The Automotive Thread
- Thread starter envirotex
- Start date
Help Support Professional Engineer & PE Exam Forum:
Jbone27 PE
PE
I haven't either. It's a hydraulic system not a lubricant. $100 isn't terrible if it needs to be done I've just never even heard of it being checked for clean or dirty.
Yes, brake fluid gets dirty and absorbs moisture (at least DOT 3/4 do). Unless you're driving to the point of overheating your brakes which is highly unlikely except in performance driving/racing conditions, it makes zero difference. If you want to have it flushed, the time to do it is when you're having your brakes serviced which will cut down on the labor.
Having a car that came with a 1.3L rotary engine but now has a NASCAR cup engine in it, I can't exactly buy off the shelf exhaust headers. For this motor, I need 1 7/8" diameter primaries for the header tubing, which as luck would have it, is pretty darn close to 1.5" sch. 40 PVC pipe...
I did a full mockup of the driver's side in PVC using standard 45 or 90 bends wherever possible, and now have the lengthy process of transferring to steel. It takes some calibrated eyeballs to get some of the lengths and turns right when you transfer the shape, but as you can see, you can get pretty darn close (not sure why EB flips the orientation on the photos).
The first picture is a little jig that I made. It's the same centerline radius of the tube bends, and when you lay the bend over the paper template, it lets you scribe a line on the top of the tube that's straight and perpendicular to it anywhere along the bend. If you get this wrong, once cut on the bandsaw, you end up with an oval end that doesn't butt up properly for welding and skews the angle of the adjacent tube. This is a long, painstaking pain in the ass, but it's about $150 in materials for DIY vs. $1500 for custom.
I did a full mockup of the driver's side in PVC using standard 45 or 90 bends wherever possible, and now have the lengthy process of transferring to steel. It takes some calibrated eyeballs to get some of the lengths and turns right when you transfer the shape, but as you can see, you can get pretty darn close (not sure why EB flips the orientation on the photos).
The first picture is a little jig that I made. It's the same centerline radius of the tube bends, and when you lay the bend over the paper template, it lets you scribe a line on the top of the tube that's straight and perpendicular to it anywhere along the bend. If you get this wrong, once cut on the bandsaw, you end up with an oval end that doesn't butt up properly for welding and skews the angle of the adjacent tube. This is a long, painstaking pain in the ass, but it's about $150 in materials for DIY vs. $1500 for custom.
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2018
- Messages
- 9,037
- Reaction score
- 5,050
I got cocky asking about changing brake fluid...
Master slacker
Something awesome.
I don't think brake fluid will fix that
jeb6294
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2018
- Messages
- 9,037
- Reaction score
- 5,050
I mean, it was a herd of school children, so there is a bonus point value! Isn't it amazing how much damage can be done under 10 MPH?
Master slacker
Something awesome.
the brakes look fine. The car didn't stop in time
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2018
- Messages
- 9,037
- Reaction score
- 5,050
Hit/rear-ended another car. It's raining/misting here this morning and a guy merged quickly into my lane and then slammed on the brakes (because it was early morning NY traffic and traffic randomly stops for no reason). I had space before this guy randomly switched lanes, but he obviously reduced that pretty quickly. I braked, but the rain kept me going forward even with ABS. I swerved/was able to get my car changing direction enough so only one side of my bumper got crunched instead of going directly into his back end.
I mean, it's a car, and I'm okay. It's already at an auto body shop. GEICO is coming out tomorrow to look at it; hopefully they say it can be repaired instead of total because KBB says it's about $11.5k in value...but mostly because I don't feel like going through the car buying process again so soon (little over 2 years I've had this car, and I bought new because I use my cars until they die/reach over 250k).
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2018
- Messages
- 9,037
- Reaction score
- 5,050
Wait....I just realized something. They're going to have to test the brake system to see if it's okay! I will get my brake fluid flushed most likely!
*always look on the bright side of life begins playing in the background*
*always look on the bright side of life begins playing in the background*
Ble_PE
I need a beer.
Actually, they'll see that you haven't flushed your brake fluid and it's dirty, so that means they won't pay the claim. 
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2018
- Messages
- 9,037
- Reaction score
- 5,050
Literally this. I’m just dreading potential car shopping. Because on Long Island there are seven Toyota dealerships within a half hour of my location and they’re terrifyingly aggressive in this super saturated market.Actually, they'll see that you haven't flushed your brake fluid and it's dirty, so that means they won't pay the claim.
snickerd3
Taking suggestions
use that you your advantage. do your online research about pricing/options then play them off each other. you can almost literally walk to the next one.Literally this. I’m just dreading potential car shopping. Because on Long Island there are seven Toyota dealerships within a half hour of my location and they’re terrifyingly aggressive in this super saturated market.
Master slacker
Something awesome.
TBH, that damage doesn't look to be something that would "total" a car. Did your airbags go off? Those are expensive to replace. If it's just a hood, frame straightening, light, bumper, and paint, it should be fine. For comparo, my wife's 2002 Rav4 (look the book value up for that) with 186k miles got hit on the passenger side door and crumpled it, the pillar, and passenger side front quarter panel. Got the pillar repaired, door replaced, resprayed, re-pinstriped the entire passenger side, and replaced the quarter panel... not totaled. Good luck.
