Have you seen my brake fluid?

Ok so this morning I got up and was heading to the gym and when i released my parking brake the light stayed on. I tested it to see if it may have been stuck since it was 27 degrees out and it seemed to be released. So slightly caffeinated I headed out for some early morning cardio . While there I decided I needed to google my new found problem which lead me to another forum with a member almost in an identical situation...almost down to the degree. Anyway someone had recommended to check the fluid level so I kept that thread opened on my phone and while i was letting the truck warm up again I grabbed my flashlight and checked. Sure enough I am on the Min. mark. Ok so now fast forward to the Walmart parking lot. I bought some new fluid to fill it up and thought lets check the lines and make sure it isn't leaking and it wasn't. At work one of the many prior auto mechanics said thats a good sign your pads are going down so after I got off work I did a brief check...like yup there is material there and its not the backing of the pads digging into my rotors that is stopping me. Well now I am like Where the F did it go??? I don't check those fluids like at all really because this is a freaking Toyota Tundra not a 83 Chevy 3/4 ton.

So how often should you have to add fluid? Besides the obvious when its on the Min mark.

The last time my truck was in for service was for the 15,000 mile back in Jan. I did the oil change at 20,000(really 18500) because I was out of Toyota care. They noted the pads at 8mm back then. That was at just under 14k and its now just over 20k.

So if its not leaking....and I still have brake pads....where did it go????

 

probably from the cold.

 

Maybe con one of the prior mechanics from your work to go out to your truck and check the brake fluid level. Maybe take the cap off the reservoir to do so. My 2011 has over 60k on it and I haven't run through a set of pads yet, but I have noticed that clean brake fluid on a the newer trucks, say a 2015, is tricky to get a good read on because it's so clean and nearly clear looking.

 

yeah i get that since it was right on the line(and parked on a hill). as the fluid warmed and i got on flat ground it would go out. I wish I would have looked more when I did the oil change in August. Oh well. Ill keep an eye on it more now and see what happens.

 

Checking it isn't the issue. It was a lot clearer then i thought but i just shinned the light from the other side and it was a lot easier to see where the line was...it being pitch black and 3am didn't help. I was more worried about if it was full and there are no leaks and its not the pads causing the calipers to have to travel further requiring more fluid...where the heck did it go? oh well since I haven't been paying attention to it. I have no idea when the level started to drop. So I guess now that I am the one doing the maintenance i will start detailing it like i do with my quads and street bikes.

 

Run the engine, and hold a HARD brake application for a minute or so. Then look over all lines, calipers, around the ABS modulator pump... for leaks. If OK, monitor it and see what happens.

 

Ok. I will try this either tonight or tomorrow morning.

 

Yup clear as mud... i mean that makes perfect sense. I didn't know if the amount of fluid between the Max and Min was the exact amount of fluid it would have required to go from full pad thickness to time to replace the pads or not. I just so happen to be planning to go to the local Les Schwab to get an alignment and my tire balance checked(trying to buy another year before I need new ones and to allow me time to do gears this year) so I will have them measure the pad thickness. I will admit that this being the weekend before Christmas and it being cold as can be outside and raining that I don't feel like taking my 35's off the truck to measure the pads.

The crazy thing is I have talked to about a dozen people that don't know each other and in different places....but all of them have said 20k miles...well you have 35's so maybe its getting close to time to replace them. I am thinking about switching to maybe Green EBC's next. I shouldn't need rotors with this change but next time maybe going slotted. I am planning on going 37's next.

 

I would be guessing but i think i am in the 5-6mm area. But that was trying to feel through my rim. Maybe less. I only put about 7k on the truck in this last year. Commuting with the wife's Camry and my KTM ate up the majority of my 65 mile a day commute for work. If i do the same this year then I should have no problem getting that life out of the current pads and my tires....assuming I am close on my guess for pad thickness. But I will be checking all my fluids at least once a month from here on out.

 

That is becoming a Sunday afternoon thing. Since I have stopped watching the NFL , I spend most of that time either under the hood or detailing the truck. Vehicle get's a good once over at least once a month and usually every other weekend. Small, easy fix's become expensive problems if not caught soon enough.

 

Does DOT 3 work in our trucks (2nd gen)?

 

Disregard. Cap says DOT 3.