I want to see someone drive a heavily loaded truck down a big hill with 24 year old brake fluid. That hill on the I-17 north of Phoenix would do or that one on I-77 between 81 and 40. I will sell tickets for other spectators to watch and I want a life insurance policy on the driver and all film rights. Down shifting is not allowed and you don't get to wear your seatbelt or use the runaway truck ramps. Any takers?

If you change your brake fluid by the book you replace the bleeders before they start looking bad. Bleeders are cheap. They are never a problem if you maintain them. Some people have said to cover them with tubing and grease to help preserve them.

There are techniques to bleed ABS brakes without the scan tool. I have posted on this before. I remember ABS has been on production cars since the early '70s Lincolns. They aren't that special.

my bleeders are fine becasue my calipers are new... I understand now
why you guys have to open your system... you are opening your brake system when you do your brakes and so you are bleeding and changing fluid.

I can see it now... I remember back 20 years ago... having the wife in the car.. (push the brake pedal honey) (Hold the pedal down) (let up) I remember those days...

but I finally learned how to use a C clamp and now my system is sealed... I only open it when I change a caliper or a master cylinder... then I use a mighty vac.....

Your system is not sealed, it is vented, they all are. Moisture gets in, you can't stop it. By your posts it sounds like you change your fluid when something breaks and you have to replace parts.

edit...Deleted time dependent message...

What is the system sealed by? I don't see. Duct Tape, perhaps? Also, if it is so sealed as he says, how do you explain the black crud the fluid becomes. Assuming it is sealed, where did the crud come from and how good is it for the brake system?

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Mr.Online,
The statement you refer to "But it also says i should change AC fluid every 4th year..." may sound crazy on the surface.... but depending on the type of compressor you have this is not out of line... they may only be referring to the special cold flowing oil INSIDE your compressor sump... it does get some contamination over time and should be changed... same principle as changing the oil inside the vacuum pump which is used to evacuate your system.
I suspect you do NOT have the Delco compressor most of us have.. but either the York or a Nippon , or GM .... those have sumps which contain oil..

I just got my '69 220d back on the road after being stored in a garage since 1988. I didn't want to drop too much $$ into the car before being sure that it was a good candidate for restoration.

Anyway, I neglected to change out the brake fluid and sure enough, brake fade in heavy stop/go traffic. I was surprised it occured so easily (there must have been a lot of H2O in the fluid).

I drained and replaced the brake fluid and replaced a cracked cap on the fluid resevoir. The issue seems to have disappeared but I'm still driving very cautiously...

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1985 MBZ 300DT
1969 MBZ 220d
1984 MBZ 300TDT
1981 VW Vanagon

seeing as trucks that I drive run on air, I accept. You paying for the policy or the rest of my life?? Film rights will be shared after the fact.

__________________
All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to stand by and do nothing.

Too many people tip toe through life, never attempting or doing anything great, hoping to make it safely to death... Bob Proctor

'95 S320 LWB
'87 300SDL
'04 E500 wagon 4matic

Sorry, no waterlogged brake fluid, no deal.

Never understood why changing brake fluid was considered such a big issue. Every time I change the pads, I change the fluid, and at the rate I run the cars, that works out to be two to three years, sometimes more often. It is an extra couple of bucks - I use Castrol GTX, a DOT4 product available at most auto stores. I posted a brake pad replacement procedure for W123's a long time ago, and noted the color of the fluid is nasty when it comes out. I never push the old stuff back into the system, I always open the bleed screw and fit a hose over the end, and collect the old stuff in a glass jar I can see the old stuff as is drains. This also makes forcing the pistons back into the calipers easier. For the price of the brake fluid it is crazy not to flush the lines. Jim

__________________
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)

It really is a piece of cake with the pressure bleeder

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1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"

I thought you were only after air in the breaklines. BTW, I have thought about converting my car to have an airbrake system. I do have the air ticket. Add an engine break, and a straitpipe....

I love the smell of diesel in the morning, it smells like.... oh forget it, I'm going outside for another whiff!!!!!

__________________
All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to stand by and do nothing.

Too many people tip toe through life, never attempting or doing anything great, hoping to make it safely to death... Bob Proctor

'95 S320 LWB
'87 300SDL
'04 E500 wagon 4matic

I always thought I would eventually get the certification to work on air brakes but it hasn't happened yet. There is a short course offered here at the community college, may happen yet.

It is the boiling water in the brake lines that kills. You know about the air when you start out. The boiling water surprises you at the worst possible time.

Ohhh, I get it now. You wanted water in the lines, and a 15,000 lb load, not air in the lines and an 80,000 lb load. I was eager to oblige on the second one.

If we put airbrakes on our cars, can you imagind the posts 2 years from now...
Why should you change the air in your brakes... LOL

__________________
All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to stand by and do nothing.

Too many people tip toe through life, never attempting or doing anything great, hoping to make it safely to death... Bob Proctor

'95 S320 LWB
'87 300SDL
'04 E500 wagon 4matic