[W126 Coupe] BRAKE FLUID CHANGE

[Dick Spellman]

Bruce:

Comments and instructions I collected from another list resulted in an easy
'one man' brake fluid change up and are as follows.

You need a Motive Brake Bleeder available at www.trackhouse.com (you want
the one for European cars and it's $44.95 and works with all Mercedes) The
owner is very knowledgeable and ships fast.
You need 2 liters or so of Dot 4 PLUS brake fluid from a local store for the
two MB's.
You need a container with short hose to attach to each brake caliper for
observing color of old fluid, air and eventual new fluid and for stowing the
old fluid.  I used a 2 foot piece of tubing from local ACE hardware store.
I then poured the old (waste) brake fluid into the former new Dot4PLUS
containers and returned to the store where I purchased for proper recycling
at no charge...

Drain off what you can from the master cylinder reservoir and then pour in
fresh Dot4Plus, screw on the motive cap having filled the motive canister
with a liter of fresh dot4, pump it up watching the gauge then start with
right rear, left rear, right front, ending with driver's (left) front.  Tip
the motive canister so the pick-up hose is out of the fluid on the last
wheel so that the master cylinder reservoir is drained down a bit.  When
done, release the canister pressure first then remove the motive cap from
the brake master cylinder reservoir and you'll have no spills where the
fluid is at or below the max fill line using the 'tip' procedure mentioned
above.  Top things up and you are done.

With ABS I found the fluid moved well at 25-28 lbs working pressure, when it
falls below 22 it just about stops.  Just my experience on the 90 300SE's
(2).  I am doing the SEC once I scuff up and apply the new noisefree pad
paste that everyone swears by for stopping brake squeal.

Dick