Super Blue Brake Fluid Longevity

[David Ray]

A few easy questions before CA:

What is the recommeded replacement of Super Blue in the car?

How do you tell if you're boiling vs experiencing fading at the track?

Once in the pressure bleeder - what is the shelf life?

Thanks for any response - trying to plan what to bring for the weekend.

[Steve Grosekemper]

David,
The only way to really tell the moisture content in brake fluid is with a moisture content tester. These are fairly expensive, but little test strips can be used as well, however not as accurate.

Rule of thumb is no more than 6 months for competition. 3 months if you are running your brakes to the thermal limit.

Fade is lack of stopping force and boiling is a drop in the pedal due to gas bubles in the fluid. If you pump and it gets better, it is boiling.

Once you open a can of brake fluid it starts absorbing moisture. Never store it in in a bleeder or anything else. Open a liter, bleed your brakes and you are done. (system capacity is about a liter)

I hate bleeding brakes at the track and haven't had to do so in years since adoption this schedule. Missing a run group is not worth the $15 in fluid...

[Dan Chambers]

A few easy questions before CA:

What is the recommeded replacement of Super Blue in the car?

How do you tell if you're boiling vs experiencing fading at the track?

Once in the pressure bleeder - what is the shelf life?

Thanks for any response - trying to plan what to bring for the weekend.

David:

My experience:

-There is another "Super" brake product out there, but I can't remember the name. It is sold at Inter Auto on Convoy Street; and sits on the shelf right next to Super Blue.

-Fading is usually felt by the pedal getting "softer" as your brakes get hotter and hotter. Your brakes seem to need more pressure from your foot, and longer distance for stopping ..... thus a "fading" of braking capacity. Cooling the system down will help recover the system, and reduce fading.

-If you "boil" your brakes ... actually brake fluid boiling ..... the brake pedal goes to the floor with no braking when you try to slow / stop. Pumping will recover some braking ability when "boiled" but you've shot your hydraulic brake system to h&ll with bubbles. Replacing the fluid is your only recourse, since you've loaded the system with bubbles. Otherwise, they'll boil each time they get hot .... and it will get worse.

-There is no "shelf life" for brake fluid exposed to air, especially in a Bleeder with a large air-gap volume. Brake fluid is "hydrophilic" and will draw water molecules out of the atmosphere .... even in Phoenix ....... and the more water molecules you have in the fluid, the sooner "boiling" will happen. Best thing to do is put around 4-ounces of Super Blue or other brake fluid in the bleeder system at a time. If you go through more than 4-ounces, it doesn't take long to add more and re-pressurize the bleeder system.

Always store brake fluid in the original can/bottle, and keep in in a constant-temperature environment; preferably in the house at 65 to 70 degrees; to avoid "sweat" build-up inside the can. ("Sweating" occurs in sealed containers in the air-space between fluid and top of container. When the temp drops, the moisture in the trapped air inside the container will be released as condensate on the walls of the container. This can drip into the fluid. Not good. A constant-temp can/container will not be as prone to "sweating.")

I do a quick bleed with my Power-bleeder each time I take my tires/wheels off. It will add about 12 to 15 minutes total time to changing your wheels/tires. Time well spent.

If you have the room, bring your pressure-bleeder and fluid ..... leaving the fluid in the original can ... with you to CA. Nothing more frustrating than needing a $15 can of brake fluid and $40.00 bleeder for a $2500.00 weekend of driving.

Good luck, and have fun!

Have fun!

[kurquhart]

Has brake bleeding been covered in a tech session recently? I would like to learn how to do it myself.

[Pete Millikin]

Has brake bleeding been covered in a tech session recently? I would like to learn how to do it myself.

Here is a start:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticle ... brakes.htm

[kurquhart]

Thanks, that helps. I would still lobby for a tech session where I can watch someone getting their hands dirty.

My owner's manual (90 C2) says to bleed the clutch slave cylinder whenever bleeding the brakes, as they share the same fluid supply. Is this true just for the periodic maintenance, or also the accelerated "race" driven bleeds?

[David Ray]

Thanks for all the info - I guess I need to go get a new can of fluid.

[Steve Grosekemper]

Thanks, that helps. I would still lobby for a tech session where I can watch someone getting their hands dirty.

My owner's manual (90 C2) says to bleed the clutch slave cylinder whenever bleeding the brakes, as they share the same fluid supply. Is this true just for the periodic maintenance, or also the accelerated "race" driven bleeds?

Do the clutch fluid once a year for competition cars and every 2 for street cars. If your clutch pedal doesn't return all the way to the top, the fluid needs to be changed.
Not a fun job; and most beginners end up pumping air into the system if the level is not carefully watched.

[TheStig]

Ive been lagging on changing my ATE blue, but I did it once a year. I know that's not a good thing especially since I had been tracking the car.