{"id":7786,"date":"2020-03-11T09:11:12","date_gmt":"2020-03-11T16:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogv2prod.wpenginepowered.com\/blog\/?p=7786"},"modified":"2024-06-04T20:03:33","modified_gmt":"2024-06-05T03:03:33","slug":"what-does-brake-fluid-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-brake-fluid-do\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Brake Fluid and What Does it Do?"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><style>.kadence-column_1f50a4-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_1f50a4-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_1f50a4-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_1f50a4-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_1f50a4-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_1f50a4-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_1f50a4-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_1f50a4-e0{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_1f50a4-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_1f50a4-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_1f50a4-e0 qk-look-widget\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ultimate-post-row ultp-block-2f748e  qk-main-wrap\"><div class=\"ultp-row-wrapper\"><div class=\"ultp-row-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ultimate-post-column ultp-block-de333e\"><div class=\"ultp-column-wrapper\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_13d902-15, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_13d902-15[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_13d902-15\"]{text-align:center;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_13d902-15 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_13d902-15[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_13d902-15\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-family:Inter;font-weight:500;font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_13d902-15 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_13d902-15[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_13d902-15\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"kt-adv-heading_13d902-15 summary-title wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_13d902-15\"><span>Summary<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Brake fluid is used to transfer the energy from the depressed brake pedal to the brake calipers.<\/li><li>One of the best ways to prolong your brake system is to get your brake fluid flushed and replaced regularly.<\/li><li>Brake fluid should be changed once every two years or every 3,000 miles.<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>One of the best ways to ensure the health of your brake components is to get your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/brake-fluid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"brake fluid\">brake fluid<\/a> changed regularly. While you may not feel a difference after a brake fluid flush, it will help you maximize the service life of your brake parts and save you from costly repairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Does Brake Fluid Do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Brake fluid is a hydraulic agent formulated to protect your vehicle&rsquo;s metal brake components from moisture and corrosion. It is a polyglycol (polyalkylene-glycol-ether) mixture that is clear to amber in color. The main purpose of this fluid is to transfer the energy from the depressed pedal to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/brake-caliper\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"brake calipers\">brake calipers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/modern-car-brake-fluid-reservoir-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"modern car brake fluid reservoir\" class=\"wp-image-76898\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/modern-car-brake-fluid-reservoir-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/modern-car-brake-fluid-reservoir-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/modern-car-brake-fluid-reservoir-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/modern-car-brake-fluid-reservoir-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/modern-car-brake-fluid-reservoir-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/modern-car-brake-fluid-reservoir-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/modern-car-brake-fluid-reservoir-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/modern-car-brake-fluid-reservoir.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption>Brake fluid is a hydraulic agent formulated to protect your vehicle&rsquo;s metal brake components from moisture and corrosion.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) have established specification standards for automotive brake fluid. They must have a high boiling point, a low freezing point, and they must not damage rubber parts within the brake system. All products must meet the specifications listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 116.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Does a Car Need Brake Fluid?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Nearly all cars use brake fluid to activate the brakes. Because the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/a-short-course-on-brakes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"braking system\">braking system<\/a> uses a liquid to create force, it&rsquo;s known as a hydraulic system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you apply the brake pedal, a device called the master cylinder transfers force from your foot to the brake fluid. In vehicles that use the ABS hydraulic control unit as a master cylinder, it&rsquo;s the hydraulic ABS pump that transfers the force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From there, the pressurized fluid flows to a brake caliper (or wheel cylinder in a drum brake system) at each wheel. The fluid forces the caliper to squeeze the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/brake-pad-set\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"brake pads\">brake pads<\/a> against the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/brake-disc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"rotor\">rotor<\/a> or push the wheel cylinders against the brake shoes and into the drum. This creates the friction needed to slow your wheels down and bring them to a stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brake fluid needs to have a high boiling point in order to avoid vaporization and has to be incompressible for the system to properly work. When the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/low-brake-fluid-symptoms-plus-when-to-change-and-faq\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"level of brake fluid is low\">level of brake fluid is low<\/a>, depressing the brake pedal may not activate the brake caliper or wheel cylinder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">DOT Brake Fluid<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The brake fluid is hygroscopic, which means it can absorb moisture. The US Department of Transportation (DOT) issues the standards for all motorized vehicle brake fluids in the country and rates them by their base component.