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Looking And Checking Your Brake Fluid


Looking And Checking Your Brake Fluid

Tracy Dawson
June 7, 2006

Your car would not be able to stop as rapidly as you would like it to if it did not contain the right amount of brake fluid in its braking system. You see, the brake fluid found inside your car is actually a type of hydraulic fluid. It is used mainly in brake applications in your car’s braking system.

Its main function is that it actually transfers the force under pressure. It starts out from the hydraulic lines and goes up until it reaches the braking mechanism which is mainly found near the wheels of your car. That is why when you push on the brakes of your wheels, your car comes to a halt or simply slows down. Brake fluids work best because they are not compressible. Of course, you should keep in mind that these applications should be quite hot so as to be able to work effectively.

So as to ensure that you would not be having a hard time when you need to actually slow down or stop your vehicle, you should always keep in mind to check your brake fluid when you go through the other fluids in your car. You would need not worry though because checking the brake fluid is simple and easy to do.

To do so, you should first locate your car’s brake master cylinder. This is usually located under the hood and near the driver’s side of your car. It looks like a rectangular piece of metal that measures around 6 inches by 2 inches and it has a plastic reservoir that holds a rubber cap on top. You would also notice that it has small tubes leading from it.

If your car is new, you would see that the reservoir is actually translucent so that you don’t have to open the cap to check the fluid level. Take note that the fluid should be on the ‘Full’ line. Make sure that you add the fluid up until the line. And also, you should be putting the right kind of brake fluid. If you do not know the right kind of fluid for your car, try checking your owner’s manual.

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