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Aug. 21, 2010 8:18 p.m. Streetwiseguy HalfDork

This is either a free idea for brake fluid manufacturers, or a request for info on who already makes it.

I was prepping my IT car for next weekend, and part of the deal was changing brake hoses and bleeding/changing brake fluid. With a normal old dd, the fluid you are bleeding out is years old, used and dark colored, and its easy to tell when you have the fresh fluid coming out. With a race car, its not so easy to know when you are done, and i"m cheap enough I don't like the idea of draining more $25/liter Dot4 650 degree fluid than I have to.

Here is the product- Dye for brake fluid- available in different colors so you can drain out blue and wait for pink. Better yet, make it temperature sensitive, so when it hits, say, 500 degrees it changes color. That way, you can bleed the fluid thats gotten hot and damaged at the calipers, but leave the fresher stuff thats in the master cylinder.

Any chemistry majors out there? Or does it already exist?
Aug. 21, 2010 8:37 p.m. porksboy Dork

Coloured fluids are already available. I belive ATE makes it. Put a different colour in the resivoir than previously and wait for the new colour.
Aug. 21, 2010 8:42 p.m. unevolved HalfDork

Yep, ATE Superblue. Aside from being awesomely blue, it's pretty good stuff. Just alternate between ATE and and another comparable normal-colored brand (Motul RBF660, etc).
Aug. 21, 2010 10:55 p.m. Keith SuperDork

ATE Super Blue is also available in non-blue with a less awesome name - ATE Boring Amber or something. But that's exactly why, so you know you have a full flush.

Interesting note - Super Blue is not street legal in Florida due to the color.
Aug. 21, 2010 10:58 p.m. irish44j HalfDork

ATE Super Blue

ATE Gold

specs are identical. 536* dry.
Aug. 22, 2010 11:37 a.m. Streetwiseguy HalfDork

I always have these good ideas that somebody already has done. That blue is what I want.
Aug. 22, 2010 12:01 p.m. iceracer Dork

Regular bleeding and adding of new fluid kind of negates the need.
Aug. 22, 2010 6:49 p.m. wbjones Dork

Keith wrote:

Interesting note - Super Blue is not street legal in Florida due to the color.

good thing they don't stop me and check my Integra when I'm there for the Rolex... I've been using Super Blue for several yrs...

one thing to think about before using Super Blue is that it'll stain your entire system.. making it harder to spot the change to Amber than it really should be.. the stain doesn't ever seem to go away
Aug. 31, 2010 12:28 p.m. jungle New Reader

only thing about this product is i don't like the squishy pedal feel I get.
Aug. 31, 2010 12:39 p.m. Nashco SuperDork

jungle wrote:

only thing about this product is i don't like the squishy pedal feel I get.

Are you talking about the brake fluid? If you think you have a squishy pedal because of Super Blue (compared to..???), you're doing it wrong.

Bryce
Aug. 31, 2010 12:51 p.m. Tom Heath Webmaster

Keith wrote:

ATE Super Blue is also available in non-blue with a less awesome name - ATE Boring Amber or something. But that's exactly why, so you know you have a full flush.

Interesting note - Super Blue is not street legal in Florida due to the color.

Shhh! Are you trying to get me in trouble?
Aug. 31, 2010 1:23 p.m. sobe_death Reader

Nashco wrote:

jungle wrote:

only thing about this product is i don't like the squishy pedal feel I get.

Are you talking about the brake fluid? If you think you have a squishy pedal because of Super Blue (compared to..???), you're doing it wrong.

Bryce

No, he's right. I swapped to the ATE blue in my S2000 and ever since then the brakes have felt mushier as time goes on. This has been challenged by a whole system flush, gravity bleed, pressure bleed, and vacuum bleed; nothing seems to fix it. Even my girlfriends S2000 which has probably never had a fluid flush in its 5 year life has a much firmer pedal feel.
Aug. 31, 2010 2:20 p.m. turboswede SuperDork

your master cylinder or brake lines are on their way out or you have flex in the pedal system.
Aug. 31, 2010 2:56 p.m. digdug18 HalfDork

turboswede wrote:

your master cylinder or brake lines are on their way out or you have flex in the pedal system.

So a previously non changed brake fluid could have been masking those kinds of problems?
Aug. 31, 2010 3:33 p.m. RedS13Coupe Reader

Forget brake fluid.

I want motor oil dye for checking fluid levels at the track. Fresh motor oil is too damn clear.

I have been tempted to just add a few drops of coloring... what could it hurt? (The only problem is I have no idea what it could hurt...)
Aug. 31, 2010 3:40 p.m. novaderrik Reader

RedS13Coupe wrote:

Forget brake fluid.

I want motor oil dye for checking fluid levels at the track. Fresh motor oil is too damn clear.

I have been tempted to just add a few drops of coloring... what could it hurt? (The only problem is I have no idea what it could hurt...)

Royal Purple oil is.. purple..
Aug. 31, 2010 5:13 p.m. turboswede SuperDork

digdug18 wrote:

turboswede wrote:

your master cylinder or brake lines are on their way out or you have flex in the pedal system.

So a previously non changed brake fluid could have been masking those kinds of problems?

The act of bleeding the system can force the master cylinder past its normal area of operation, where crud can build up overtime, and damage the seals.
Aug. 31, 2010 7:20 p.m. wbjones Dork

that's where mine is now.. .. new one on order.. but won't be here in time for this week at Mid-Ohio ... oh well guess I'll just have to continue pumping with my left foot as I approach the corner so I'll have brakes when I need them

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