bluedub1

iTrader: (1)

If my car does not see any track time, how often should the brake system be completely flushed?

A local Evo tuner/shop said a brake flush wasn't necessary unless I was going to see track time.

I keep reading about corrosion entering the system, but isn't brake fluid itself highly corrosive? In which case the system should not have any components that are susceptible to corrosion, regardless of how much water has been absorbed into the fluid.

Also, is it possible to glaze a brake pad all the way through?

dek0026

Check your owners' manual for the interval. Some people never ever touch their brake fluid on their daily driven cars unless there is a problem. For track use, it's important since brake fluid at attracts moisture/water which lowers boiling points and affects braking performance when components get very hot. It's very rare, you'll get your fluid that hot driving on the street.

So check the owner's manual for interval.

And not sure what you mean about glazing a pad all the way through. That's not really consistent with the definition of "glaze."

dek0026

Check your owners' manual for the interval. Some people never ever touch their brake fluid on their daily driven cars unless there is a problem. For track use, it's important since brake fluid at attracts moisture/water which lowers boiling points and affects braking performance when components get very hot. It's very rare, you'll get your fluid that hot driving on the street.

So check the owner's manual for interval.

And not sure what you mean about glazing a pad all the way through. That's not really consistent with the definition of "glaze."

Kracka

iTrader: (49)

1-3 years depending on fluid. 2 years is a safe interval for "normal" or standard brake fluids.

dek0026

^ are you kidding? That's absurd advice.

There is no mention of changing brake fluid in maintanence schedule by the way. 2-3 years for a street driven car is just a waste of fluid.

bluedub1

iTrader: (1)

That question is actually for a friend of mine. A tech at Just Brakes said the brake pads had been basically glazed all the way through? The pads had ton of life left (looking at the wear indicator), but they justified replacing them with brand new pads because the old ones were trashed. Something about the resin in the entire pad being cooked? Thought the tech was trying to take advantage of the friend, but wanted to make sure. I've never seen/heard of anything like that.

bluedub1

iTrader: (1)

Appreciate you looking in the owners manual.

I'm coming up on year 3 of ownership. The brake system has experienced boiling brake fluid (wow, pretty much sh*t my pants that moment), but I don't plan on tracking my car for a while. I guess it's safe to assume there is no point in flushing the fluid if the car doesn't see track time.

dek0026

I don't have any insight on the brake pad. That's the first I heard of that.

You boiled fluid on the street? Were you driving hard or have a locked up caliper or calipers?

bluedub1

iTrader: (1)

It happened on the track.

dek0026

I must be having a hard time understanding your previous posts then since I thought you said you don't have plans to do track days or something along those lines.

Flushing fluid and adjusting your driving would solve boiling the fluid issues.

Kracka

iTrader: (49)

Suit yourself, but I prefer to take a preventative maintenance approach to safety items. I'd rather *know* my fluid is in good condition and able to take a fast/hard stop for high speeds rather than find out the hard way it's not and end up in someones trunk. I've had a brake failure at 80mph on a highway before and it was scary as hell not having my brakes available when I expected them to be there. Brake fluid is very hygroscopic; as it ages it absorbs more and more moisture lowering it's boiling point and increasing is corrosiveness to the brake system internals. Brake fluid maintenance is much less important for things that see far less heat such as the clutch hydraulic system; since the Evo's clutch and brakes share a reservoir though it's wise to do both at the same time.

bluedub1

iTrader: (1)

I have tracked my car before, but I don't have plans to track it again for a while. I'll definitely do a full flush before I ever head out to a track.

The fluid in my car is pretty old now, and has been heated to boiling point. I've heard you should flush the system every 2-3 years before, but was advised by my local Evo shop that it wasn't necessary. I just wanted to see what experiences the forum had.

The major concern that I'm seeing on the interwebs (for daily driving) is corrosion. However, brake fluid is inherently corrosive, so I was confused as to whether corrosion is even an issue or not.

bluedub1

iTrader: (1)

I'm having a hard time understanding this.. Isn't brake fluid (new) corrosive? In which case, all the components exposed to the fluid would be anti-corrosive.

Iowa999

iTrader: (1)

Technically, with regard to corrosion, what you need to pay attention to is the amount of copper in the fluid, not the amount of water. But I actually believe that this thread is way into the weeds already, no pun intended. If the thread-starter boiled his or her fluid, it should have been changed a while ago. As to extreme heat cooking all the "juice" from pads, that definitely happens and, so, they should be replaced, too. Then, if the car is just being daily driven, forget about the whole thing for at least 2 years.

dek0026

...