Clutch and brake fluids

[cougar8000]

https://www.aa1car.com/library/bfluid.htm

 

[RadioHowie]

https://www.aa1car.com/library/bfluid.htm

There ya go....it's on the NeenerNet...must be true!

 

[cougar8000]

It must be

https://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/Vehicle%20S...s/TP-116-04.pdf

 

[FJRless]

It must be
https://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/Vehicle%20S...s/TP-116-04.pdf

Holy crap! I have read 58 pages of NUTSA to get your point?

 

[HotRodZilla]

Not sure about the Yamaha, but my Trophy's brake reservoir did have a very small groove in the lid across the seal, probably for air ingress to allow for pad wear requiring more fluid in the pistons.

I'm still not convinced. That's why the "seal" between the reservoir and the lid is a mini-bellows that can expand/contract with the reservoir level.

I just seems funny that I can leave a VERY hygroscopic compound sealed only in a paper bag on my kitchen shelf for five years and NO moisture gets absorbed (read: 5lb bag of sugar), yet the mineral oil in a sealed system sucks humidity right out of the air through rubber hoses and aluminum fittings.

Jeebus...Howie finally makes sense and I was around to see it.

However, I will still change the fluid in my bike every now and then just to avoid whatever it is that causes **** to **** up. Whether water, air, decomposure, heat, cold, or just for the Hell of it, brake systems seem to like good fluid.

 

[RadioHowie]

Okay, here's a brake & clutch question that probably belongs in NEPRT....

Is bleeding an ABS-equipped FJR any harder to accomplish than a non-ABS?

Wait, that's not really what I mean.

Lessee...how to put it...is it possible to bleed an ABS FJR the "old fashioned way", i.e., bleed hose on the bleed nipple, the other end in the bottom of a glass jar, and pump-pump-pump-fill-pump-pump-pump-fill, etc., or is it worth the money spent on a hand pump like a MityVac to just suck the crap out of the system.

Both my brake systems and the clutch need servicing and I've been putting it off as a nasty, tiresome job, but I need to get that chocolate-colored crap outta my reservoirs.

Pump & fill? Or vac it out?

Oh 'zilla? :****:

:blum:

 

[wfooshee]

Not having ABS I may be less-than-qualified to respond, but I don't see anything special in my '06 manual regarding ABS bleeding. Squish, unscrew, screw, release. Repeat [/i]ad nauseum[/i]. I imagine it would take longer than a non-ABS just because of the extra plumbing, and you certainly don't want to let your reservoir level drop and have to push that air bubble through 4 miles of hose.

If you're asking if there's a special process to accomodate the ABS, then no. If you're asking if you'd wish you'd gotten the vacuum system when you're 30 minutes in, probably yes.

 

[Bustanut joker]

Those two klowns that posted above Walt should just suck eggs (or maybe fur bearing mammals) just because they added **** that was kinda unrelated...

Hygroscopic? ****! I hope you dinks get Hydrophobia.. :****:

Damn Klowns.

:jester:

 

[RadioHowie]

If you're asking if there's a special process to accomodate the ABS, then no. If you're asking if you'd wish you'd gotten the vacuum system when you're 30 minutes in, probably yes.

Kinda sorta was asking both questions...to which you answered admirably. MityVac (or reasonable facsimile) is the way to go.

 

[gainsi]

I'm in the same boat as Howie (!) needing to do both brakes & clutch in the near future. I priced up a vacuum system at the local auto spares shop - $84 for a Chinese Mityvac copy !! No freakin' way, so I have the real McCoy UPSing it's way from the good ol' USA.

I love e-bay !! :yahoo:

 

[bbdig]

Recommendation for a supplier for "mityvac" . Model # ?

 

[BigOgre]

I think this is a decent price for this model. You can go down a notch in their line but I think the extras might be worth the extra $15 or so.

