question is what is this and is it something that I can do myself?

Thanks so much.
Ghost

TresX

MB says you should do it every 2 years. Essentially they are gonna flush out all the old brake fluid and "renew" it with new fluid. It is a fairly simple process, that requires the the help of another person or if you have some equipment then you can do it alone.

Simple DIY:

- Open brake fluid reservoir.
- Use a turkey baster to remove most of the old fluid from the reservoir.
- Pour in new fluid to the top of the res. (Not to the max line, above that, to the rim of the tank. Doing so, will make sure the master cyclinder res. will be full)
- Now starting at the right rear wheel, then left rear, right front, then left front do this:

- Remove wheel.
- Attach hose to brake bleed valve.
- Have someone pump your brakes to build up pressure, and hold their foot on the brake pedal. (No more pumping, only holding) During this time, you will be opening and closing the brake bleed valve (1/8 - 1/4 turn) for approx. 3 seconds at a time. (IT IS IMPERITIVE THAT YOU CLOSE THE VALVE every 2 - 3 secods so that no air enters the system (CLOSE THE VALVE BEFORE YOUR HELPER LETS OFF THE BRAKE!!!), ALSO do not let the helper depress the brake more than 1/2 way down, if they do, you will ruin your master cylinder and have to get a new one!) Another thing to make sure of is to close the valve before your helper lets off the brake. (VERY IMPORTANT: Same reason) Do this until you see new fluid, WITHOUT ANY AIR BUBBLES, coming out from the bleed valve. (WHILE DOING THIS MAKE SURE YOUR MASTER RESERVOIR DOESN'T GO EMPTY!!! YOU HAVE TO KEEP FILLING IT UP TO THE MAX WHILE YOU PERFORMING THIS SERVICE)

- When you get done with all 4 wheels, you'll have repeat the process for the clutch slave cylinder as well.



Exceptions:

- If you don't have a helper, you can get a these : http://www.speedbleeder.com/
(They are check valves that you put on your brake bleed valve. By having these on, you simply open them, run over to the car and pump the brake yourself. The reason these are great is, they don't let air back in the system.....EVER! So, you can leave it open and just keep pumping, and when you're done, you close it up! (NOTE: You still have to make sure the Master Res. doesn't go empty)


GOOD LUCK!


P.S. If you do decide to get this service done somewhere, I would make sure you have them acknowledge that your master cylinder is currently in working order. This way, when the stealerships' "right out of technical school" technician works on your can and destroys your master cylinder, you can have some sort of leverage. (Happens more often than not).

All in all, if you go the helper route (usually husband & wife DIY team) you just need good coordination with your helper. If you spring for the speedbleeders (what I did) it'll be fairly more simple of a process. Either way, make sure you follow direction and heed ALL WARNINGS. It's simple, but you have to pay very close attention to what you're doing. Hope this helps!

Ghostrider

Thanks, it sounds easy yet invlved at the same time. Would this have something to do with my sketchy brake performance. The dealership says it's running a special on it this month for like $130. Is that a pretty good price?

TresX

Sketchy brake performance as in your pedal feels kinda mushy? If so, you probably have air in your brake lines. You can get rid of the mushy brakes, by simply bleeding your brake lines. BUT, if you haven't renewed your brake fluid before, seeing is you drive a 01', I would do it. $130 sounds pretty fair (not fair....pretty fair), especially for the dealer. If you did it yourself, it would cost you next to nothing. You only need 2 liters of fluid. If I didn't have my scissor lift and my cordless impact wrench, I would probably pay the 100 bucks to have someone do this job. (Unless I had to change my pads & rotors as well, of course)

TresX

P.S. Gravity bleeding will not get rid of the air in the brake lines, you have to pressure bleed it.

Ghostrider

Thanks for the input. It does feel kind of mushy and a little grabby. If I did it I would be using a plain ole jack, and it is actually less by about $15 so I guess it is a special.

SoCalCLK

Ghostrider, I had my brake fluid 'renewed' a couple months ago by the dealer and the braking feels more responsive and crisp.

$130 is a bargain at the dealer. Better to pay that now and also the work will be guaranteed than to do it yourself and run the risk of having air bubbles more severe brake problems in the future.

My .02!

Ghostrider

Hey, any input is always welcome.