Hey guys well I was adding some washer fluid today and I noticed my brake fluid level is on the dot that says add. Now I never did this before so I always come to this forum to ask stuff before I do anything. I was wondering can I just buy some dot 3 or dot 4 fluid and just add it into the container till it reaches the dot that says full or do I have to bleed the whole system and then refill it ?

I will be changing brakes this summer so I was thinking just adding some for right now and as soon as it gets warmer I would change the brakes and bleed them and then refill the brake fluid.

Also which one do you guys suggest I was looking around and found this http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...ier=33406_0_0_

and Im not sure should I go mineral or synthetic ?

 

Just top it off. But heres some food for thought. the braking system is a closed system when operating properly so if your gradually losing brake fluid it would recon to stand that you system isn't "entirely" closed. It could be something as simple as a slightly weepy wheel cylinder or a pin sized scratch on a bleed screw that over time you lose just the tinest fluid from the system but is unnoticeable at the pedal.

 

Could also be that the brake pads are toast and the caliper pistons have too push out further

 

^^^ A thorough inspection of the brakes and lines is in order. In the mean time DOT3 is the right juice.

 

Alright thanks guys yeah I actually dont know if Im losing brake fluid or if its been like that when I bought the car, I never payed attention to it. But Ima fill it up to the full line and Il see whats up over the summer.

Also does it matter which type mineral or synthetic ?

 

As far as i remember, DOT 3 and 4 are compatible. DOT5 is not

 

Aha cool, well then Im off to pick up a bottle of that valvoline brake fluid.

 

Yep, Ive been using that same Valvoline fluid with no issues.

 

Check eVERY fluid level while you're at it. Condition of the fluid also.

 

If your pads are thin and the calipers are pushed out max, your fluid will be low. If you refill now, keep in mind when you replace your pads and push the caliper pistons back your master cyl reservoir may overflow and make a royal mess under the hood.

 

I think you are correct. DOT 5 (silicone-based fluid) is not compatible with DOT 3 and 4, but DOT 5.1 is, since it is polyethylene glycol-based fluid...