I bought some ATE super gold brake fluid and have a question about completely removing the OEM brake fluid prior to using this ATE fluid: do I completely bleed the OEM fluid and then fill the master cylinder with the ATE fluid and bleed each caliper?

 

If you think about it, your method described above will introduce more air into the lines than if you just simply fill the master cylinder with new fluid, then bleed the lines until the new, clear fluid comes out. Make sense?

 

Right, I thought about that but how do I ensure that all of the OEM fluid has been completely removed?

 

What many people do, is use a turkey baster to empty out the master cylinder then fill with the new fluid and bleed out the lines. You'll never get 100% of the old fluid out.

If you completely empty the lines and then start with an empty system. It takes several attempts to get a good bleed.

 

Generally, you'll be able to see this when bleeding the lines. The old fluid is perceptibly darker than the new fluid being filled into the brake master cylinder. The new fluid is essentially "on top of" the old, dark fluid and the new fluid will push most of the old stuff out as the bleed process continues on the car.

Most people hook up a clear bit of hose to the bleed nipple on each caliper and watch the fluid coming out. This serves two purposes, it lets you visibly confirm that the old fluid has stopped coming out when start to see clear fluid coming through the hose. It also lets you see any air bubbles coming out with the fluid. You can stop the bleed process and move on to the next caliper when the fluid is clear and no air bubbles are present.

In your case on an MY06, I can't imagine the brake fluid is even that dirty yet. So it might be just as clear as the ATE gold fluid that you're installing. Why are you flushing your brake system anyways? Did you manage to boil the OEM fluid?

 

Alrighty.

 

I am participating in a track day event in January. In preparation for that event I bought some Carbotech race pads and some ATE brake fluid. I am going to do the break-in process on those race pads prior to the event, throw the OEM pads back on and then reinstall the race pads at the event.

 

Brake fluid should be completely flushed out at least every 2 years. Same for the clutch. Brake fluid absorbs water. The more it absorbs, the worse it's boiling point. It also promotes corrosion. I flush mine fairly often but, I do track the car.

 

If you use ATE SuperBlue it comes in two colors, blue and red. Just like Honda coolant, you can alternate the colors every year so when you're squeezing out the old fluid, you can definitely see when the new color comes and the old color is gone. Very easy.

For the first flush, your stock fluid will be goldish, dark brown so the clear blue will come through like a potion from a video game Just make sure to top off after every wheel.

Something else I'm used to doing on cars with ABS is flushing with the engine on. That makes sure the ABS system will be operational as fluid goes through it as well. This is not said in the guides for our cars (not sure why) but I still run the engine when doing it to stay within normal operating conditions of the brake system.

 

You know the S2K ABS doesn't have a tank of fluid right? The ABS system isn't really operational until you engage it and the ABS pump kicks in. I like your idea but, to actually make it happen you probably want to bleed, go out and engage the ABS a couple times to circulate any trapped fluid, then bleed again.