Pro tip: I was wrong about using old brake fluid from a parts car

I swapped the master cylinder from a junkyard Civic into my project last month and thought the fluid looked fine, but after my pedal went soft on a test drive, my mechanic friend in Dayton said, 'Dude, brake fluid absorbs water from the air and that junk was probably five years old,' so now I always buy the new $8 bottle. Has anyone else had a cheap part almost ruin a bigger repair?

2 comments

2 Comments

amy8581mo ago

Ever try to reuse old coolant?

kim.wren1mo ago

Oh man, that's such a close call. I mean, I've definitely been guilty of looking at perfectly clear old fluid and thinking it's fine. But here's the thing, did you check the color or did you just assume it was okay? Because brake fluid can look totally clear and still be garbage from moisture. I always wonder if people actually test the moisture content or just go by looks, because that's where I've slipped up before.