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Replacing Brake Fluid

3K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  wjfyfe 
#1 ·
I'm at 10,000 miles and it's time to replace the brake fluid. The dealer is too far away so I plan on doing it myself. This will be the first time doing a system with ABS brakes.

I plan on emptying the master cylinder with my Mighty-Vac and refilling with new fluid. Then sucking the fluid to each wheel brake (rear first) with the Mighty-Vac. If I'm careful, I should be able to replace the fluid without inducing air into the system.

Does anyone know if this will draw the fluid through the ABS system? I'm thinking it should.

Thanks
 
#2 ·
I'm not an expert on this, but I doubt it will suck any fluid thru the ABS pump. I doubt the amount of fluid left in the lines to the ABS pump should make much difference as long as the ABS pump doesn't already have some air in the pump or the lines. If your ABS kicks-in and smoothly stops your Slingshot, there probably isn't any air in the ABS pump/lines.
Se attached PDF for info from the 2015-17 Slingshot Service Manual.
 

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#3 ·
Thanks for your reply BKL.

I do have the service manual. I just don't have a Digital Wrench to cycle the ABS and it does not look like I will ever be able to get one. The brakes are fine now. That's my concern about working on them. Like the old saying goes, "If it isn't broken don't fix it."

I like your suggestion that the ABS does not contain enough fluid to worry about when changing the fluid. And, that it should not draw fluid through it. That means that it should not draw air into it, either. I think I will be safe in bleeding the lines. As long as I don't let any air into the system I should okay.

I figure that if I ever do get air into the ABS system and need to bleed it, I will just need to go to my favorite test area after the first bleed, do a hard stop or two to cycle the ABS, and then re-bleed the brakes. Otherwise, I will have to drive it 100 miles, through Bay Area freeways, to get the brakes fixed.

-Jim
 
#4 ·
That fits with what folks did before we were told to go to the dealer to have the dealer use Digital Wrench to cycle the ABS pump. Several folks posted about just making several hard stops, triggering the ABS system and then trying a brake bleed and repeating the process several times until they were satisfied with their brakes, but other folks have said this method isn't necessarily that effective, IIRC. Good Luck.
I don't think I ever had the brake fluid replaced until I was around 40K miles. I've been driving since the late 1960s and also don't remember ever needing to replace the brake fluid every 10,000 miles.
 
#10 ·
I am thinking that this will do little to nothing with the fluid, (and possible water and other contamination), in the mechanisms and lines beyond the master cylinder? Where the fluid would tend to just move back and forth and do very little "mixing up?" The only way to assure clean fluid through the entire system would be to flush and replace, unless I am thinking wrong?

Bill
 
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