vacuum pump for brake fluid change
 

Hi. I have a brake fluid reservoir that has brake fluid in it that is brown. How can I change this? Are there vacuum pumps that take the brake fluid out of the reservoir and brake/clutch lines? Or do I have to bleed them?

Thanks.

Chad

Yes there are, but you don't want to just change the fluid in the master.
Changing your brake fluid is a maintenance issue like changing your oil, just not so frequent.

I got mine from Amazon.
There are little manual MityVacs for around $20 - $30 and bigger ones for around $80 and up which are easier to use if you have an air compressor.
There are also speed bleeders if you don't mind cleaning up a mess.

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There are several threads on flushing/bleeding.

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tec...id-swap-85228/

Thanks. Do I have to bleed each brake? Or can I just vacuum pump all the fluid through the brake reservoir? I don't know how to bleed brakes, so I may just go to some place to get it done, even though I changed 4 pads and 4 rotors myself. I was hoping I could vacuum all the brake fluid through the brake reservoir. It looks brown so I think it needs to be changed.

Thanks,

Chad

No, you need to do it through the fittings behind the wheels.
If you don't know the last time it was done it probably needs it.

If you're competent enough to change the pads you should be able to handle it.
Just Google search some threads and YouTubes and be confident about it before you attempt it.
A brake system on an 8 is like any other.

Your best bet if you want to DYI may be to gravity bleed it.
You find some tubing to fit the bleeder screws, a container to drain it into and let each wheel drain until you see fresh fluid while ensuring you keep the master filled.

If you depressed the calipers without opening the bleeder screws to install the pads, you forced dirty fluid back into the ABS valve and master cylinder, not a good idea.
In the future be sure to crack open the bleeder screws to let the fluid out.
As long as you let it drain a bit and don't suck air into the system you'll be OK.

Thanks

The only question that I think hasn't been answered here is if I can use a pump in the brake reservoir to pump all the fluid out of the system. I have a pump I can use. So, pump all the brake fluid in the system out of the brake fluid reservoir. It's all connected so I think it will work.

I would appreciate your kind feedback.

Thanks,

Chad

Noooooo you never want to empty the system, or go below the Min line on the reservoir. If you do that, you risk adding more air than you're bleeding out, getting it into the ABS system, etc. You drain old fluid through the brake caliper bleeder screws while adding fresh fluid through the reservoir.

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Ok. Thank you. I appreciate the help

Perhaps just watch a Chris Fix video to understand brake bleeding basics. Our cars are pretty straight forward.