It's time to replace my brake fluid. I noticed it is getting pretty dark and I've put about 40K miles without an replacement. I plan to replace it with a full bleed/flush (siphon out the old from the master cylinder, replace with new and then bleed at each wheel...topping off the master as I go). I'm assuming that's how everyone generally does it.

How much fluid does this take? I'd like to get close to the right amount since brake fluid doesn't store well. I don't want too much. And, since I'll take the truck to a base hobby shop and have it on a lift I can run to the store if I don't have enough.

TIA

 

my guess would be 350ml for the reservoir and another 350 for the system bleed. buy a liter..its $10.

get some penetrating fluid and soak the bleeder screws if you live in the rust belt.

 

Generally, brake fluid comes in two sizes of bottles.I use the big one to do the main flush and the smaller ones stay sealed unless I need a little more. It'll store just fine as long as it's sealed. Make sure all the bleeder screws will open. If one breaks off when yu try to open it, replace that wheel cylinder or caliper. That is from years of experience.

 

I just did a full brake service a few weeks ago and used the largest brake fluid container I could buy from Advance Auto.

 

From what I see on the Advance Auto website, the largest containers are 32 oz (1qt) for Wearever, Prestone, and Valvoline. That was enough to do a complete flush and top off the master cylinder?

 

It should be. A small bottle to top it off might not be a bad thing to have. I've bought it in 1 and 5 gallon jugs when I ran a shop but that was many years ago.

 

I'm not sure exactly how much you'll need, but AA does sell 1 Gallon bottles. However many ounces you think is plenty, buy an extra 32 ounce too. Better to have enough on hand, you can return the extra bottle if it's not needed.

 

Agreed, I had the large bottle but also had a small bottle laying around to top things off. It also really depends on how much you flush through the lines. I sucked out pretty much everything from the reservoir and filled it up but flushed through more than I probably should have but I just wanted to make sure I got all the old fluid out.

 

A little tip with winter here. Brake fluid is flammable. It's not explosive but does burn easily. The shop I used to have heated the office with a wood stove. I'd save the old brake fluid and use it to start the fire. A good way to get rid of some REALLY toxic stuff. It will also peel paint and kill vegetation, so be careful.

 

all good to know. Thanks for the feedback.