brake fluid question

[barnone]

do I need to use honda brake fluid?

or any DOT-3 brake fluid will do?

thanks!

[roadster]

any ole fluid that contains dot3 and that is not opened and not sitting on the shelf for over a year. you should try to stick with the honda on some fluids like the rear diff. and possably their tranny. same with brake

[jackson]

Hi,

Mine has completely replaced with DOT4 brake fuild, would it be any problem to use DOT4 ?

Cheers,
Jackson

['Curly Q Links']

Dot 3 or Dot 4 is OK. . . . . One time I went to buy some and I'm standing at the checkout, shaking it, like you would with a can of paint. Soooo, I give up my place in line and go get another can. I'm sure the air would settle out right away, anyhow, but it's funny the things we do out of habit.

A turkey baster from the $.99 store is good for sucking out the old fluid that's sitting in the reservoir now. (but may make your turkey taste funny) 'Curly'

[N_Jay]

Dot 3 or Dot 4 is OK. . . . . One time I went to buy some and I'm standing at the checkout, shaking it, like you would with a can of paint. Soooo, I give up my place in line and go get another can. I'm sure the air would settle out right away, anyhow, but it's funny the things we do out of habit.

A turkey baster from the $.99 store is good for sucking out the old fluid that's sitting in the reservoir now. (but may make your turkey taste funny) 'Curly'

Most people say DOT-4 is a fine replacement for DOT-3. Ot6hers say not to, but I don't know why.
Do not use DOT-5 in a car with ABS.
Do not mix DOT-5 with any other fluid.

Do not use no-name fluid.
Do not use fluid from a can open more than 6 months.

[2003 Honda CRV]

I always thought Dot-3 brake fluid is Dot-3 brake fluid but my friend, a Honda technician, told me that I should use genuine Honda brake fluid. Since my vehicle is not ready for a brake fluid change, I have a few years to ponder what fluid I will use when I flush my brake system fluid.

[mau108]

psh i havent done a break fluid change (in 4 years)
and my car stops fine :)
and the color the liquid looks good....

[roadster]

when you change your brakes, change your fluids

[N_Jay]

psh i havent done a break fluid change (in 4 years)
and my car stops fine :)
and the color the liquid looks good....

Brake fluid is cheap. ABS pumps are not!

The color of the fluid does not tell you much.
It does not change when it is bad, it only changes AFTER the damage is done.

Bad fluid will not be felt in the opperation of the brakes, but will alow corosion to start in the system.

[chiph]

psh i havent done a break fluid change (in 4 years)
and my car stops fine :)
and the color the liquid looks good....
You're about 2 years overdue!

You should change it every 2 years because it absorbs moisture from the air, causing corrosion. In extreme cases, the water content in the brake fluid gets so high that in a panic stop it will boil (hint: steam compresses, not what you want in a brake fluid!) lengthening your stopping distance.

It'll cost you $50-60 to get it changed -- good insurance, as only the last few feet matter when stopping to avoid a collision.

Chip H.

[jackson]

Hi,

It might be true, the ex-owner of my V might not change the brake fuild in last 4 years. I recently spent USD 350 to upgrade the disc rotor, brake pad and brake fuild, however, I felt problem in the pad after held for a while. I sent it back to the mechanic to check it thoroughly, eventually it found out that some parts in the calipar were rust, could be due to the moisture in the fuild. It is ok now after replaced the rust parts and repainted the calipar. It costs another USD 200.

[barnone]

so... how much fluid does the reservoir hold?

what if, i just suck out the reservoir contents then replace with a synthetic DOT-3 brake fluid every year, instead of the 2-yr recommended interval.

would this suffice instead of totally flushing out the brake fluid & replacing with a honda brake fluid?

[autox02altima]

what if, i just suck out the reservoir contents then replace with a synthetic DOT-3 brake fluid every year, instead of the 2-yr recommended interval.

That'd be better than nothing, but isn't going to help you much. It's the fluid out in the brake lines running to each corner of the car that boils when the brakes get hot. I don't think the fluid really circulates much, so you'd still have bad fluid out where it counts.

[N_Jay]

so... how much fluid does the reservoir hold?

what if, i just suck out the reservoir contents then replace with a synthetic DOT-3 brake fluid every year, instead of the 2-yr recommended interval.

would this suffice instead of totally flushing out the brake fluid & replacing with a honda brake fluid?

Nope, you need to get the old fluid out of the lines, calipers, and ABS unit.

Don't fall for teh Synthetic Fluid stuff. All DOT-3 fluid is the same base. Use a good brand to insure purity.

Synthetic Fluid is Silicon based and should never be used with ABS and never mixed with conventional fluid (DOT-3 or DOT-4).