How often should the brakes be bleed and what is the best type of brake fluid to use.

 

Fluid should be refreshed every 2 years otherwise it collects too much water in the system that
ends up corroding your brake system.

The fluid you use depends on your driving. Occasional or light DD, any good DOT 3 fluid works fine. If
you be doing some track time or spirited driving you may want to go with a high temp DOT 3 or even
DOT 4 fluid that can go to 600+F before boiling.

If you have drum brakes, make sure they are adjusted well. They contribute a lot to the brake feel
and performance. If you have SA the drums DO NOT self adjust, so you need to stay on top of it
as the shoes wear.

 

the FB has self adjusters for the rear drums, however they don't really work, so if the brakes are out of adjustment, it just needs new shoes.

 

Thanks for your suggestions. Are rear brake shoes still readily available?

 

rear shoes? no problem. Mazdatrix, ebay - tons listed.
Brake Fluid: I use Ford's brand, very well respected in the industry
Speedbleeders are your Best Friends, esp if you are doing this on your own!!!

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

 

i've been using a hand held vacuum pump, works a treat as they say

 

Great suggestion. I will give it a try. Thanks again.

 

I will look up Mazdatrix. I especially like the idea of speedbleeders. Thanks for your suggestions.

 

Great information. The car is just driven on the streets and hasn't seen a lot of use lately.

 

i really haven't found the need for speedbleeders. simply get urself a water bottle (dry of course), fill it up with a little bit of clean brake fluid, submerge one end of the hose in the brake fluid, the other end goes to the caliper, and loosen the nipple a little. then go pump the brake pedal a few times and check the fluid level on the reservoir and fill as necessary. i just run more fluid through the system and if i'm really paranoid, set up my phone to record a few seconds while i pump to make sure there are no more bubbles coming out. as long as the hose is submerged, it won't suck air back in.

 

That's great advice! Thanks for everyone's input.

 

That really is good advice, especially using the phone as a helper. Thanks for the tip!