brake fluid uses
- Thread starter PaulV
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Falcon67
Well-known member
It's good for ruining paint. If it's open, it's waste. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and should be used once the container is open. One good reason to buy it in pints and not gallons.
SuitorsGarage
Well-known member
In the winter months I use it to start the wood stove. When I do any brake work that requires bleeding the brakes instead of putting it in the waste oil barrel I use it up starting the stove for a few days. If you are suspect of it having any moisture in it I would just take it to your local garage and ask them to dump it with their waste oil.
y20dth
Well-known member
I bought a 5L canister of brake fluid about 15 years ago, opened it back then to do a fluss, and after i was done closed it.
Last year I took a sample of it to work, and used the brake fluid tester there.
Tester lit the green LED.
Cannot garantuee the acuracy of the tester, but that did suprise me a bit.
Canister did stay closed al those years, so i used some of it to do another fluss on my car.
There are some advanced testers that show water%, I you have access to one, try it, and report back on it, ofcourse.
Last year I took a sample of it to work, and used the brake fluid tester there.
Tester lit the green LED.
Cannot garantuee the acuracy of the tester, but that did suprise me a bit.
Canister did stay closed al those years, so i used some of it to do another fluss on my car.
There are some advanced testers that show water%, I you have access to one, try it, and report back on it, ofcourse.
johnnymustang
Member
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- May 3, 2010
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Paint removal on plastic parts
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
Some people who restore old plastic model cars use it for stripping the paint, it's supposed to work pretty well.
TwoInch
Well-known member
people always say throw out opened containers, but i personally feel that is wasteful, and unwarranted.
brake fluid is hygroscopic, which means it pulls moisture out of the air if exposed. as long as you dont leave the cap off for any extended period of time, or leave the cap loose, it will not absorb water. after opening and using a portion, screw the cap on tight, and squeeze the bottle in your hand. if air comes out, its not sealed air tight, if you squeeze and it holds the air in, no moisture will get in. it will have a long shelf life as long as its sealed up well. but when i doubt, i wouldnt risk it, if you cant remember what you used it for when you opened it toss it out. but there is no need to be over paranoid about it being opened previously as long as its stored well.
the cap of your master cylinder says "use only DOT 3 brake fluid from a sealed container"... i consider a previously opened and resealed container "sealed" as in not left open on a shelf. your brake system is much less sealed than a tightly capped bottle, and most manufacturers give what, 2 year intervals on brake fluid change?
brake fluid is hygroscopic, which means it pulls moisture out of the air if exposed. as long as you dont leave the cap off for any extended period of time, or leave the cap loose, it will not absorb water. after opening and using a portion, screw the cap on tight, and squeeze the bottle in your hand. if air comes out, its not sealed air tight, if you squeeze and it holds the air in, no moisture will get in. it will have a long shelf life as long as its sealed up well. but when i doubt, i wouldnt risk it, if you cant remember what you used it for when you opened it toss it out. but there is no need to be over paranoid about it being opened previously as long as its stored well.
the cap of your master cylinder says "use only DOT 3 brake fluid from a sealed container"... i consider a previously opened and resealed container "sealed" as in not left open on a shelf. your brake system is much less sealed than a tightly capped bottle, and most manufacturers give what, 2 year intervals on brake fluid change?
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LOL... Thats good information for the Re-builders = More Business. They used to Use Brake fluid back in the 30's, Primarily when Leather seals where used. If you start putting brake fluid into any Jack that utilizes Buna-N/Polyurethane (About 100% of your Jacks over the last 40 Years) you are asking for T-R-O-U-B-L-E.
nehog
Well-known member
Brake fluid is hygroscopic (as so many above say) so I keep it for clutch systems. The problem with moisture in brake fluid is that it lowers the boiling point of the fluid which for brakes that can get very hot is a problem. A clutch on the other hand won't get very hot so that is a good use for it.
oilslick
Well-known member
I think burning it puts off some nasty fumes.
