In getting the car ready for the road and still having time to work on it, I decided to completely flush the brake lines and put in new fluid. I did not know when the last time this was done, but there was a major brake job in 1996. Brake fluid is hygroscopic so it will eventually keep water and should be flushed especially on a car that has been sitting. When I opened the nipple on the left rear caliper I could immediately smell a musty odor and the brake fluid was gray. I used a hand pump along with the brake pedal to pump out the old and topped up the reservoir several times. When the fluid started looking as good as it did coming in, moved to the right rear and repeated with the two others. I didn’t think the brakes were terrible, but I noticed a dramatic difference in the responsiveness afterward.
October 9, 2012