To change it, obtain the following:
- syringe (turkey injector works perfectly) with clear tubing that will fit.
- DOT 4 synthetic brake fluid
- Lint-free towels
- plastic container to store nasty fluid

1. Put some rags around the clutch reservoir (this stuff can remove paint, so be careful!), and observe the color of the fluid. If it's clear you're good...if not then proceed!

2. Draw out the nasty fluid until you see the bottom of the reservoir. Put it into the plastic container, and clean the reservoir and cap with the lint-free towels. Again, be careful because this is the messy part.

3. Add the new, clear fluid and put the cap back on..stay within the max level

4. Pump the clutch about 30 times, and repeat the process. It took 6 times before my fluid looked like this.

After your done, take her for a ride. You should notice an immediate difference in the feel of the clutch. In combination with the clutch adjustment, the car should feel like a totally different car! Enjoy!

"To a man with a hammer everything looks like a nail." -Mark Twain

Nice work Joe...get this in the "How To" section

2007 G35 Coupe 6MT JWT/Z tube, 5/16 Spacer, MREV2, Stillen Cat-back Exhaust,GT Spec strut brace

Thinking about it some more though, Brake fluid tends to change color as it ages. IIRC, some of it due to absorbing water. I've never had brake fluid get that bad though as I tend to change fluid often.

As far as heat being the source in general, think aboout your brakes. they see a lot more heat then a slave cylinder typically will and it likely isn't that dark...

I'll keep you guys posted. I have to re-check it this weekend, we'll see if the color is back.

Same problem when used in brakes........................oem uses DOT 3 to prolong the interval.

Can the same thing be done with the brake fluid? What are the rules to consider when using DOT 3 or DOT 4?

Discover the power of the button!

on my integra, all i have to do is loosen a bolt from the slave cylinder and let it all drain out. then fill it back on from the top.

jlo0109, I used a turkey injector and small rubber hose (Home depot). Get the DOT 4 from Autozone or any auto shop really. The brand doesn't matter, as long as it's synthetic.

It goes on the end of the syringe to make the fluid sucking easier and not as messy. The lint-free towels are for cleaning out the empty reservoir of the brown gunk.

LW

Zozoka

Wechslerl, this will fix the clutch pedal sticking to the floor after hard acceleration.

98 turbo integra ls sold.
10 psi daily
14.1 no traction / nasty tires

Also, after how many miles should this be done? I imagine it has something to do with the way you drive

Sure it somewhat removes the dirty fluid in the resevior but it is the wrong way of doing it.

Imagine changing oil the same way. haha.

The right way would be to "loosen" the bleeder bolt on the slave cylinder to let is drip.

Then, at the same time, you slowly add Clean fluid in the resevior. You keep this up till the fluid dripping out of the slave cylnider is CLEAN.

Once you see clean fluid dripping out the slave cylinder, you tighten the bolt and your done.. The system is Completly flushed.

The "syphon" method is a waste of time, unless there is no other way you can do it..

Quite simply, the siphon method works well! A bleeder bolt would only replenish the reservoir, not all the fluid. You would still need to pump the clutch to circulate the dirty fluid. With the bleeder method, you would have to either have 2 people (one to constantly fill the reservoir and the other to pump the clutch) or tighten the bolt, pump the clutch, drain the fluid (waiting longer for the drip), tighten the bolt, refill the reservoir, pump....repeat X5. Hardly saving time...in fact it would take longer.

The siphon method is fast and clean.

The term "ghetto" doesn't apply if certified techs do it the same way to save time...but what do I know, this is the Internet, where everyone is an expert.

Not at all!! Clutch fluid is the same as brake or hydraulic fluid. DOT 4 just increases the boiling point to eliminate spent fluid. DOT 5 is is silicone based and you cannot mix 3/4/5.1 with 5. The problem with DOT 5 is that it will not absorb water (unlike 3/4/5.1). The water will find the lowest point in the line and cause corrosion. If you do mix 3/4/5.1 with 5, it causes a chemical reaction and could disrupt the operation of you system. DOT 5.1 is the same as 3/4, but much more expensive!

Type / Dry boiling point / Wet boiling point
DOT 3 / 205°C (401°F) / 140°C (284°F)
DOT 4 / 230°C (446°F) / 155°C (311°F)
DOT 5 / 260°C (500°F) / 180°C (356°F)
DOT 5.1 / 270°C (518°F) / 191°C (375°F)

So you would think. But when you shift at high RPM, the fluid gets just as hot as the brake fluid. The result is the pedal not coming up from the floor after the fluid is boiled. Since I've upgraded to a synthetic DOT4 fluid, my clutch pedal has not stuck to the floor AT ALL!

I don't claim to be an engineer and cannot explain the ins and outs of fluid dynamics...but I do know that this method is used on the Corvette Z06, which had the same problem after a series of hard launches. Before I did this to my car, I did a bit of research...as anyone should.

I would guess that DOT3 fluid for brakes is not optimal either, but you don't notice the effects...stopping distance might increase 5-10 feet in panic stops, but you wouldn't notice that in every day driving. When I change my brake fluid, I will upgrade to at least DOT 4. I need to do more research on DOT5.1 first.

Uh no

Quote, originally posted by joe603 »

I would guess that DOT3 fluid for brakes is not optimal either, but you don't notice the effects...stopping distance might increase 5-10 feet in panic stops, but you wouldn't notice that in every day driving.

