Guest JDHolmes Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 I knew that radiator water and engine water would eventually evaporate from a car left to sit for a long period of time.But, would one expect trans fluid and brake fluid to evaporate also??My 55 wagon was down six quarts of trans fluid and four cylinders of brake fluid. Replaced the fluids and all is good. Neither system appears to have leaked previously though I can imagine based on the quantity of oil in the engine compartment that regular fluid maintenance was not high on the previous owners list. Nor do I know how long it sat before I bought it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Wolk Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 Just a couple of thoughts. Brake fluid can appear to disappear when, in reality, the resevior is low because of brake wear. This is especially true of disc brakes. Another possibility is that brake fluid is leaking into the master cylinder and collecting there. A small leak can allow brake fluid to be sucked into the vacuum system and burned up with the fuel.Trans fluid can also be sucked into the vacuum system if the shift mechanism is vacuum controlled. It can also leak into the radiator if the internal trans cooler has a leak, although its more likely that coolant would leak into the trans fluid due to higher operating pressure.Some greases do evaporate. The bearings on my '51 Royal Spartanette were bone dry but clean as a whistle. They had obviously lubricated at some point as they showed no wear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest De Soto Frank Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 JD,Brake fluid (DOT-3) will evaporate from the older "open" systems ( pre-1966 or so)...The older brake fluids were compounded from various esters and alcohols, and would evaporate over long periods. The old master cylinders had a small ( 1/16") vent hole drilled in the filler cap, to prevent vacuum from forming on the fluid in the reservoir.If the brake system went mostly or completely dry, you should probably plan on a complete rebuild... definitely pull the MC and WCs apart and check for corrosion... if your wagon lived in an arid part of Texas all its life, the brake system may have escaped serious internal corrosion...Check it out, none-the-less...I completely rebuilt the brakes in my Grandad's '54 Chevy pick-up around 1983, and I drove the truck regularly before parking it around 1992. Now I'm beginning to juggle the antiques that are still at Mom & Dad's, and I got the '54 running again... the MC was completely dry (evaporation )... I filled up the MC, and worked the brake pedal by hand, watching the bubbles percolate up through the reservoir. I kept tickling the pedal until the bubbling ceased, and I seemed to have fairly decent pedal; it has held-up for at least six months.This is okay for moving the truck around the yard, but I will most definitely pull the brake system down for a complete inspection and any necessary repairs before this bucket goes back out on the roads...I think Ford was one of the first companies to come up with a "sealed" master cylinder; I think it was around 1960 - these were the MC's that had the big (3 or 4" ) screw-on cap with the tall dome and a rubber "bladder" inside that flexed with changes in fluid level in the MC but acted as a vapor barrier between the fluid and the atmosphere.As for the tranny losing fluid, that was probably a leak... ATF doesn't usually evaporate...If the car sat idle for many, many years, the fluid probably leaked-out early-on till the fluid level was at or just below the leak-point.The early Hydramatics with the fluid filler in the flooboard ARE vented to the atmosphere, like the MC, so it is remotely possible that some evaporation could've occured, but I think it would have to have been a mighty hot climate to cause this... expect to find some leaks instead...Good luck ! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JDHolmes Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 Didn't get the opporunity to bleed the brakes yesterday due to rain, but I had opened the valves for gravity to pushout some air. No leaks though when I filled up the MC several times and filled the lines. I shall rebuild them if I get any issues with them upon bleeding.I thought the tranny might have a leak also, but not a drop on the driveway nor on the transmission itself. This car was a Utah car and before that an Idaho car so I doubt the heat created issues.Maybe it's just my luck with older cars...I get the strange stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrpushbutton Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 I have seen old dot-3 brake fluid turn into what looks like crumbly Jello. Big stem-to-stern brake job needed there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest De Soto Frank Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 I've seen lots of that too...Strangest thing I've seen brake-wise was when I pulled apart the wheel cylinders on a '34 International C-35 beverage truck, which had probably been parked since WW II... all the brake fluid had turned to a black tarry mass, like extra thick King syrup... but once I disolved that with 2+2, the cylinder bores and pistons were all in excellent shape - no pitting anywhere !This is the ONLY old vehicle I've gone into where the hydraulic cylinders were not pitted...Don't know what what different about 1930's brake fluid, but it preserved the metal innards of this system... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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