Brake fluid reservoir query

[NickB]

I've been poking around under the bonnet for a few days now and thought I would take a look at the brake fluid reservoir.
Can this be right?:
the front bowl was full of fluid but the bowl nearest the firewall was almost empty and the black rubber 'thingy' in the lid was hanging right down.
Is this normal or have I got a leak., brakes all feel fine and no visible signs of any leaks.
Thanks for any info
Nick

[Steve]

Hi Nick. You have a dual circuit system, ie the front brakes are on a separate circuit from the rear brakes (safer)

The rear res normally services the front brakes.

Check your bleed nipples are tight and your lines dont have any leaks (puddles under car) then top up and monitor over next few days. Lots of pressure in the system so you will soon know if you have a leak!

Worn shoes/ pads can make the level low as well.

Worth bleeding the lines through every couple of years or so just to get fresh fluid in the system and check your front and rear flexihoses for splits/ leaks. If they havent been changed for a while, its worth doing. Very simple job

cheers Steve

[NickB]

Steve
Thanks mate, will top up the reservoir and see what happens. The fluid does look very murky so definitely time to change it. More days/nights in the garage....
Thanks again
Nick

[Steve]

dead easy if you havent done it before mate...just loosen the bleed nipple a turn with a ring spanner, stick a clear tube over the nipple then put the other end in a glass jar with a couple of inches of brake fluid in the bottom. Submerge the end of the pipe in the fluid. Take the top off the reservoir, (put some rags around it to stop any damage to paint etc) then top up the reservoirs to about 1/2" below edge. I just leave the ring spanner on the nipple while I do this.

Get a helper to sit in the car while you are at the wheels (start with the wheel furthest away from the master cyl and work in to the closest). Get your helper to SLOWLY press the brake pedal down and hold it just off the floor. You should see your dirty fluid coming down the tube and probably a few bubbles. Now tighten the nipple up till it just bites. Get your helper to slowly release the pedal. When its back up, open the nipple again and repeat until the new fluid is coming through into the jar and there are no air bubbles in the pipe. Make sure the reservoir stays topped up as well. If it runs dry during bleeding, you will introduce air into the lines when you top it up and will have to do it again.

Dead easy matey and sorry if Im teaching granny to suck eggs. My dad showed me this when I was a kid and I loved pumping the pedal as I thought I was driving!!

I keep meaning to invest in one of those automatic bleed thingys that fits on a compressor but I wouldntt use it enough to justify it.

Enjoy these little jobs though matey, you will get to know the car quickly and have a sense of achievement when its all done.

Hope this helps Nick,

Cheers Steve

[Steve]

dead easy if you havent done it before mate...just loosen the bleed nipple a turn with a ring spanner, stick a clear tube over the nipple then put the other end in a glass jar with a couple of inches of brake fluid in the bottom. Submerge the end of the pipe in the fluid. Take the top off the reservoir, (put some rags around it to stop any damage to paint etc) then top up the reservoirs to about 1/2" below edge. I just leave the ring spanner on the nipple while I do this.

Get a helper to sit in the car while you are at the wheels (start with the wheel furthest away from the master cyl and work in to the closest). Get your helper to SLOWLY press the brake pedal down and hold it just off the floor. You should see your dirty fluid coming down the tube and probably a few bubbles. Now tighten the nipple up till it just bites. Get your helper to slowly release the pedal. When its back up, open the nipple again and repeat until the new fluid is coming through into the jar and there are no air bubbles in the pipe. Make sure the reservoir stays topped up as well. If it runs dry during bleeding, you will introduce air into the lines when you top it up and will have to do it again.

Dead easy matey and sorry if Im teaching granny to suck eggs. My dad showed me this when I was a kid and I loved pumping the pedal as I thought I was driving!!

I keep meaning to invest in one of those automatic bleed thingys that fits on a compressor but I wouldntt use it enough to justify it.

Enjoy these little jobs though matey, you will get to know the car quickly and have a sense of achievement when its all done.

Hope this helps Nick,

Cheers Steve

[Steve]

Sorry....double post

Just for your info Nick, I recently changed my old single circuit braking system (all four brake lines are fed from a single reservoir) on my Fury, to a more modern (and mandatory from about 67 onwards in the US) dual circuit system. The rear reservoir feeds the front brakes and the front reservoir feeds the rer lines. If you have a failure in a pipe at the rear, the fronts will still work as its an independent 'circuit'.

Here s a couple of pics so you can tell the difference if you look at someone elses car....

Cheers Steve

[Dave-R]

It the fluid has not been changed in donkeys years then it has probably absorbed a lot of water from the air. When that happens it tends to rust the wheel slave cylinders on drum brakes and they leak inside the drums making it hard to spot until you notice the fluid has gone down like that. Not a major or expensive job to change them if needed.

[NickB]

Thanks for all the tips guys. Not at all offended about the advice Steve on bleeding the brakes, I have done it before but many moons ago on my mates mini, so the update is really helpful. I'm sure I'm not the only one on here who has very basic mechanic skills but as you say it 'connects' you to the car once you have had a go. Thanks for the photos as well.
I will always use the professionals (Anton {got the car mot'd & re-commissioned it after several years in storage}, Duncan Watts {re-built my trans} and Dave Billadeau {re-built the engine} without hesitation when it comes to MOT's & major engine work. Since getting the Charger back on the road this year (thanks again Anton..) I would like to carry out the routine stuff myself so be prepared for lots of daft questions
Thanks Dave for the tip on the brake fluid, it is an unhealthy shade of rust and looks quite watery so time to get shot of it!
BTW I met you at the Santa Pod track at this years NATS, I was the nervous bloke having my first ever attempt at running the quarter mile (matt grey 68 Charger). I didn't get a chance to say thanks for all the advise on the day. Bloody sh** meself the first time out but couldn't keep me off the strip after that. Next year I'll try a run without all my camping gear and the Calor gas bottle in the trunk, you never know it might just shave a few tenths off.... (Just to let you know my last & fastest pass was 14.69 secs @ 95.46mph, which I think is acceptable for a road car with a slightly warmed up 440... ??)
Anyway many thanks again

[Dave-R]

Ah that was you!

Glad you understood enough of my English to enjoy your day.

That is not a bad time actually. My old 440 Challenger only ran 14.8 @ 93 first time out with 284 duration MP cam and 2800 stall converter.

Mind you I was burning a fair bit of oil too as I had been ripped off on the old "rebuilt engine" story.