Brake Oil Change

amtak · 27th August 2008, 09:36

Dear All,

The brake oil in my bike is almost over. The bike is HH Hunk and I am planning to put new oil in the bike. Since I don't reach the service station in time, I am planning to do it from an outside mechanic. Is it advisable? Also, which brake oil to put, what quantity and appx. cost of the same?

Kindly advise.

bblost · 27th August 2008, 09:40

My experiance with changing the brake oil.

You can use DOT3 or DOT4.
It used to cost less than 100 bucks.
Refill is easy, bleeding needs skill.
Removing the screws on the cap is quite difficult as they jam up over time.
Be very carefull with the oil, it can eat away paint.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bblost

This Sunday, I found myself with a bottle full of DOT3 oil and some time.
The DOT3 was bought a couple of week’s back, but that day my mechanic's shed was closed.
I had been looking at the dot3 and thinking how to go about refilling my bikes disc oil.

I opened the main container and topped up the oil.
The brake was working fine.

The devil crept up my ear and kept reminding me that old oil is looking old.
Decided to bleed the brakes.

Opened the nipple cover and set up the spanner for the valve.
press brakes three times
HOLD
open and close the valve.
Repeat the above.

complete loss of pressure in the brakes.
spent more than 4 hours trying to get the air out.
The valve was spitting out oil as expected but still no pressure.

finally went to the mechanic, Monday morning.
took him half an hour to fix it.

what I was missing
the hydraulic pump, needs to be opened up.
springs et all removed, flooded with oil and closed.
voila the brakes work fine now.

What I learnt.
riding a bike without brakes is more fun.cheers:

amtak · 27th August 2008, 10:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by bblost

My experiance with changing the brake oil.

You can use DOT3 or DOT4.

Any specific brand? Kindly suggest.

praJEEP · 27th August 2008, 10:15

Use KBX brake fluid, why outside mechanic you can DIY.

bblost · 27th August 2008, 10:19

I dont remember. I think it was Castrol.

After fixing my brakes my mechanic confiscated the bottle.

amtak · 27th August 2008, 10:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by praJEEP

Use KBX brake fluid, why outside mechanic you can DIY.

Thanks Prajeep. KBX I assume is Kalyani Brakes?

praJEEP · 27th August 2008, 10:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by amtak

Thanks Prajeep. KBX I assume is Kalyani Brakes?

Yes the same one very good brake fluid till date

unfortunately i am not able to get one here in bangalore.

amtak · 27th August 2008, 11:13

Infact, a random google search suggests that KBX is now been taken over by Bosch. So you should get it in BLR!

DieselFan · 27th August 2008, 13:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by bblost

I dont remember. I think it was Castrol.

After fixing my brakes my mechanic confiscated the bottle.

You shouldn't have allowed it. The bottle will be used to fill in Spurious Oil and sold of to unsuspecting customers as break oil.

bblost · 27th August 2008, 13:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by DieselFan

You shouldn't have allowed it. The bottle will be used to fill in Spurious Oil and sold of to unsuspecting customers as break oil.

Not my mechanic.
When I call him anna its not just because he is older than me but because of all the respect I have for him.

I am very lucky to have such a nice nice person as my mechanic.

OT: Maybe we should have a thread with dedicated to our mechanics.

Thad E Ginathom · 27th August 2008, 14:53

It eats skin as well as paint, and causes serious problems if you get any in your eyes.

I know absolutely nothing about bikes, but...

Almost over? suggests to me it's leaking somewhere. May be not so much a refill as a good check-up needed. Maybe not a DIY job!

nithz · 27th August 2008, 15:15

it is always better to get it done in the service center they ll be having those latest tools used for that job, and they use brake oil specified by the companys specs ,since they carry on these kind of jobs every time they ll be more skilled so its better than trial and error method.