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are four types of hydraulic brake fluid: DOT 3, DOT 4, DOT 5, and DOT 5.1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">DOT 3 Brake Fluid<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>DOT 3 brake fluid is glycol-based and is the most common type of brake fluid. It is relatively cheap due to its low boiling point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"article-search-widget\">\n<div class=\"cp-search\">\n<div align=\"center\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cld.partsimg.com\/image\/upload\/w_auto,dpr_auto\/carparts\/logos\/badge_wordmark\/full_color\/CP_LOGO_COLOUR_RGB\" alt=\"CarParts.com\" width=\"300\" height=\"56\">\n<\/div>\n<form id=\"cpsearchform\" name=\"cpsearchform\" action=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/search\" method=\"get\" target=\"_blank\" accept-charset=\"character_set\" aria-label=\"search CarParts.com\">\n    <input type=\"text\" class=\"keyword\" name=\"q\" placeholder=\"Search for parts on CarParts.com\" value=\"\" aria-label=\"Search CarParts.com\"><input type=\"submit\" class=\"btn-search\" value=\"Search\" aria-label=\"Search\">\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">DOT 4 Brake Fluid<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This type of brake fluid is also glycol-based. It has a higher boiling point than DOT 3 brake fluid and has moisture resistance properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">DOT 5 Brake Fluid<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>DOT 5 brake fluid is silicone-based and works well at resisting moisture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One thing to note about this type is that it can&rsquo;t be mixed with the glycol-based DOT 3 and DOT 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">DOT 5.1 Brake Fluid<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>DOT 5.1 is a non-silicone-based polyglycol fluid. Like DOT 5, it works well at resisting moisture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is made with a polyglycol base that gives it a dry boiling point that&rsquo;s over 500&ordm;F.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This brake fluid can be mixed with DOT 3 and DOT 4 fluid (when the vehicle manufacturer specifies that doing so is safe).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Brake Fluid Boiling Point: Dry and Wet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Brake fluid has two boiling point ratings: dry and wet. The dry boiling point pertains to the boiling point of fresh brake fluid in an unopened container. The wet boiling point, on the other hand, refers to the fluid&rsquo;s boiling point after it has accumulated water, which begins at the start of its service life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"blg-block\" role=\"presentation\"><tbody><tr><td>Brake Fluid Type<\/td><td>Dry Boiling Point<\/td><td>Wet Boiling Point<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>DOT 3<\/td><td>401 degrees Fahrenheit<\/td><td>284 degrees Fahrenheit<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>DOT 4<\/td><td>446 degrees Fahrenheit<\/td><td>311 degrees Fahrenheit<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>DOT 5<\/td><td>500 degrees Fahrenheit<\/td><td>356 degrees Fahrenheit<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>DOT 5.1<\/td><td>500-600 degrees Fahrenheit<\/td><td>356+ degrees Fahrenheit<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When to Change Your Brake Fluid<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/refilling-brake-fluid-1024x767.jpeg\" alt=\"topping up a car's brake fluid\" class=\"wp-image-7795\" width=\"1024\" height=\"767\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/refilling-brake-fluid-1024x767.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/refilling-brake-fluid-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/refilling-brake-fluid-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/refilling-brake-fluid.jpeg 1521w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption>Most vehicle manufacturers recommend changing the brake fluid as part of routine maintenance.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Most vehicle manufacturers recommend changing the brake fluid as part of routine maintenance. On average, it is changed every two years or every 30,000 miles, whichever comes first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The owner&rsquo;s manual has all the information you need&ndash;from the type of brake fluid compatible with your vehicle to the manufacturer&rsquo;s recommended service interval. By changing your brake fluid on schedule, you can prevent premature wear and corrosion damage caused by contaminated brake fluid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n    {\n        \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"QAPage\",\n        \"mainEntity\": {\n            \"@type\": \"Question\",\n            \"name\": \"What is Brake Fluid and What Does it Do?\",\n            \"text\": \"What is Brake Fluid and What Does it Do?\",\n            \"answerCount\": 1,\n            \"upvoteCount\": 0,\n            \"dateCreated\": \"2020-03-11T16:11:12Z\",\n            \"dateModified\": \"2023-04-19T12:13:55Z\",\n            \"author\": {\n                \"@type\": \"Person\",\n                \"name\": \"A user\"\n            },\n            \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n                \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n                \"text\": \"Brake fluid is a hydraulic agent formulated to protect your vehicle&rsquo;s metal brake components from moisture and corrosion. It is a polyglycol (polyalkylene-glycol-ether) mixture that is clear to amber in color. The main purpose of this fluid is to transfer the energy from the depressed pedal to the brake calipers.\",\n                \"upvoteCount\": 0,\n                \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-brake-fluid-do\/\",\n                \"dateCreated\": \"2020-03-11T09:11:00Z\",\n               \"author\": [{\n                    \"@type\": \"Person\",\n                    \"name\": \"William Guzenski, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician\"\n                  },\n                  {\n                    \"@type\": \"Person\",\n                    \"name\": \"CarParts.com Research Team\"\n                }]\n            }\n        }\n    }\n<\/script>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>One of the best ways to ensure the health of your brake components is to get your brake fluid changed&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-brake-fluid-do\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7793,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3749,52],"tags":[841,918,3609,1174],"ppma_author":[2607,3742],"class_list":{"0":"post-7786","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-braking-system","8":"category-diy","9":"tag-brake-caliper","10":"tag-brake-disc","11":"tag-brake-fluid-2","12":"tag-brake-pad-set-2","13":"entry"},"acf":{"adrotate_specific_mobile_ad":"","adrotate_specific_desktop_ad":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What is Brake Fluid and What Does it Do? - In The Garage with CarParts.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ever wonder how a hydraulic system uses brake fluid to put your vehicle to a stop? Learn about the importance of brake fluid in this article.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-brake-fluid-do\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is Brake Fluid and What Does it Do? - In The Garage with CarParts.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ever wonder how a hydraulic system uses brake fluid to put your vehicle to a stop? Learn about the importance of brake fluid in this article.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-brake-fluid-do\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"In The Garage with CarParts.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-03-11T16:11:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-05T03:03:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/brake-fluid.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1516\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1011\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/what-does-brake-fluid-do\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/what-does-brake-fluid-do\\\/\"},\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"$id\":\"4\",\"name\":\"CarParts.com Research Team\",\"jobTitle\":\"Expert Automotive Writer\",\"description\":\"The CarParts.com Research Team is composed of experienced automotive and tech writers working with (ASE)-certified automobile technicians and automotive journalists to bring up-to-date, helpful information to car owners in the US. 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