How to flush brake fluid
Super Moderator
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 16,322
Likes: 88
From: Savannah Georgia
It's flammable at some point. Really should go in a mixed fluid recycling setup, as opposed to straight used motor oil. I know that Safety Kleen charges one price for mixed fluids and a different setup for just motor oil, because that is processed and becomes oil again. The old gasoline and such is also refined again back into gasoline, but perhaps at different facilities, different handling, etc. About $6 a gallon to dispose of the last drum I sent in. In other words, don't mix with old Rotella and give it to Advance Auto, that's not fair or safe for them and the guys down the food chain.
It's flammable at some point. Really should go in a mixed fluid recycling setup, as opposed to straight used motor oil. I know that Safety Kleen charges one price for mixed fluids and a different setup for just motor oil, because that is processed and becomes oil again. The old gasoline and such is also refined again back into gasoline, but perhaps at different facilities, different handling, etc. About $6 a gallon to dispose of the last drum I sent in. In other words, don't mix with old Rotella and give it to Advance Auto, that's not fair or safe for them and the guys down the food chain.
Motor oil etc. is recycled.
Hydraulic fluid (brake fluid) is corrosive and that is why it cannot be mixed with used motor oil.
Used oil is non HAZ, used brake fluid IS HAZ.
Used engine coolant can be mixed with used motor oil, same with gear lube and trans fluid.
I used to work there as a rep.
Super Moderator
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 16,322
Likes: 88
From: Savannah Georgia
Well your rep in Savannah lied and told me the gasoline was refined back into new gasoline. I don't really care, not being a tree hugger, but it costs a bunch to dispose of 80 gallons or so when one of my small boat guys screws up his fuel. Guess it was his first day on the job.
There is no way to refine gas back into...gas.
Thats like turning Pepsi into Coke, cant be done.
Gas is a refined petroleum product, refined so much that it is barley petroleum, it is mostly octane boosters, cleaners and ethanol.
Not to mention gas is highly combustible, meaning it evaporates very fast and burns fast, pour it on the cement on a sunny day, watch it dry in seconds, throw a match in it, it catches fire before the match hits the ground.
Try to distill that and it will explode.
I would not say he lied, just that he was mis informed or remembered wrong.
Hazardous needs to be incinerated, non haz can be re-refined.
Paint waste, corrosives and alcohol's all need to be incinerated.
Motor oil, coolant, gear lube...re-refined back into new base stock.
Oil base stock never goes bad, it is the additives that go bad and the base stock gets loaded with contaminates which need to be removed.
So you distill it, meaning cook it under high heat and high pressure, the oil then evaporates, it is then condensed.
The heavy non base stock stays on the bottom, that is your contaminates, additives, etc.
The more you repeat this the cleaner the base stock.
The base stock once done being distilled is as clean and good as brand new base stock, then you add the viscosity modifiers, antiwear additives, etc. and you have 100% brand new motor oil, trans fluid etc.
Valvoline Next Gen in the green bottle, 50/50 mix of recycled oil and new base stock.
Why?
Because those who do not know better are afraid of buying "used" motor oil.
Wal-Mart brand oils, Safety-Kleen, 100% recycled oil.
The US military...Safety-Kleen brand.
Engine coolant is 100% recyclable, just like motor oil only the additives wear out.
One of my customers was a ambulance company, they had a coolant recycle machine and they distilled their own coolant, put the additives back and it was as good as new.
Safety-Kleens coolant that they sell, Zerex Gold, and guess who sells it for $7 a gal?
Wal-Mart.
Thats like turning Pepsi into Coke, cant be done.
Gas is a refined petroleum product, refined so much that it is barley petroleum, it is mostly octane boosters, cleaners and ethanol.
Not to mention gas is highly combustible, meaning it evaporates very fast and burns fast, pour it on the cement on a sunny day, watch it dry in seconds, throw a match in it, it catches fire before the match hits the ground.
Try to distill that and it will explode.
I would not say he lied, just that he was mis informed or remembered wrong.
Hazardous needs to be incinerated, non haz can be re-refined.
Paint waste, corrosives and alcohol's all need to be incinerated.
Motor oil, coolant, gear lube...re-refined back into new base stock.