Clicky

For what it's worth, went looking for Actron's version and read too many complaints about the hoses and reservoir cap fighting the seal. Maybe others can speak from experience.

 

[cougar8000]

Bleeding ABS is no different. However, manual does not mention anything about front left bleeder. :dribble: and it should be bleed first. I just did mine the other day. I did not use mightyvac as I see it a waste of money. I did however installed speed bleeders that I sell. It is half the price and allows the job to be done on the side of the road in 5 min while holding a bottle. All procedure took less then an hour installing and bleeding, but next time I do it it will be a 5 min child play job. I will be installing them in another FJR next week and will try to document it.

 

[HaulinAshe]

I've bought more than my fair share of vacuum bleeding pumps in the past couple years. Gauge face fell off the Actron. Cup seals don't work on any of them, including the MityVac.

As much as I'd like bleeding brakes to be a clean job, it always gets messy. So I just slap some grease around the cup edge and start pumping. When finished, I toss the cheap pumps in the same Tupperware box as the high-dollar MityVac that never gets used anymore.

 

[cougar8000]

I've bought more than my fair share of vacuum bleeding pumps in the past couple years. Gauge face fell off the Actron. Cup seals don't work on any of them, including the MityVac.
As much as I'd like bleeding brakes to be a clean job, it always gets messy. So I just slap some grease around the cup edge and start pumping. When finished, I toss the cheap pumps in the same Tupperware box as the high-dollar MityVac that never gets used anymore.

You need to give a Speed bleeder a try. No more messy jobs. You will never get a drop from the bleeder that went else where but the hose.

 

[S76]

https://www.aa1car.com/library/bfluid.htm

That was an excellent link. I learned a lot reading it. (And that don't happen often.)

Thanks

 

[cougar8000]

I'm still not convinced. That's why the "seal" between the reservoir and the lid is a mini-bellows that can expand/contract with the reservoir level.

You should ask WheatonMark to post a pic of his clutch OEM bleeder that we pulled out last night. Because oil should not do what was done to it.

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

How do you know when to change the clutch and brake fluid?

It's mostly time dependent...not mile dependent.

It's also considerably 'locale' dependent. IOW, if your FJR spends its life (mostly) in the arid desert Southwest it's a lot less likely to have its, hydroscopic, hydraulic fluid contaminated by moisture than, say, a Midwest FJR (in a similar time period).

No offense, CMM, but this "climate/moisture" assertion has always bugged the hell outta me.

The system is closed. Sealed. Ninguna entrada, por favor. If it wasn't, then brake/clutch fluid would be leaking all over the damn place.

So how in hell is moisture gonna get in there, unless someone's constantly taking the reservoir cover off for no good reason?

Both my brake systems and the clutch need servicing and I've been putting it off as a nasty, tiresome job, but I need to get that chocolate-colored crap outta my reservoirs.

How dat get dat way...?

Almost all things oxidize -- there are very few inert things...

Nature abhors a vacuum.

Good luck with your hydraulic system cleaning, flushing, and re-filling (and bleeding).

BTW, you already have a pump available -- the master cylinder (no vacuum pump needed...).

 

[RadioHowie]

Good luck with your hydraulic system cleaning, flushing, and re-filling (and bleeding).BTW, you already have a pump available -- the master cylinder (no vacuum pump needed...).

Yeah, I'm a cheap bastiche....no $50 expenditure for something I'll use once every 2 years. That's just silly.

 

[BwanaDik]

https://www.aa1car.com/library/bfluid.htm

That was an excellent link. I learned a lot reading it. (And that don't happen often.)

Thanks

I'm a little skeptical about all the info here. 75,000 brake actions in 15,000 miles? Do you apply your brakes every .2 miles???

Also, I don't bellieve bleeding the brakes in a "conventional" manner on an ABS bike will also bleed the oil from the ABS system as well, you'll miss the oil in the ABS piping. That's the way it was on my old RT, without looking at the POS FSM I'd say the same is true for the FJR.