So I'm flipping through one of the parts catalogs last night and they are selling a gadget to put on each brake to make it easier to bleed. Their pitch is that you should bleed the brakes annually to get fresh fluid in the brake pistons.

Ok, first I've heard of that, what's the group think?

 

I never do this, and I know the fluid gets dirty over time, but the only time I get around to a brake fluid change is when a part of the system gives out completely.

 

Yea ya have to bleed the heck out of em to change out the fluid that way.

One of a kind collector car, hot rod, dragster or other very high speed application maybe, just maybe but not a ole ford pick up.

Wait till you blow a line, you'll change it then!

 

It's certainly not a bad idea since brake fluid can absorb water over time, but I haven't flushed the brake fluid in my truck since I replaced the master cylinder a few years ago. I will probably flush the system as soon as I can get around to it.

 

Had mine flushed around '01, guess I'll do it again soon. But not annually.

 

I have never done that to my truck. It has over 250K miles on it and the brake fluid is probably original. I did add a splash to it a few years ago when it looked low. That was probably due to pad wear. I don't see any eveidence of leaks. I wouldn't worry about having all new clean fluid in the brake system every year. If you end up opening up the system for the replacement of a component like a master cylinder, caliper, or wheel cylinder then I would bleed the whole system.

 

Just my .02 - When I had a performance Toyota, they recommended changing fluid every two years. They said it's because moisture builds up in the lines, and can begin rusting the brake lines. I've changed/bled mine every two years and haven't had a problem with a binding caliper since.

 

That's very true. I had the entire brake system fail on me due to water. Calipers failed, master cylinder, power brake booster... Yeah, I would bleed the brakes every year or two.

 

Brake fluid is part of your brake system and should therefore in my opinion be maintained as would any other component of the braking system.

PC2000....you were on the right track.
Brake fluids classified as DOT3 and DOT4 are naturally hygroscopic: that is, they possess a strong tendency to absorb water. Air can contain varying amounts of moisture depending upon the relative humidity. This moisture can find its way into the brake system through flexible hoses, thus contaminating the fluid. Moisture contamination directly results in reduction in the brake fluid boiling point.
When the service temperature exceeds the reduced boiling point, contaminated brake fluid will vaporize and prevent positive braking on the subsequent application. Besides materially reducing the boiling point, moisture promotes rust in steel brake lines, sludge in cylinders and corrosion inside wheel cylinders and calipers.

Now I know there's always something to tinker with, but it really doesn't take all that long and the cost is minor. So for the extra piece of mind, I'll flush mine every couple of years.

 

Ottawaguy - Thanks for the props. Just something I've done for years since I found out what kind of problems it can cause. I've had frozen calipers, broken lines from rust. In fact a frozen wheel cylinder caused a major accident with my first car back in 86 when the driver side front wheel didn't grab at all, pulling me across the double-yellow and head on into another car. I never knew how I could've avoided it until I found out about moisture building up in the brake system. I don't want to relive that experience.

Great writeup on the different problems moisture can cause!

 

I'm a believer in rotating out the fluid, too. I don't necessarily have it on a schedule, but whenever I do brake work of any kind I bleed the brakes as a matter of principle. You don't have to pump a quart of the stuff through it to make it worthwhile. The lines don't hold that much. Three or four good squirts per wheel ought to get it. If nothing else, it keeps the bleeders loosened up. There's nothing worse than HAVING to bleed the brakes for a hydraulic repair and finding that the bleeders are all frozen up or plugged up because they haven't been touched yet this decade.

 

I have never flushed my brakes, except when I replaced some lines on a couple of very old trucks. I've never really had any issues, but maybe I've just been lucky.

I've heard this moisture buildup stuff a lot, and it's probably true. I'm just somewhat unsure about doing the actual flushing.

My concern is the ABS. I've heard that on some vehicles you have to have a special scan tool to actually bleed it. I don't think that applies to the 87-96 F series, I'm just talking in general. One of the trucks that I replaced lines on was an 88 F-150, and there was some little box that had its' own bleed screw. I think that was the ABS.

Basically, I'm just worries that I'll cause more problems than I'll solve.

ford2go

 

Look I live in hell, also know as florida, its hot, humid, and the guys at shops down here have told me that break fluid will absorve water, causing the fluid's ph to change causing it to become corrosive, their recommendation, change it everytime you do your pads 30K or so. like tranny shrugs I do mine everytime I see it's getting dirty.