Brake Fluid

George- If you go to ferraridatabase.com, you can download an F355 owners manual for your hard drive or smart phone. Workshop manuals, too.

 

That is what I used.

 

Same here.

 

If you want the blue stuff, you'd better hurry. The Feds finally noticed that the super-blue brake fluid, is in-fact: blue. This is apparently not ok with our funny rules here. Stupid rules.

Some Blue Brake Fluid Recalled Due to Wrong Color - ABC News

 

My 1 cent worth: 1) DON'T use DOT 5 brake fluid...or DOT 3 for that matter....should be DOT 4!
2) Don't sit around pumping the pedal with the key off. If the brake pressure pump can't run, and your reservoir is topped up, if you press the pedal a few times it will actually push the fluid out the top of the reservoir.
3) Everybody knows this, but just a reminder: brake fluid is an excellent paint stripper, so be VERY careful with it and your grimy hands.

 

Good find! So much for that trick.

 

order 5L today.. will see if it actually shows up.

 

5L of smurf blue liquid showed up on my doorstep today!

Mobilized reply by David

 

Nice!

 

Back to the original question, I use two-year intervals on all my cars including the F. For nearly all the cars I own it is recommended to do this every 24 months, I would only do it more if I was to expect heavy use. I do not understand why one manufacturer would say 1 year and the other 2 years, for the same fluid type?
Fluid coming out is always clean, and I cannot escape the feeling I am doing this way more often than the average garage for bread-and-butter cars ever would. Same interval and feeling for coolant and (on some of my cars) the oil. I basically never change diff or trans fluid, by the way. I do it once in the life of the car (when it is with me), and I believe that's fine (most manufacturers say it isn't even needed).

 

Our government at work to make us safe from blue colored brake fluid. I can sleep better already. I just wish they figured out that starting wars in far off countries is also unsafe for our health...

 

I just did my DD at 84k miles. It was dark ... my guess is it breaks down the rubber lines?

Not sure the Ferrari has been done recently so she'll get it this winter and maybe speed bleeders.

Mobilized reply by David

 

Dark fluid is indeed mostly a sign of deteriorating rubber lines or seals, and definitely a sign it was due. 84k, was that the first flush, and after how many years was this?

Speaking of seals, I am picky about master cylinders. I once had a total brake failure without any warning, on a dual system car, which was due to an ageing master cylinder.
Since then, I do not take chances and find reasons to overhaul or replace them for good measure - such as when the car hits 15 years (give or take a year), or a certain mileage.

 

somebody have a link to bleeding the 355 clutch too?

 

I did mine when I installed my calipers and brake lines.

Take a ride down Clyde and well do it together. ��

 

The clutch is really easy, especially if you have a power bleeder (one of those pressurized things). The clutch uses the same reservoir, so just pressurize it with the power bleeder and then put a hose on the bleed nipple on the left side of the pumpkin. I don't think you need to even jack the car up for this one, but just look under your rear bumper on the left side of the clutch and it should be right there, if I remember correctly.

 

At least 50 I bought it at 30.

Mobilized reply by David