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Cleaning up used rusted disks

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An interesting article; but would you agree with this part, Mr. C? Might be true in the States, I suppose.

MYTH # 6 - The brake fluid reservoir should be topped up during routine service. In most modern passenger cars, the brake fluid reservoir is designed with a specific volume and is equipped with an internal float. The volume corresponds to the amount of fluid that will be displaced when the pads have worn to the point of replacement plus a generous reserve. When the replacement point is reached, the descending float completes an electrical circuit and a light appears on the dash warning the driver that the pads should be replaced. If the brake fluid is topped up the first warning of warn out pads will be the screech of steel backing plate against iron disc. This will be both annoying and expensive.

Reply to
newshound
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It used to be a good indicator on Fiestas, but it doesn't work if one pads wearing more heavily than the other 3.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

Why would it not be true here?

I never top up brake fluid levels once I've established that with everything new, it's filled to the max line, simply because if you do so, when you next replace the pads, the reservoir will overflow.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

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if the brake fluid is noticeably low then it means something is very worn or leaking, so I check things first. Since most of the vehicles I look at are other peoples then yes, sometimes I do top up the master (depending on what I have found on the car) simply because people expect that I will have and it takes too long to explain something like that to the average person. On my own cars I would be unlikely to ever top up the fluid, but I do change it every two or three years anyway.

Nowadays I never, ever push the fluid back up to the master cylinder when changing brake parts, I always let it out at the wheel cyl. or caliper, that way there is a certain amount of fluid change regardless, no problems with ABS systems, no overfull master cylinders, etc. etc. It also keeps the bleed nipples in working order.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

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Of course the problem with that is that if the low fluid warning is activated not by worn out pads, but by a leak (a rare event I know), then the driver is likely to say "It's going for service at the weekend, it will be OK till then". And then of course potential disaster awaits.

Also, anyone capable and equipped for changing pads ought to be able to deal with the potential overflow when the pads are changed.

So all in all, I'll keep topping up thank you. It's served me well for the last 30+ years.

Steve

Reply to
shazzbat
[...]

If you start with everything "as new", and the reservoir up to the max, by the time the pads have no material left on them then the reservoir will still be above minimum.

Anyone who drives with the low fluid light coming on, without investigating why, shouldn't be driving!

And not topping up between pad changes has served me well since the first disc-braked car I bought in 1970!

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

I presume you don't drive a Lotus and maybe its to do with more frequent service intervals but the Esprit, 90's Elan, Elise and Exige, all without exception will give a low fluid level alarm before the pads are half worn, brake hard with a level 1/4 inch below max and you might occasionally see the warning light flash on.

Reply to
The Other Mike
[...]

You presume correctly.

What a crap piece of design...

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

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