Another danger from water in your brake fluid - in freezing conditions the
water (which
will accumulate at a low point in the system) will freeze, making a nice little
chunk of
ice that will wipe out a seal the first time that the brakes are applied, et
voilá - no
brakes! It happened to me in my old BMW, only it was the clutch that went out.
The clutch
and brakes shared the same reservoir of fluid (luckily) and the clutch slave
cylinder was
the lowest point in the system. Parked outside in 18 deg F on a ski trip,
pushed in the
clutch first thing in the morning and the pedal stayed down... Cheery drive
home from
Pollock Pines to Saratoga shifting clutchless!
Gary McCormick
San José, CA
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BERKEN@aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 04/27/2000 10:25:16 PM Mountain Daylight Time,
> ikes@postalzone.com writes:
>
> << Hello fellow roadster owners, I have a '67 1600 but haven't changed
> brake fluids since new brakes were installed 4 years ago. Barely drive
> the car 500 miles a year. How often should the brakes be bled and fluid
> replaced? Thanks, Steve
>
> >>
> Steve,
>
> Ideally, every year. I don't know if anyone does it that often or not, but
> the reason you do it isn't because it wears out, but that it absorbs water
> and since water boils at a MUCH lower temp than brake fluid you could have a
> sudden loss of brakes once the brakes are hot, say coming down a long hill.
> I have heard of two people being killed from that cause. You might also
> notice the fluid being black. If so, that is from the rubber in the hoses
> deteriorating. If you haven't replaced those, it will make a big difference
> in pedal feel. There are three; one at each front wheel and one from the
> frame to the rear axle.
> I use Castrol GT/LMA (DOT4) fluid, and it seems to be one of the more popular
> choices in the roadster group.
> Joseph Berkenbile
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