Why Should I Purge Brakes, ABS & Clutch Regularly?

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PapaUtah

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This is the purged contents from a 2013.5 FJR1300A after a single riding season and one storage season here in the great white and often cold north. Tonite I installed my stainless speedbleeders all the way around and proceeded to purge the clutch, brakes and ABS system. The new fluid going in was almost perfectly clear...this is what was pushed out of the bleeders. If you want a good reason to take the half an hour and keep your stuff up to spec...here is a good reason. The fluid appears quite contaminated after a year. Once again, we have really wild temp swings here and that may contribute to the quick degradation I saw in my bike.

IMAG0088_zpswmuaeie6.jpg


 
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Did you see any signs of rust on the old bleed screws when you took them out? When I installed my SpeedBleeders, my OEM clutch screw had rust on it.

 
That is typical of brake fluid that has absorbed water. It looks still good enough to work decently well, but the boiling point has been reduced.

An open container of brake fluid will go brown quite quickly. Vehicle manufacturers usually recommend changing it every two years. Changing the fluid is very cheap, very easy and making it part of your spring routines seems sensible to me.

 
Those little rubber caps on the brake and clutch nipples can trap some moisture, resulting in a bit of corrosion. I dab a bit of anti-corrosion stuff, ACF-50, on 'em before re-installing the caps.

Since brake fluid is hygroscopic, living in a more humid environment will cause more rapid deterioration. I change fluid every year, but the old fluid is only slightly yellow, compared to your nice amber stuff!

 
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I had hoped to do this before the Ramble, but life has taken me by the horns workwise lately, so I will have to do this after Ramblin'.

 
We definitely have the humidity and the rain here in South Louisiana to contaminate the brake fluid. You cannot imagine what I have bled out of the brake systems of the 4 wheelers we use in the swamp.

On my Honda ST1300 the clutch slave cylinder was apparently in a hotter area than the one on my FJR. The clutch fluid would come out black and inky if it went for more than a year.

Good thread by the way. Nice use of the pic to get your point home.

 
Got a link for the proper speed bleeders and quantity for the 2015 ?

Also I'd love to see a proper writeup or video of someone doing this on a Gen 3 ES....

 
Warpdrv,

Check with Bikeeffects.com. They will have the appropriate mix of 5 bleeders for your bike. You don't need Speedbleeders, they just make the job easier.

As for the process, install the new Speedbleeders in place of the old bleeders.

I started with my clutch first. Connect my catch bottle to the bleeder, crack it loose 1/4 turn. Open up the clutch reservoir. I have a small syringe to empty the old fluid from the reservoir. Clean it out. Pour in new fluid and begin SLOWLY squeezing the lever. Don't go crazy our you will have fluid all over your bike. I cover my bike with rags whilst bleeding. Paint, plastic and brake fluid are enemies.You have to watch the reservoir level as you go, don't pump air into the system. Tighten the bleeder when you get new clear fluid coming thru your catch hose into your catch container.

Brakes on the Gen 3 are to be done in order.

Bleed the top bleeder on the right caliper first, then the bleeder on the left caliper. Those bleeders are fed from the front brake reservoir.

Next is the bottom bleeder on the right caliper, then the rear brake. They are fed from the rear brake reservoir behind the right side panel below the seat. Once again, get the old fluid out of the reservoirs from the top. Don't push that dirty stuff thru if you don't have to.

 
Not sure if this was the right place, but didn't want to start a new thread. I wanted to provide my feedback on the value of the purge and bleed of clutch fluid. I have completely solved all my shifting issues by replacing the fluid and ensuring proper bleed in the process.

I was getting clunks going into first, sometimes the "clack clack clack clunk"..really embarrassing and doing damage I assume. I had done the "clutch soak" and was better for about a week. Well after getting a mityvac knockoff I replaced the clutch fluid and bled. Clutch felt the same to my hand but after two rides (I assume I was getting better plate spread?) it has shifted perfect. No clunks, no issues....like completely different.

Just wanted to point this out: if you aren't shifting smoothly - bleed your CLUTCH! I couldn't believe it...and unlike brakes you can't really tell based on feel or even the disengagement of the clutch.

 
Thanks for that.....
Has anyone figured out or posted up the procedure to jumper activating the ABS on the Gen 3 models, or is it just the same connector in the same place as the old Gen 1 and 2 models...?