Lotek
Well-known member
Dispose of it properly, burning or dumping it is a bad idea, it isn't oil based, so some recyclers don't want it mixed with waste oil. EPA reportable spill quantity is one pound, so they really don't want it on the ground. Brake fluid is cheap, clutch and brake systems are expensive, your call, but I wouldn't use it.
JimVonBaden
Well-known member
Well, if you discount the idea of rust developing in the system, then a clutch is fine.
IMHO, unless you test it, and the cost of that is higher than new fluid, there is no way to know if it has water in it. I wouldn't use it at all. Better to buy, as said, smaller quantities so there is little waste.
Jim
signcrafter
Well-known member
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- May 9, 2012
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- 12,317
So what exactly is the proper way to get rid of brake fluid? Do parts stores take it?
whelenfan
Well-known member
If you were so inclined, brake fluid is supposed to be an excellent rust removal agent.
http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm#Oil
The above site has alot of excellent older formulas for making stuff that is sold today out of common household/garage items.
http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm#Oil
The above site has alot of excellent older formulas for making stuff that is sold today out of common household/garage items.
osborn.ozzy
Banned
Mix it with some KMNO4 for a surprise.
Charles (in GA)
Well-known member
Hydraulic fluid it is not. Common hydraulic fluid is mineral oil based. Brake fluid was invented to not boil or freeze and still work, it is, if I recall, a glycol base. Developed by (or for) the Loughead Brothers (think Lockheed Aircraft Corp) when they invented the modern automobile hydraulic brake systems.
Charles
olytdi
Well-known member
Yeah, I've never believed in the "once it's open it's contaminated" line of thinking. What I do with break fluid or other hygroscopics is to take a piece of visqueen or 3 -4 layers of plastic food wrap and place that over the top prior to scrwing on the cap. I don't see how it's going to pull moisture out of air that it isn't exposed to.
Guns R Tools
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- May 23, 2011
- Messages
- 257
Most chain stores Sears, Firestone etc will have separate container for collecting brake fluid. They might take it or try local municipal recycling place. They take typical house hold hazardous material at no costs.
madstat
Well-known member
I once used some brake fluid on rag as a little rubbing compound to get a surface scratch paint from a few door to door dings off of my car. Worked real well.
Richard D
Well-known member
Lathe cutting fluid.
TwoInch
Well-known member
water in your clutch system is pretty bad too. you will be doing the slave cylinder in no time once it is contaminated a bit. rusts the lines from the inside, and destroys the cylinders. bad news all around. it will come out looking like a chocolate milkshake. flushing clutch fluid every couple years is a good idea, as with brakes.
yhprum
Well-known member
Kills scorpions instantly.
darkk
Well-known member
Open the container, use, throw the rest away. Sounds like an advertizing board meeting at the brake fluid manufacturers convention or a myth. I don't ever remember seeing that on the container. I guess I'll have to go out in the garage and find all 30 or so containers of brake fluid and look at the fine print. Seems everytime I need brake fluid I need to go buy a can. I can never find the one I bought last time I needed it. I NEVER throw away brake fluid, I always use it, mix partial cans together of like dot ratings. I've never had brake failures from old fluids. I'm thinking wives tale......
HoosierBuddy
Well-known member
I'm kind of the opinion that it makes no sense to throw away brake fluid that has been kept in a properly re-sealed container.
The braking system on your car is as open to influences from humidity as a brake fluid container. If it's an older car, with a clip on type reservoir cover (my old mustang comes to mind)...the brake fluid is going to be more affected by air infiltration through the master cylinder cap than it would be sitting in a tight bottle on the shelf.
I think the warnings on the brake systems and fluid bottles were probably put their by lawyers to cover their clients asses and then glommed onto by the marketing departments to drum up more sales. I don't know that for sure. My cynical nature has just led me to that conclusion.
Phil
The braking system on your car is as open to influences from humidity as a brake fluid container. If it's an older car, with a clip on type reservoir cover (my old mustang comes to mind)...the brake fluid is going to be more affected by air infiltration through the master cylinder cap than it would be sitting in a tight bottle on the shelf.
