So, I knew the PO used the wrong ATF, and injured the transmission, and he used the wrong coolant, (hopefully since he apparently did not drive the CRD much or very hard, with little effect on the engine,) and he used the wrong engine oil, but it never occurred to me that he would NEVER have changed the brake fluid. However, so it appears. Not wanting to keep the car going for a long time is one thing, but not wanting to have a vehicle that STOPS reliably is incomprehensible to me. The first time you experience brake fade from boiling brake fluid you get RELIGION about brakes.
I knew the old fluid was nasty, but I have never seen brake fluid as bad as this. This stuff was literally floating on top of the ATE super blue I was replacing it with. I flushed the master cylinder 3 times to get as much of that crap out as I could, and I probably will do it again when I do brakes all round later this spring. He apparently froze the LR caliper, replaced it with the cheapest off brand he could, (which had a different bleed screw size, BTW
) but NEVER BLED the brake fluid. The front caliper screws look as though they have never seen fluid through them, and never felt a wrench. I am now budgeting for a complete caliper replacement in addition to pads, rotors and hoses which I had already planned to do before summer trip and towing season arrives.
I knew the fluid was bad, but I had no idea it was that bad. Word to the wise, and all that.
ATE Super Blue, and it's tan brother, ATE 200, are very high performance long service interval DOT 4 rated and DOT 3 compatible fluids. Before I found out about that stuff, I changed brake fluid yearly, in the spring, to get ready for summer travel season, with all the high speed towing trips and hard service for the brake system. Now I change every 2 years, 30K miles or when I do component replacement. ( I rotate between the Super Blue and the tan 200, so that I can be sure when I have fully bled the system). Overall, this stuff is cheaper and performs better than stock DOT-4. Not only that, but they sell it in sturdy metal cans so you don't need to worry about moisture absorption with stored fluid, and can buy in bulk. If you don't want to bleed your brakes every year, and you want top performance when you need to stop, I highly recommend it.
The other thing I highly recommend are speed bleeder brake bleeding screws. I have tried vacuum bottles and pressure caps, but nothing else is as quick and easy as speed bleed screws, which turn what can be a 2 person PITA chore that can take over an hour per vehicle into a half-hour one person snap. They save a lot of time and aggravation, and are neat and clean (no drips at all!) They also do not annoy ABS control systems, another plus.
I have no stake in either of these products, but I find they save me time and money, and help my vehicles perform better. I hope other folks find this useful; a bit of return on all the good and helpful information I have gleaned here.
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