From this old thread https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/136000-test-and-maintain-your-abs-system/
Same as prior models as far as I can tell. The "special Yamaha tool" looks to be the same one, so it should be jumpering the same two pins (I don't have the Oh Fishul tool I haven't done mine on the '14 yet though.

One more comment about the fluid exchange requirement: The clutch fluid travels considerably further in the lines than the brakes do. The clutch fluid is also what gets dark the fastest. Which makes me believe that the discoloration is not moisture induced, but something related to the inside surface of the hydraulic hoses.

Which makes a whole lot of sense, if you stop to think about it. Water is more clear than brake fluid, so why do we think absorbing some would make the brake fluid darker? I think the color and the water content are not related. Which means that, if you can't see the water content, you shouldn't use the color as a gage on when to change it. Just do it based on the time it has been in there and be safe. :thumbsup:

 
One more comment about the fluid exchange requirement: The clutch fluid travels considerably further in the lines than the brakes do. The clutch fluid is also what gets dark the fastest.

Fred, I am confused by this. The clutch line goes right from the lever down to the clutch slave cylinder. The brake lines go all the way back to the abs pump and then forward to the calipers. A lot further. Or am I missing something?

I am usually really good about doing this maintenance every two years. However, just a few days ago I did it on my 09 FJR. For the first time. Ever. 6 year old fluid in there.
sadsmiley.gif
Everything was working fine. But I feel much better about finally getting it done.

 
One more comment about the fluid exchange requirement: The clutch fluid travels considerably further in the lines than the brakes do. The clutch fluid is also what gets dark the fastest.

Fred, I am confused by this. The clutch line goes right from the lever down to the clutch slave cylinder. The brake lines go all the way back to the abs pump and then forward to the calipers. A lot further. Or am I missing something?

I am usually really good about doing this maintenance every two years. However, just a few days ago I did it on my 09 FJR. For the first time. Ever. 6 year old fluid in there. :sadsmiley: Everything was working fine. But I feel much better about finally getting it done.
It looked bad...didn't it?

 
One more comment about the fluid exchange requirement: The clutch fluid travels considerably further in the lines than the brakes do. The clutch fluid is also what gets dark the fastest.
Fred, I am confused by this. The clutch line goes right from the lever down to the clutch slave cylinder. The brake lines go all the way back to the abs pump and then forward to the calipers. A lot further. Or am I missing something?

I am usually really good about doing this maintenance every two years. However, just a few days ago I did it on my 09 FJR. For the first time. Ever. 6 year old fluid in there.
sadsmiley.gif
Everything was working fine. But I feel much better about finally getting it done.
I believe that the volume displaced by a full stroke of the clutch is far greater than the volume displaced by modest braking so the fluid actually travels further each time the lever is actuated. Not sure how this translates into grottier fluid but this seems to be the case.

I'll bet that 6 year old fluid looked nasty!

 
Yeah, what Ross said. When you pull the clutch lever it strokes fluid from the point of first resistance all the way to the bar, so the volume of fluid you push out of the master, down the lines, to move the clutch slave cylinder is significant.

On the brakes, the pads hover over the disks, and the slave cylinder(s) barely retract from full engagement. When you squeeze the lever or press the pedal you are mostly just increasing the pressure in the lines, not much fluid actually moves down them.

My theory is that the motion and friction of the fluid moving back and forth through the rubber brake hoses is what makes the fluid dirty looking. Or it could be the increased distance that the master and slave cylinders need to travel in their seals that wear and contaminate the fluid.

Either way, the fact that the clutch is always so much darker more or less proves that the color is not related to moisture content as the brake and clutch fluids will have been exposed to the same amount of moisture.

 
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Here's my theory on why the clutch fluids gets darker quicker than the front brake fluid: The clutch gets used way more often. The seal around the actuating cylinder isn't perfect. Everytime you squeeze the levers (clutch or brake) a molecule or two(OK, I'm not really sure of the rate) of air gets by the seal. And especially, as Fred points out, that the travel of the clutch is greater than the brake, there is more opportunity for air to get by the clutch master cylinder piston than the front brake one.

I would estimate that given the clutch gets exercised with every upshift/downshift that the actuator shaft sees way more travel than the brake.

My $.02. Worth what you paid for it..

 
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