Civicnoobie

Hi,

Im going to be replacing my front pads before winter, in the next month or so. They have lasted me almost 4 years! Amazing. Gentle braking, and mostly highway driven (which i never really have to brake on) allowed me to get 4 years out of my pads. I still have about 40% left on them but i want to get them done before winter.

Anywyas, what i want to know is, should i get my brake fluid flushed when i do the pads? Its been exactly 2 years from today when i got my last brake flush done. I had all the fluid sucked out from the lines and all 4 brakes rebled. At the time, mech said my brake lines barely had any air in them and the fluid wasnt that dirty. He said i could have easily gone another year.

But when i go to mechs in shops they all say "every year" to get it flushed.

WHich is it? 1, 2 or 3 years?

Also, i had a coolant flush at the same time. Had all the old stuff out and new honda stuff in. Since then ive put on 31K Km on it. I dont plan on ever getting a flush done as ill be doing drain and fills. Should i do a drain and fill now or wait a year? Im hoping i can do this myself but im a bit nervous about it cause ive never done it.

thanks

ezone

The owners manuals all say 3 years for brake fluid AFAIK. So I'd say 3 years.


Coolant.....You got Hondas Type 2 in it now, right? The "Type 2" bottle says 5 years/60,000 miles on it.
This pic should be big enough to read the label:






If you DIY your coolant.....Does it get lower than -34*F up there? You may need the Extreme Cold Weather Antifreeze/Coolant Type 2 additive for better protection whenever you decide to replace yours.

mikey1

coolant should be fine, i didn't change my original coolant for 7 years, it still looked new when i drained it....brake fluid up to you

Civicnoobie

7 years? Wow.

The only reason i thought of doing the a drain and fill only after 2 years is because it only gets about half of it out.

I could wait until next year to do it though hey?

Can i just look at the color and tell how healthy it is?

Civicnoobie

Yes type 2, has -36freezing point.

It gets as low as -35 to -38 here in winters. Thats WITH whindchill. Last year we had a few days -40.

If coolant hits the freezing pointe, does it loose its properties? Or does it just freeze?

mikey1

well when i changed mine after 7 years i was doing my water pump and everything, so i got pretty much every drop out,

but after 2 years with a drain and fill i still wouldnt worry about it, but hey its your money and your car,

it gets down to -30c or lower sometimes here in winter and no problems with the standard honda coolant (no additives)

Civicnoobie

Ok cool. I wont bother with the coolant then. Next year ill do a drain and fill.

I dont want to waste money and good fluid. Cause the coolant is expensive as hell from the dealer. Almost $30!

I might do the brake flush after the new pads are on. Ill see. My brake pedal now doesnt feel spongey at all. Theres more travel distance than before, but thats cause my pads are at 40%.

I should probably see how it feels after with the new pads. I do like my brake pedal really tight with minimal travel. Just my preference.

ezone

Wind chill is not a valid concern.... Wind chill can never affect inanimate objects.

What do you think????

If I lived up there, I would add some of that extreme additive to lower the freeze point a bit below the expected lowest temperatures, just to be safe.