[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by mjk3888

Has anyone done the brake fluid flush without removing the wheels?

Remove the wheels...it makes things 1,000 times easier, eliminates any possibility of getting fluid on your wheels (OE are painted)...and there are two bleeder screws per caliper...one on the inboard side, or "back" of the caliper that will be extremely difficult to reach with the wheel on.

[glamcem]

I also use Motive Bleeder and couldn't be happier.
It doesn't only make the whole process easier (one man job) but also does it better than pumping the brakes and eliminate the possibility of trapped air in the system

[TrackReady1LE]

What about bleeding the clutch slave cylinder at the same time since both the brakes and the clutch share the same reservoir? Isnt the bleed screw located in the bell housing for some strange reason? has anyone bled the clutch slave cylinder yet?

[NCSD]

Have you thought about taking it to your dealer to do it? My dealer was reasonable, they told me to bring in whatever fluid I wanted. For me it wasn't worth the time and effort. I can do it, but I'd rather not.

[Ventura 1LE]

Buy the mighty vac... it is worth the investment.. ...

[Gabhart]

Originally Posted by TrackReady1LE

What about bleeding the clutch slave cylinder at the same time since both the brakes and the clutch share the same reservoir? Isnt the bleed screw located in the bell housing for some strange reason? has anyone bled the clutch slave cylinder yet?

Pretty sure the brakes and clutch share the same reservoir. In for anyone who has done the clutch...

[Uncle Sam]

No flames please.

I had my dealer do the total flush last year and asked for the clutch to be done as well; I did this on my Lotus as it too had a common reservoir. The tech said that it would have necessitated, as I remember, loosening a trans member bolt and slightly lifting or tilting the trans. I said skip it. The amount of old fluid isn't likely to be significant in contaminating the new. I took the tech at his word about the difficulty of reaching the trans bleeding nipple.

I would like a knowledgeable member to give the bleed order to confirm SeanBurr's comment, if possible.

[Boost Creep]

I'm not 100% on this, but the clutch fluid circulates pretty good every time it's used, so if you keep the master cylinder clean it should flush out the clutch slave.

[carguy55]

Even though I told my dealer all the specifics exactly what was needed before hand including flushing clutch reservoir after they looked at it they said it's going to take 2.5 to 3 hours and your're going to need 4 liters of fluid. I haven't been back to them and got the impression they just didn't want to do anything that wasn't stock.

[Pollock]

Originally Posted by mjk3888

So I want to swap my brake fluid in my own garage but my OCD is making me freak out over potentially getting brake fluid on my car and messing the paint up.

Have any of you performed a DIY brake fluid swap and bleed, if so how did you do it and was it easy to avoid making a mess?

Place towels on your fender and around the master cylinder to catch any spills you might have from filling.

Make sure your catch can for the brake fluid is solid and wont tip over. I used a large plastic peanut container and drilled a hole in the lid and shoved the hose in with a tight fit.

When removing the hose from the caliper bleed screw put a rag around it and pull it off slow so it doesnt pop off and sling fluid everywhere.

Once you get new fluid in the master cylinder pump the clutch several times to get the new fluid in the clutch system.

I am OCD like you. Its not hard if you are careful. I did this the old two person way.

I doubt I got all the old out since I could not cycle the ABS system but I am sure its good enough for my novice skill level. And the more times I do this the better it will be.

[Boost Creep]

Don't forget to clean the fluid out of the bleeder nipple after you are done.