I'm pretty sure my brake fluid had never been changed in 25 years...and the master cylinder reservoir was so dirty and stained that I could barely read the fluid level.
I haven't seen this covered elsewhere, so I thought I'd do a quick write-up. It's about as low-tech as you can get. There may be a more proper procedure out there, but this worked fine for me.
I got a brand new reservoir online for under $20. I used DOT3 synthetic fluid (my Accord lives a pretty laid-back life) - a single 32oz bottle was enough. Use DOT4 if you're fast and/or furious.
Tools needed:
Jack, jack stands, tire iron
10mm/9mm/8mm wrenches
heat gun
small heat shrink tubing (about 1/4" ID before shrinking)
bleeder kit or a DIY bleeder using clear tubing (1/8" ID)
32oz bottle of DOT3 or DOT4 brake fluid
Really a 2 person job but I suppose 1 person could do it.
$20 for reservoir, $10 for brake fluid, about an hour of work...
I haven't seen this covered elsewhere, so I thought I'd do a quick write-up. It's about as low-tech as you can get. There may be a more proper procedure out there, but this worked fine for me.
I got a brand new reservoir online for under $20. I used DOT3 synthetic fluid (my Accord lives a pretty laid-back life) - a single 32oz bottle was enough. Use DOT4 if you're fast and/or furious.
Tools needed:
Jack, jack stands, tire iron
10mm/9mm/8mm wrenches
heat gun
small heat shrink tubing (about 1/4" ID before shrinking)
bleeder kit or a DIY bleeder using clear tubing (1/8" ID)
32oz bottle of DOT3 or DOT4 brake fluid
Really a 2 person job but I suppose 1 person could do it.
- Jack up car, put on stands and remove all 4 wheels, e-brake off.
- Put rags under reservoir area & a drain pan to catch any drips.
- Use a gravy-free turkey baster to remove all fluid in reservoir.
- Once completely empty, loosen hose clamp at base of old reservoir (10mm), and pull/twist the empty reservoir straight up and off.
- Transfer old hose clamp to new reservoir, and put onto master cylinder (I had to heat the base of my reservoir a little with a heat gun as it was very tight.)
- Top off new reservoir with new brake fluid, and follow normal procedure to bleed the brakes (left rear, right front, right rear, left front). I think the front bleed screws were 10mm, the rears were 8mm. This is where the 2nd person is helpful to pump the brake as you go around with the bleeder & keep the reservoir from running dry.
- Restore fluid level to where it should be (between lines, remembering you probably don't want it all the way at MAX due to normal pad wear).
- Remove/discard old cap by disconnecting the 2 old reservoir cap wires (bayonet type connectors under rubber insulators which will probably dissolve in your hands).
- Attach new cap & wires - put heat shrink tubing over connectors & use heat gun to shrink.
$20 for reservoir, $10 for brake fluid, about an hour of work...
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