Uh no

I'm one of those guys that buys the namebrand/top of the line stuff if it's worth while. Kinda like Synthetic over Dino.

And yes....I just checked my slave cylinder, and grrr....I have have the same mucky brown diarrhea yumminess in mine. So yup...I'll be flushing it tomorrow or this weekend.

Great Thread BTW

and a little info.....

DOT 5.1
Should not be confused with DOT 5, a silicone based fluid.

DOT 5.1 is one of several designations of brake fluid denoting a particular mixture of chemicals imparting specified ranges of boiling point.

In the United States, all brake fluids must meet federal standard #116. Under this standard there are three Department of Transportation (DOT) minimal specifications for brake fluid. They are DOT 3, DOT 4, and DOT 5.1.

DOT 5.1, like DOT 3 and DOT 4, is a polyethylene glycol-based fluid (contrasted with DOT 5 which is silicone-based). Fluids such as DOT 5.1 are hygroscopic and will absorb water from the atmosphere. This degrades the fluid's performance by drastically reducing its boiling point. In a passenger car this is not much of an issue, but can be of serious concerns in racecars ( like the G35! or motorcycles.

As of 2006, most cars produced in the U.S. use DOT 3 brake fluid.

Boiling points

Minimal boiling points for these specifications are as follows:
Boiling Point Ranges Dry Boiling Point Wet Boiling Point
DOT 3 205°C (401°F) 140°C (284°F)
DOT 4 230°C (446°F) 155°C (311°F)
DOT 5 260°C (500°F) 180°C (356°F) <-------the don't mix one, cause silicone instead of polyethylene glycol- based like the others
DOT 5.1 270°C (518°F) 191°C (375°F)

http://www.buybrakes.com/store/MOTUL-8070HCM

Black 2006 G35 Sedan 6MT w/ Aero Package - Shark Fin - 19 inch Rims off the Coupe - JWT Pop Charger - Z Tube - 350z HR Y Pipe - Coupe Mid Pipe - Black Side Markers - 15% tint all the way around - Polk Audio DB1000 Tweeters - Royal Purple 5w-30 Synthetic - And a 170lb Fat Man!

I am not sure how much you actually know about the mechanics of cars, but the statement that clutch fluid gets as hot as brake fluid makes no sense.

It doesnt. Brake fluid gets hot because the fluid runs into the brake calipers. When a vehicle is braking the energy of the vehicle is being converted to thermal energy at the contact point of the brake pads and rotors. In other words, heat transfer is what stops a car. The more you brake, or harder you try to stop the hotter the brake componants get.

The clutch fluid system works nothing like the brake system. The clutch componants and flywheel are somewhat hot when somebody rides the clutch and causes undo friction. Also those componants are slightly warm already because they are bolted to the crank. However the fluid never touches the clutch or flywheel. The closest the fluid gets to the clutch is the outside of the bellhousing, and on a RWD car the inside of the bellhousing is hollow. The transmission will get warms because it is always moving, but it doesnt touch the slave cylinder or the fluid on a G35.

The path of heat transfer from the clutch to the fluid is this: Pressure plate, release bearing, release bearing sleave, clutch fork/lever, push rod in slave cylinder, then to the fluid. So the heat has to travel through a bearing, a thin piece of metal (fork), and an 1/8th inch push rod before it reaches any fluid. Not to mention the slave cylinder is located outside the transmission so it is cooled by the air. How does this manage to equal near boiling brake fluid? Granted I will give you that the clutch fluid piping does run through the engine bay, but that means it will only soak some of the heat given off by the engine, and while it is hot under the hood, its not that hot.

Therefore shifting regardless of RPM, the fluid shouldnt be any hotter or cooler except for the heat the engine is making under the hood at those temps. I cannot explain your pedal problems, but I have been around plenty of cars that do not have the problem you reported.

Onto fluids. The bottom line here is that Nissan/Infiniti says that DOT3 is fine. Its not like 4 is somehow greatly superior to 4, 4 just has a higher boiling point. Higher boiling points are great and all, but 99% of drivers never heat up their brakes enough on the street to warrant the temps the 4 can provide for.

Fluid is fluid, it cannot help stop a car in a shorter distance because of its higher boiling properties, unless you are comparing stopping when fluid is cold vs stopping with overheated fluid. You are trying to stop a vehicle of a given weight. The BEST way to make a car stop in shorter distances is to drop its weight. Other factors such as upgraded brakes, better tires, properly inflated tires, and ambiant condition will help stop in shorter distances. The higher boiling temps help when you are looking for performance on the track because the fluid will hold its properties better, longer. I am not sure how it would help in panic stops, unless you are doing multiple panic stops in a row, thus heating up the brakes.

DOT 5 and 5.1 are options, but there are other things to take into consideration. Water and contaminants cause lower boiling temps. Since DOT3 and 4 are at least a small percent water they are capable of absorbing it a little better than 5 which just isolates the fluid. This causes corrosion issues inside the lines. DOT5 can also break down greases and cause other problems in the system, these become contaminants and obviously lower boiling temps. One other thing to consider is that once you add silicone based 5, you will never fully remove it from your system if you switch back to 3 or 4.

Now just for reference I use ATE Super Blue Racing Fluid (DOT4), in my 240SX. Its blue which makes proper bleeding of the system easy. Bleed the fluid, you know you've bled the system once the fluid goes from yellowisg orange to blue.

*I did not proofread this after typing...