I think the warnings on the brake systems and fluid bottles were probably put their by lawyers to cover their clients asses and then glommed onto by the marketing departments to drum up more sales. I don't know that for sure. My cynical nature has just led me to that conclusion.
Phil
Ben Buck
Well-known member
Way back when, early 60's, before dinosaurs, I put brake fluid on my tires, as tire shine. A good wax job, an old style tire shine on the 54 Chevy, it not only looked good, BUT WAIT- Here it is!! It would stop on a dime!!! Ha-Ha
nehog
Well-known member
Need4racin
Banned
I would use it on a vehicle that is atleast as old at the fluid. If you don't have one of those, give it to someone with a old vehicle.
Brake fluid is hygroscopic (as so many above say) so I keep it for clutch systems.
but the master system on your car not water tight and it goes through puddles and rainstorm, the fluid in the can is alot cleaner than in the car and how offen does it get change, be honest, dont lie, 75% never
but the master system on your car not water tight and it goes through puddles and rainstorm, the fluid in the can is alot cleaner than in the car and how offen does it get change, be honest, dont lie, 75% never
admranger
Well-known member
Need4racin
Banned
This!!^^
Kevin C
Well-known member
Brake fluid is cheep, calipers and cylinders are expensive. Even a sealed plastic containers will allow some moisture through it. The hard part is knowing just how much has been absorbed. It may still test out OK, but have used 40% of its moisture capacity.
You bleed the brakes to put in fresh moisture free fluid, it only makes sense to start with known good fluid.
You bleed the brakes to put in fresh moisture free fluid, it only makes sense to start with known good fluid.
Moose02
Well-known member
if it can't be used once opened that means before you buy it you have to throw it away
was it not opened before it was closed
was it not opened before it was closed
Kevin C
Well-known member
if it can't be used once opened that means before you buy it you have to throw it away
was it not opened before it was closed
We could adopt specs similar to what used by JDEC when opening packages of IC's. Your allowed only so many hours of open package time before the parts get soldered.
Unused parts get put back in moisture barrier bags that are back-filled with nitrogen and heat sealed. The bag gets marked for how long the parts were exposed to air.
Once that limit is exceeded the parts get put through a bake process to reduce their internal moisture level. This because plastic absorbs moisture and it cracks the cases when they get soldered. http://www.siliconfareast.com/msl.htm
In our case the moisture is a problem when driving down a long steep hill with a stop light at the bottom and a car full of nun's blocking the intersection. The moisture in the brake fluid picks up heat from the long braking cycle and it also senses the Nun's presences.
This causes the fluid to boil and you lose your brakes. Fortunately, your a really good driver and manage to swerve around the car full of nun's, only to drive under a school bus.
As you explain in court that you only hit the school bus because you were trying to avoid the nuns, you wonder if you should have used that old bottle of DOT 3 brake fluid with the dead bugs and sawdust stuck to rim when you replaced your brake pads last week.
In the end it works out... All that extra walking allows gets you to drop 30 lbs and you realize that not everyone riding public transportation is homeless.
Mostly its just folks that got DUI's
Lotek
Well-known member
Sure you can use brake fluid from a re-sealed can, within reason, but I wouldn't use old fluid that I wasn't sure of or transfer fluid from one container to another, brake fluid is to cheap to risk it.
Speaking of hygroscopic fluids, just used some PAO oil for a Volt A/C system that came packed in a foil pouch with instructions that it was to be used or discarded within two hours of removing from the foil.
Speaking of hygroscopic fluids, just used some PAO oil for a Volt A/C system that came packed in a foil pouch with instructions that it was to be used or discarded within two hours of removing from the foil.
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LumpyMusic
Well-known member
Elaborate please. How do you apply it to the little green glowers? I hunt them every night with my xtra long hemostats, broom handle, UV flashlight. I'd love to find something that I could just spray on them with a sprayer bottle or something.
Craig 'Lumpy' Lemke
www.n0eq.com
TheChanMan
Active member
mix it with pool chlorine and have a fire extinguisher handy. make sure your friend holds your beer...