Oil base stock never goes bad, it is the additives that go bad and the base stock gets loaded with contaminates which need to be removed.
So you distill it, meaning cook it under high heat and high pressure, the oil then evaporates, it is then condensed.
The heavy non base stock stays on the bottom, that is your contaminates, additives, etc.
The more you repeat this the cleaner the base stock.
The base stock once done being distilled is as clean and good as brand new base stock, then you add the viscosity modifiers, antiwear additives, etc. and you have 100% brand new motor oil, trans fluid etc.
Valvoline Next Gen in the green bottle, 50/50 mix of recycled oil and new base stock.
Why?
Because those who do not know better are afraid of buying "used" motor oil.
Wal-Mart brand oils, Safety-Kleen, 100% recycled oil.
The US military...Safety-Kleen brand.
Engine coolant is 100% recyclable, just like motor oil only the additives wear out.
One of my customers was a ambulance company, they had a coolant recycle machine and they distilled their own coolant, put the additives back and it was as good as new.
Safety-Kleens coolant that they sell, Zerex Gold, and guess who sells it for $7 a gal?
Wal-Mart.
The way it is supposed to be disposed of is it is put into a metal drum, one rated for this type of corrosive.
It is then labeled with a corrosive label.
When it is hauled away it is taken to a incinerator, a machine cuts the tops and bottoms off of the drums, the fluid is burned, the drum is ground up, melted down and made into a new drum.
Some things are incinerated while still in the drum, meaning the whole drum is burned, then the heavy metals are collected and recycled or put into a class "D" land fill.
It is then labeled with a corrosive label.
When it is hauled away it is taken to a incinerator, a machine cuts the tops and bottoms off of the drums, the fluid is burned, the drum is ground up, melted down and made into a new drum.
Some things are incinerated while still in the drum, meaning the whole drum is burned, then the heavy metals are collected and recycled or put into a class "D" land fill.
Three Wheeling
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 68
Likes: 1
I know this is a super old thread, but I just wanted to mention as little as 2% moisture in brake fluid cuts the boiling point IN HALF.
Its much more important that many people think and isn't t0o much trouble. Thanks for the write-up
Its much more important that many people think and isn't t0o much trouble. Thanks for the write-up
Rock Crawling
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 436
Likes: 4
From: frisco texas
Old thread, yes... But figured I'd post anyway..
I picked up one of these today and plan on flushing tomorrow (hang over pending).
Petco Check Valve at PETCO
Happy NYE
I picked up one of these today and plan on flushing tomorrow (hang over pending).
Petco Check Valve at PETCO
Happy NYE
Mudding
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 249
Likes: 16
From: FL
Ok yesterday I bled a DI with 129k miles. I followed my own instructions on this thread and everything went well until the test drive. It turns out that while I was bleeding the brakes, I couldn't get the bleeder valve in a good enough position to be open enough and let fluid out without air seeping in through the valve threads....
SO after having very spongy brakes, I re-bled them to get the air out by removing the valve completely out of the caliper at each wheel one at a time (RR, RL, FR, FL) in that order and putting some pipe teflon tape on the threads of the bleeder valve and quickly re-inserting it and closing it off. Prepare for a nasty mess of brake fluid. Re-bleeding them went better the second time as there were no air bubbles coming out after the initial few.
Now the DI stops on a dime.... make that a silver dollar......
SO after having very spongy brakes, I re-bled them to get the air out by removing the valve completely out of the caliper at each wheel one at a time (RR, RL, FR, FL) in that order and putting some pipe teflon tape on the threads of the bleeder valve and quickly re-inserting it and closing it off. Prepare for a nasty mess of brake fluid. Re-bleeding them went better the second time as there were no air bubbles coming out after the initial few.
Now the DI stops on a dime.... make that a silver dollar......
Reviving a super old thread here, but I think this exactly has happened to me. I was flushing my brakes and kept getting air bubbles coming out. I kept refilling the reservoir, and bleeding, and filling, and bleeding, and I kept getting bubbles. The only thing I can conclude is that there’s air seeping in through the bleeder screw threads, but I’ve never heard of this anywhere else before. Can anyone confirm this is a real thing?