Question Replacing Brake and Clutch fluid.

Anyone here has replace their break and clutch fluid ? Do I REALLY need a bleeding tool ? They are about $140 so I rather not. Any tips about how to do this without it will be appreciated.

Also, do I need a special tool to remove the oil filter like the service manual says ?


The bike is a 2006 VFR 800 ABS. It says I have to replace the fluids every 2 years, is it really necessary ?

PS I had an 86 Honda Nighthawk S for 20 years ...I never changed the fluids (yes that was extreme) nothing ever happened though. It run like a champ. I hate to do mess around with the bike when nothing is wrong with it. I am afraid I am going to leave it in a worse state than by doing nothing (i.e. improper bleeding). And don't tell me to take it to the mechanic, I am trying to save money :0)

TIA, Alfredo

 

Mighty vac is about $40 clamps
Invest in speed bleeder will save you time and headache :wink:Speed Bleeder Bleeding Brakes Bleeding Motorcycle Brakes Automotive Bleeder Screw Brake Bleeder

Mityvac MV8000 Automotive Test and Bleeding Kit : Amazon.com : Automotive

 

As for the oil filter I got one like a disk that fit in the back of the filter around $10 clamp
I change coolant and break fluid every year part of my major service.

 

Mellodude very proud of his wrench for the oil filter hope he will chimp in shortly

 

I'm going to guess you drive a chevy truck? Chevy truck drivers never change fluids.

 

Cool, that is reasonable. Is that the kit you use ?

 

yeah dude mighty vac is around $40, and yes totally worth it. I bled my front brakes and clutch in no time at all.


Rear brakes.....yeah look up my thread on here. That shit aint no fun.

 

Ha, ha. No, I dumped the bike at 70 mph, it didn't look to good but it still runs great. I just sold it recently for $1200. I paid $2200 for it used back in 91 and 35,000 miles ago. Best $1,000 I ever spent . The only thing I did to that bike was change the oil regularly. Everything else I left alone. I bet if you try to take the spark plugs you will crack the engine I figure the thing would die, but...IT'S A HONDA !!! It kept going.

 

Oh, do you have to do two bleedings (front and rear) ?

 

I am probably way off base here but I have had the clutch fluid changed once by the stealership. I replaced most of the fluid myself once. That is in 102,000 miles. Brakes have been done a couple times but not by me.

I will admit, I should change the clutch fluid far more ofter, but I have not and I am not seeing any problems. When I changed it, I just sucked as much fluid out of the top and replaced it with fresh so no bleeding involved. Is that as good as a flush? Obviously not. Is it good enough? I think so. But I would suggest it be done far more often than I have done. Right now mine is so black, I can not see the black markings on the sight glass.

I wonder what I should do tomorrow?

 

:hss:


Randy for gawd's sake man, go change the clutch fluid. Just don't get any on you or the bike, you'd never get it off........

 

Hahaha I knew you would show up, I was talking about the oil filter wrench for ten bulk you were mention on previous post :thumbsup:

 

+1 on the Mity-Vac and the Speed Bleeders. Yes, there are two bleeding processes, one for the front brakes, and one for the rear brakes, a third if you consider the clutch line a "process". The good news is that the clutch is super simple as it is only one line, put a speed bleeder on the clutch slave and you can flush/fill the line in no time. The front brakes are not that much harder to do, especially with speed bleeders, should only take an hour at the most to bleed. The semi-bad news is dealing with the rear brake system as it has a lot of bleed points, due to the linked braking system of the 6th Gen. That being said, other than being a longer process, with the help of a friend, it shouldn't be an all day thing. Unless you consume too many beers while doing it and forget to watch the fluid levels and then introduce air into the line! Since the front brakes supply most of your braking power, make sure these are well bled so if you have too much trouble dealing with the back brakes at least you'll have good stopping power until you can get the rear sussed out.

Changing the fluid in the clutch/brake lines shouldn't be ignored, not sure how the Nighthawk went 20 years without an issue but here's some pics of the clutch/brake fluid that was in the '01 I recently bought. I'm not sure if this was the same fluid that was in there when it was first sold, but I'm sure it was at least 2 years old as it wasn't touched by the last (second) owner before I bought it. There's another VFR owner in Florida on the VFRD forum that was on a tour of duty over seas and when he came back, the fluid actually congealed in the reservoirs and secondary front brake master cylinder, so much so that he had to replace the piston and seals in it. NOTE: Before I put the speed bleeders on I used the Mity-vac to drain the old fluid out first.

 

[. NOTE: Before I put the speed bleeders on I used the Mity-vac to drain the old fluid out first.

As I stated before I've never done these bleeding operations so I am a bit confused with this statement, pardon my ignorance..

I thought the Mity-vac draining WAS THE BLEEDING. So what are these SPEED BLEEDERS you are talking about. Could you clarify. Thanks.

Alfredo

 

Yes, maybe that is why the Nighthawk lasted that long. I used to drain the reservoir and replace it every year. So it might have worked just like it did for you. Having said that, the reservoir always had a crust of goo at the bottom every year I opened it.

 

Speed bleeders are bleed nimples with a one-way check valve. The valve is in a normally closed position so that air does not get introduced into the the system from the bleed point. When you apply pressure to the clutch/brake lever, the pressure in the line forces the check valve to open so that the fluid exits the bleeder. This allows you to easily bleed the brakes as the non speed bleeder process was to open and close the bleeder when applying and releasing pressure to the lever. As Stuka mentions, it's best to flush/fill the line with the Mity-vac and then put the speed bleeders on. That is why I mentioned the note, once the lines are filled and speed bleeders are on...bleeding is a snap. There's also an "in-line" speed bleeder from Motion pro, it can be used like a speed bleeder but is only temporary.

Here's a link to Speed Bleeder: Speed Bleeder Bleeding Brakes Bleeding Motorcycle Brakes Automotive Bleeder Screw Brake Bleeder

Motion Pro inline speed bleeder: Motion Pro Mini Brake Bleeder - Street Motorcycle - Motorcycle Superstore

 

"grab some Q- tips and clean out the nooks and crannies of all the corners of the reservoir too, so it all looks pretty."

I like cutting the end off them fuzzy bastards and use em as picks, High 5 on that tip Mello-One!!! Cleanliness is next to well, you know...