308 brake flush

does anyone know roughly what the volume of fluid is needed to completely flush the rear brake lines on my 81 308? thanks in advance, jon s.

 

Hi Jon,

The volume kind of depends on how contaminated/filthy/disgusting the old fluid is.

I would do front and back, untill you have clean fluid coming out, bubble free. This is very cheap insurance, as most of the brake system is iron and brake fluid is hydroscopic, (hygroscopic??), that is, loves and absorbes moisture, which as you know is not one of iron's favorite working fluids.

So, short answer is get 3-4 pints and do what you gotta do and return the rest if there is any left over, so you can get fresh stuff next time.

You can do the brake bleed with a buddy, or do it yourself with a pressure bleeder or Mighty Vac, (my preference).

hth,
chris

 

I did my whole 81 308 system recently..not too dirty. It took a quart. Use a mighty vac...very easy and you can see the fluid change over first hand without worries. I used ATE Super Blue...may be overkill but it's good stuff and you can see the change from old to new

 

There is a product that I have seen recommended here called Super Blue. It is a dot 3 brake fluid that comes in two colors (Blue and gold) gold being the normal color for dot 3 brake fluid. So you alternate colors each year and you can tell when you have a complete change. Comes in 1 liter can I think. One can is more than enough. I got mine at a racing supply store.

 

thanks guys. i've completely flushed the brakes once (probably the first time since the car was new) and now intend to do it every couple of years. the last time i knew i was done because the fluid coming through finally looked clear. i'll add a little dye to the new fluid this time and measure how much I need. there's no sense in running a quart through if a pint will do. regards, jon s.

 

If you are worried about making sure that the fluid is fully exchanged, consider the ATE Super Blue/Amber as suggested. These are not much more expensive than most DOT 3 or 4 fluids, but provide near race level wet and dry boiling points. I use them in all my cars, including my track car. By alternating between blue and amber at each fluid change, you always know that you've gotten new fluid all the way through. And wasting a little extra brake fluid is no big deal.

 

thanks. using the colored fluids makes good sense if they are as moisture resistant as the synthetics i've been using. i'll give it a try. regards, jon s.

 

Two 1-quart bottles of Castrol LMA will cover it...start at corner farthest from the master cylinder and work your way to the closest. There are other acceptable products out there, but the Castrol is DOT4 and is a foolproof way to go...IMHO of course. After 18 years with the same 308, I've never had a brake issue and have used the LMA exclusively.

 

I pull a full litre of Ate Super Blue through my brake system every spring. No need to change colors as if you've flushed that much through you're assured a complete fluid replacement. When I used to work for MB they specified running a full liter through and sure enough it was more than enough for a complete change.

Cheers;
Aaron
'82 GTSi

 

aaron: thnaks. that's exactly what i wanted to know. regards, jon s.

 

I use Castrol LMA in my Jaguar XKE and in the clutch on my Corvette. I just bought some recently, and I noticed they are saying it's a new formula. Still synthetic, but they say it's new. Seems to work well in the Vette, and the brakes on the Jag are just fine with it. But I still use ATE Super Blue in the brakes on the Vette, and in the 308. I'm sure for street use, autocrossing and even for the track, short of serious racing, the LMA will work just fine.

 

FourCam and all,

I thought the standard procedure was to start at the shortest hydraulic line and move on to the longest line last?

Am I'm just loosing it?

Bill

 

Bill,

I think those Lotus fumes have finally gotten to you...
You always start furthest from the master...

Regards,
David

 

+1 You always start furthest from the master...