Sankar · 27th August 2008, 20:13

What grade brake fluid does your bike have now, is it DOT3 or DOT4? Find that out first. HH recommends the use of either grade. But don't mix them, it's mentioned in the manual.

amtak · 28th August 2008, 08:54

Hi All,

I went to the service station and they opened it for me. The oil was full

. It is the color of the oil that is different from what I have seen in other bikes so far (RTR has red oil!). My other friends too had red brake oil so I was worried and took it to the service center. Showed it to my friends also who were saying its over!

Finally the matter is solved and no problem detected. Only worry I have now is, how do I know that it is over when it is really over? Any signs or symptoms?

@ Sankar: Thanks for the concern. I was planning to use Dot 4 as that is what the HH mechanic told me.

Sankar · 28th August 2008, 09:56

Is the colour of the brake fluid Yellow? That's what my Karizma has.

Well, it's easy to find out when the brake fluid level gets low. If reservoir is full the metal disc behind the viewing window will be red or yellow as per the colour of oil. Once the level starts to come down you can see the metal disc in steel's colour. Isn't it easy to spot the colour difference?

27th August 2008, 09:36	#1
amtak Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai - The city of Sea Link!!! Posts: 2,915 Thanked: 899 Times View My Garage	Brake Oil Change Dear All, The brake oil in my bike is almost over. The bike is HH Hunk and I am planning to put new oil in the bike. Since I don't reach the service station in time, I am planning to do it from an outside mechanic. Is it advisable? Also, which brake oil to put, what quantity and appx. cost of the same? Kindly advise.
	() Thanks

27th August 2008, 10:15	#4
praJEEP BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 537 Thanked: 8 Times	Use KBX brake fluid, why outside mechanic you can DIY.
	() Thanks

27th August 2008, 10:19	#5
bblost Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 11,008 Thanked: 15,338 Times View My Garage	I dont remember. I think it was Castrol. After fixing my brakes my mechanic confiscated the bottle.
	() Thanks

27th August 2008, 11:13	#8
amtak Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai - The city of Sea Link!!! Posts: 2,915 Thanked: 899 Times View My Garage	Infact, a random google search suggests that KBX is now been taken over by Bosch. So you should get it in BLR!
	() Thanks

27th August 2008, 14:53	#11
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,004 Thanked: 26,428 Times	It eats skin as well as paint, and causes serious problems if you get any in your eyes. I know absolutely nothing about bikes, but... Almost over? suggests to me it's leaking somewhere. May be not so much a refill as a good check-up needed. Maybe not a DIY job!
	() Thanks

27th August 2008, 15:15	#12
nithz BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: coorg Posts: 51 Thanked: 9 Times	it is always better to get it done in the service center they ll be having those latest tools used for that job, and they use brake oil specified by the companys specs ,since they carry on these kind of jobs every time they ll be more skilled so its better than trial and error method.
	() Thanks

27th August 2008, 20:13	#13
Sankar Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Location Posts: 5,766 Thanked: 9,054 Times	What grade brake fluid does your bike have now, is it DOT3 or DOT4? Find that out first. HH recommends the use of either grade. But don't mix them, it's mentioned in the manual.
	() Thanks

28th August 2008, 08:54	#14
amtak Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai - The city of Sea Link!!! Posts: 2,915 Thanked: 899 Times View My Garage	The problem is resolved Hi All, I went to the service station and they opened it for me. The oil was full. It is the color of the oil that is different from what I have seen in other bikes so far (RTR has red oil!). My other friends too had red brake oil so I was worried and took it to the service center. Showed it to my friends also who were saying its over! Finally the matter is solved and no problem detected. Only worry I have now is, how do I know that it is over when it is really over? Any signs or symptoms? @ Sankar: Thanks for the concern. I was planning to use Dot 4 as that is what the HH mechanic told me.
	() Thanks

28th August 2008, 09:56	#15
Sankar Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Location Posts: 5,766 Thanked: 9,054 Times	Is the colour of the brake fluid Yellow? That's what my Karizma has. Well, it's easy to find out when the brake fluid level gets low. If reservoir is full the metal disc behind the viewing window will be red or yellow as per the colour of oil. Once the level starts to come down you can see the metal disc in steel's colour. Isn't it easy to spot the colour difference?
	() Thanks