How to change your brake fluid.

[FEINT]

I am quite bored, so I thought I will write up how to change your brake fluid.

You probably need:

-Screwdriver
-Brake Fluid
-Spanner 8mm usually.

First of all. Locate your reservoir. Usually near your brake lever. For the rear usually it is above the pegs. You will see a canister that holds liquid.

Open it. There are 2 kinds. The bottle kind with a screw on cap or the other kind with a metal casing and 2 screws holding the top down.



After you open the top, there should be a rubber lining, remove that as well.


This is what you should see.





Go down to the caliper, you will see a small rubber covered nipple thingee. There should be a nut below and attached to it. Remove the rubber cover.

*either get a cloth or a rubber tube to attach to it. This is where the brake fluid is going to come out of.




Depress on the brake lever and open the valve, brake fluid should ooze out. Close the valve before letting the lever go.

REMEMBER: NEVER EVER LET THE RESERVOIR RUN DRY. KEEP TOPPING IT UP WITH BRAKE FLUID. You can't afford to have air in the brake lines.

Remember to start at the caliper that is FURTHEST from the reservoir.

Once satisfied that the old fluid has been flushed with the new one.

Close the valve and pump the brake lever until the pressure has built up. Hold the brake lever down hard and open the valve (do not let go of the brake lever, hold it down) the minute your lever is almost all the way in, close the valve. Pump the brake lever until pressure has built up again, then repeat the process a few more times.

At this point, the fluid should be oozing out with NO bubbles. If it isn't, keep repeating the process till the air bubbles are gone.

Move on to the next caliper, if you are working on the front.

Once done, fill up the reservoir to its "F" mark. Do not overfill as there should be space for air in there. There should be a little bubble in the gauge once you put the rubber lining and cap back on.

It is common for the metal cased reservoirs to have rusty or stripped screws. You can get the screws from a engineer. They are very hard to find as they are quite short and have counter-sunk heads.

It is best not to mix brake fluids. I usually use DOT4. If you want brake fluid that is BLUE in colour, MOBIL. THere is yellowish BP. A few other colours around as well.

HOpe this helps.

REMEMBER TO TIGHTEN THE NUT BEFORE RIDING AND PUMP UP THE PRESSURE IN THE BRAKE LINES.

Correct me if some of my processes are wrong.

[Sensei]

Hey Feint I open the Valve while pulling in the lever , then close it when it stops so as not to get air bubbles when it suck the fluid back up after you let the lever go . May be right back may be wrong but have done this for 20+y's all ways worked .

[FEINT]

Hey Feint I open the Valve while pulling in the lever , then close it when it stops so as not to get air bubbles when it suck the fluid back up after you let the lever go . May be right back may be wrong but have done this for 20+y's all ways worked .

you are right.. actually that is what I do too. Let me re-edit..

Degrease the area which brake fluid has leaked on to. And rinse with water and soap.

[Firefight]

It is common for the metal cased reservoirs to have rusty or stripped screws. You can get the screws from a engineer. They are very hard to find as they are quite short and have counter-sunk heads.

[/QUOTE]


shit bloody good write up man, nice pics too, the only thing I can add , I had to drill the screws out on a bike I had a couple of years ago, but when I replaced them I got stainless steel ones.

F/F

[Biff]

Great advice.

But remember folks - brake fluid is nasty shit - so protect your paint work, skin etc with towels, rag, gloves etc. If you spill any clean it up - quick!

[FROSTY:Me]

The screws you are talking about come from engineering supply companies -I cur out the middle man and go diret to the importer.
In auckland the 2 easiest are EDL in penrose and MSL in avondale.
Youll find that instead of the pozi head theyll supply allen key heads which are shit loads better to use.

[FEINT]

The safest way I have found to remove the screws if they are stripped or damaged, was using a Impact Driver.

I had to replace mine with a Allen Key head screw, which I agree, is much better than the original phillips head.

For North Shore people, you can get it from Wairau Engineering Supplies Ltd. 6 Vega Place (off constellation drive).

[Bonez]

Hey Feint I open the Valve while pulling in the lever , then close it when it stops so as not to get air bubbles when it suck the fluid back up after you let the lever go . May be right back may be wrong but have done this for 20+y's all ways worked .

Same here. Also have a peice of clear tubing, usually a left over battery overflow tube, attacted to the nibble going into a glass jar. Also a bottle of water handy, for dilution purposes, just in case the evil fluid gets somewhere it shouldn't.

[MSTRS:Me]

I also put a tube over the nipple, which has a non-return valve at the other end. Can help to avoid sucking air back in if you let go the brake lever too soon.. Excellent write-up/instruction.

[XTC]

I also put a tube over the nipple, which has a non-return valve at the other end. Can help to avoid sucking air back in if you let go the brake lever too soon.. Excellent write-up/instruction.

I also use a clear tube from the nipple to a jar with a small amount of brake fluid in it (enuff to cove r the end of the tube) this way you can clearly see when the air bubbles stop and you don't get brake fluid every where. The fluid in the bottom of the jar prevent air being sucked back into the system.

[myvice]

DO NOT USE A.T.F.!!!!!!!!!!!! I know it sounds stupid but I dont know how many brake systems I have had to strip and re-buld because "I was told thats what you use at the gas station"
Sewing machine oil is pop choice No2, so dont use that ether! I know its the same colour, that means nothing.
Only use brake fluid, nothing else,
Ok, if your in the middle of a desert you can use water if you have to.
Oil makes rubber eg:seals, lines ect, swell = no brakes = crash
Happy tinkering

[Two Smoker]

I highly recommend Putoline Dot 5.1 Brake fuild

[Ixion]

DO NOT USE A.T.F.!!!!!!!!!!!! I know it sounds stupid but I dont know how many brake systems I have had to strip and re-buld because "I was told thats what you use at the gas station"
..

What idiot would use ATF in a hydraulic system ? (not disputing you see it, just the sanity of anyone stupid enough to do it)

[XTC]

DO NOT USE A.T.F.!!!!!!!!!!!! I know it sounds stupid but I dont know how many brake systems I have had to strip and re-buld because "I was told thats what you use at the gas station"
Sewing machine oil is pop choice No2, so dont use that ether! I know its the same colour, that means nothing.
Only use brake fluid, nothing else,
Ok, if your in the middle of a desert you can use water if you have to.
Oil makes rubber eg:seals, lines ect, swell = no brakes = crash
Happy tinkering

In all my many years I've never heard of anyone using atf in a brake system of a bike either....
maybe it's something the new generation do?

[vifferman]

...and use only new brake fluid, from a sealed bottle. Brake fluid is very hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air). The advantage to using the "yellowy brake fluid from BP" (actually Castrol) is that it changes colour as it absorbs moisture, so the darkerer it is, the more worserer it am.