Since I put LS1 brakes on the front of my car I have noticed my brake fluid is getting a lot of dirt and debris. I drive my car at road race tracks and after a weekend on the track the brake fluid looks very dark, almost black. I thought it was overheating but this is not what is happening. It is dark from "dirt" or sediments of some kind floating in the brake fluid. The fluid also seems to have metal particles in it making it look like silver paint has been mixed in. After a few weeks, this sediment settles to the bottom of the master cylinder resevoir and the brake fluid returns to a near normal brown color.

Is anyone else with LS1 or other aluminum calipers noticing this?

 

I can only assume your lines are dirty...did you rebuild the calipers?

Ed

 

Hi Ed.

I have one used caliper from a salvage yard (not rebuilt) and one rebuilt caliper that I put on when the I found the other used caliper was defective. I thought the silver powder like debris may be coming from the rebuilt caliper but I can't quite understand how it is making it all the way from the caliper up to the master cylinder reservoir. The source of the other gunk has me mystified. This didn't happen when I had the stock single piston calipers on the car. I would get some of the dark colored gunk in the brake fluid but even after 3 or 4 weekends at the track the brake fluid still did not look as bad as it does after 1 weekend with the LS1 calipers.

Chuck

 

I found the same silver stuff in a pair of calipers I just recently rebuilt. I don't know what it is, or what it's for, but it was in there all over the dust boots on the inside. It cleaned up OK...I don't know what or how stuff goes back up into the master...you got me.


Ed

 

The darkining of the fuild could be from stuff getting in the fluid. I had this same problem, and I found out one of my bleeder screws wasn't sealing all the way. So it would kind of burp and suck in air and debri. I replaced it and flushed my whole brake set up. The debri and silver stuff ( probably aluminum dust ) could get to the master cylinder resivoir if you have air in the system and it bubbles up to the master cylinder resivoir. This happend after I replaced my rear end, when I took of my calipers in the rear. As i was bleeding the system I could see debri flowing up out of the bottom of the resivoir holes, thats why I flushed it. Hope this helps.

 

Yes it does...thanks Doc..

Ed