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#1
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Brake fluid color change
I changed the brake fluid in my '87 300D Turbo (W124, OM603) today and thought that the unexpected golden color of the newly-installed fluid was worth sharing.
The new fluid (Castrol synthetic DOT3/4) has almost no color as it comes out of the bottle but in the reservoir it looks rather yellow. This turns out to be the "fault" of the reservoir, which is 23 years old and has yellowed over the years. There may also be a little emphasis towards the red end of the color spectrum due to the flashlight I used to illuminate the fluid. The old fluid (non-synthetic DOT3) had also yellowed since it was installed in 2007; the combination of the old fluid in the old reservoir looked really bad (should have photographed the old fluid also). The photo gives me something to compare to in a couple of years. In the future I'll pull a sample with an eyedropper rather than relying on the apparent color in the reservoir. Jeremy
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"Buster" in the '95 Our all-Diesel family 1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car 2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022) Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762 "Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz." -- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970 |
#2
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Looks nice... Mine's dark brown.
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[/SIGPIC]~cirrusman 1983 Mercedes Benz 300SD - Wife calls him "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" [SIGPIC] 1983 Toyota Tercel (Tommy, The little Toyota that could) 1965 Ford F100 (Grandma Ford) 2005 Toyota Sienna (Elsa, Wife's ride) Gone: 1988 Toyota Pickup 2004 Subaru Outback 1987 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham 1986 Volvo 740 GL Station Wagon - Piece of junk. 1981 Volvo 242 DL 2 Door - Hated to see it go. R.I.P. 1987 Pontiac Fiero GT |
#3
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Mine was near black when I first got my car.
I would venture a guess and say that "near clear" fluid you got is taking some of the yellowish stuff off of the inside of the reservoir.
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1982 240D 4spd, 327,000mi |
#4
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I have never had the fluid in the reservoir turn any color over time - it typically takes on the color of the tank, as noted, but if you look into the fill opening (take the screen out) the stuff is actually clear, years later. Now, the stuff that comes out of the calipers when you flush (which I do when I change pads) is some nasty stuff, usually ranging from black in cars where the stuff has been in there more than a couple of years to a light brownish color, depending on health of hoses, seals and the like.
Good luck, Jim
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Own: 1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles), 1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000, 1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles, 1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles. 2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles Owned: 1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law), 1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot), 1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned), 1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles), 1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep) |
#5
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X2 with Jim on fluid change.
If you replace pads, its time to replace the fluid. Otherwise it will be calipers & master that will need replacing next time. Most service schedules require regular brake fluid changes.
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Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort.... 1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket. 1980 300D now parts car 800k miles 1984 300D 500k miles 1987 250td 160k miles English import 2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles 1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo. 1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion. Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving |
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