Hey everyone,

Can someone tell me 2 things:

1. Can I replace my brake fluid myself or does the dealer have to do it because of ABS braking system in our cars? I thought we could not drain all the brake fluid because it has to go back in under pressure?
2. If I can replace it myself, can someone explain how or link a thread with a writeup

Thanks,

Nick

 

Brake fluid is not hard to change at all. I cannot believe you haven’t found a link somewhere online to do this already, but anyway here is what I do.

There is some debate on this, but I believe that the two person method is best. Some others will say other wise.

First you will need it about 2 quarts of fresh brake fluid, jack stands, some small metric wrenches and a catch pan, and of course a friend to help.

Now, go to Wal-Mart and buy yourself a turkey baster and suck out all the old fluid from the master cylinder, after you do that refill it with the fresh fluid.

Always start at the tire that is the furthest from the master cylinder, which is usually the rear driver-side corner. You will want to make sure the car is on the most level area possible, garage floors usually are always level. Put the car up on all four jack stands level, put your friend in the driver’s seat and take off your first wheel. You will want to find the bleeder point and fit your wrench to it, I think it was like a 7mm IIRC, and put down your catch pan.

Have your friend pump up the brakes a few times then hold the brakes down to the floor. Once they are holding the brakes down crack open the bleeder and fluid will start to come out along with any air. While your friend is holding the brakes down the pedal will push further to the floor, do NOT allow them to press or take there foot off the brake pedal unless you say so. This will suck air into the system, which will take forever to get out. Close or tighten the bleeder before you allow your friend to take there foot off the pedal. Once closed have them pump the brakes up, hold there foot down, crack the bleeder open allow the air to come out along with the old fluid while holding the brake pedal to the floor, close or tighten the bleeder and release the pedal.

You’ll continue to do this, pump, crack, bleed, close and repeat until no more air is coming out and you’ll start to see a change in the color of the fluid. That is the fresh fluid coming through the system. Periodically check the master cylinder to make sure it is full of fluid, refill it when fluid is getting low.

Once the fluid is all the new fluid coming out, close it up and move onto the next wheel.

Do all four when you are down. Pump up the brakes once you top off the Master Cylinder when you are done before you pull the car out of the garage or move it.

Beware of your buddy honking the horn while you are working on the front brakes I get my brother with that every time I am in the drivers seat and he gets so pissed! It is an oldie trick but a goodie!

If anyone has any other tips or something I left out, please say so.

 

Be careful not to get brake fluid on the paint!

Here are some recent threads on the same subject and I believe one of them talks about the ABS issue.

https://mustangforums.com/forum/s197...-brakes-7.html

https://mustangforums.com/forum/s197...-capacity.html

 

I just finished replacing mine with a DOT 4 fluid. I tried the turkey baster. Because of a filtering grid just under the lid of the reservior cap (which I saw no way to remove - 07 GT) I was only able to such out about half. Then I got one of the vacuum units to draw the fluid down through a bleeder valves. That didn't work too well either because air leaked in around the bleeder valve threads and ruined the suction. So I did the "pump the brakes and bleed" thing with some help and watched the reservoir carefully, not to completely empty it. I then filled the reservior and continued the bleeding this way. I was not convinced we had completely drained all the lines so I purchased a pressure unit whereby you put the fluid in a pressure can, pump it up, and pressurize the reservior. Then by bleeding the brakes and using 3 pints of fluid, I was convinced it was replaced. The pressure unit worked really well and allowed me to do it by myself.