How much brake fluid will I need?

How much brake fluid will I need to buy, to change the current fluid on my 200tdi 110 csw?
Just to confirm - I need dot 4 don't I ?

cheers

yes you need dot 4 but I tend to buy a 4 or 5 litre drum of it... this keeps all the cars going
I've never replaced all of the systems fluid so cant be more help sorry

You can just get by with 500ml, but preferably buy a litre, then you won't run out while bleeding.

I do this a couple of times a week and always remove the plastic reservoir which is either held in by the rubber plugs underneath or on older vehicles by pegs. I then fill the cylinder with a mixture of very small stones and sand with a bit of water and detergent, then shake the thing for a while. Cleans all the black crud out from the corners.

You can get away with about a litre, but it will be tight, speshly if you want to do a thorough job of it. Buy a 5 litre one and bite the bullet - won't cost all that much anyways. Remember to dispose of the old stuff responsibly - local tip will have an 'oil bin' - best to stick it in there.

Cheers,

Adz said:

You can get away with about a litre, but it will be tight, speshly if you want to do a thorough job of it. Buy a 5 litre one and bite the bullet - won't cost all that much anyways. Remember to dispose of the old stuff responsibly - local tip will have an 'oil bin' - best to stick it in there.

Cheers,

Click to expand...

I wouldn't buy 5 litres, not in the UK where it is damp. The fluid will absorb water and become useless. Even in our garage in Africa where it is dry most of the time we buy our brake fluid in boxes of 20 x 500 ml bottles.

Don't dispose of old brake fluid - keep it! It is wonderful stuff for resurrecting old paint brushes which have gone hard, you just need patience I also took the paint off a set of wheels using old fluid. Again, it takes a while, but is good stuff for free.

took about 1.5 litres or so. Thanks again.

If you look on here I worked out a formula for clutch fluid, I reckon the same formula could be tweeked to suit brakes, Try adding an extra 10cc for every caliper your bleeding to accomodate for the amount squirted out of the caliper and delete the amount lost when knocking the bottle with your elbow 'cos whoever is doing the brake pedal bit will be looking after it.

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f7/clutch-fluid-35133-2.html?highlight=brake+fluid