BLACK BRAKE FLUID

[Prf]

Hello to all,recently my 800gs had to have the rear brake fluid changed due to its colour.It was black while the front was the normal light straw colour.Any body got any views on the cause of this? .bike is 9 months old and has 3500mls.It was serviced at 600miles .Any info as to what caused this or if its a recurring thing is appreciated.

 

[AberdeenAngus]

Brake fluid can darken but it normally takes a couple of years.
It may be contaminated.
Get it changed and keep an eye on it.

If bike is only 9 months old I would expect the dealer to change it at next service free of charge.

 

[Shep]

My clutch fluid on my 12GSA turned black, this co-incided with a slave cylinder failure, I can't say what came first, but I don't understand if the slave cylinder changedthe colour of the fluid how did that black get to the master cylinder??

Shep

 

[GunZenBomZ]

Welcome Furby, get your mullah out & subscribe

No need to shout your thread! Get bmw to change it as it's not suppose to do that & a friend told you so

 

[sockpuppet]

AFAIK the brake fluid darkens the more moisture is in it.

Maybe worth a look at how the cap on the rear resivoir was sealed.

 

[Blobby]

My rear brake fluid is dark brown too and it was only serviced last week (6k, 9 months) at BVM in Stroud and they did not change it hence I assumed it was ok to be that colour

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

I had this happen on an old bike of mine (low mileage/fluid discolouring over a very short period of time).

Turned out to be a cracked/perished hose on the low pressure side (reservoir to master cylinder). I replaced the hose and fluid and all remained well.

Might be worth checking.

Andres

 

[Bullwinkle]

Different Stuff??

The rear fluid on my 650 is dark, and has been since new. I assumed that it was different stuff from the factory, but the specs call for the same Dot 4 fluid when changed. I've never seen standard Dot 4 turn that dark so quickly. As this is my second year with the bike, it's time to change both anyway.

Any owners of new bikes out there that can verify if front and back are the same or different colours?

 

[Fazza]

Yep, my (800GS 5000m) rear brake fluid is darker than the front, will mention it next time in the shop...

 

[Klanky]

OK....mention to the shop.....but is it causing you a problem? (apart from cosmetic?)

 

[GrumpySimes]

My rear brake fluid has turned a muddy brown colour, I mentioned it to BMW early this week whilst it was having it's 6k service, they've agreed it's not right and will be replacing it this morning (along with a warped rear disc)
They're not clear what's caused it though...

 

[ide508]

When I bought my 800 Gs (1200km) the rear brake fluid was darker than the front one whom was perfectly clear.
Upon the Bmw yearly maintenance they have change the fluid and now both are perfectly clear...

 

[cusi]

This is a very common problem with the F800 series, exact cause is unknown but it would appear that after the first fluid change the colour then remains as it should ie straw.

Do a search on

http://f800riders.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=56

There is plenty of discussion on this subject.

 

[GrumpySimes]

My rear brake fluid has turned a muddy brown colour, I mentioned it to BMW early this week whilst it was having it's 6k service, they've agreed it's not right and will be replacing it this morning (along with a warped rear disc)
They're not clear what's caused it though...

Edit: They've taken a second look and decided that it's not necessary to change it before it's first yearly service.

 

[cusi]

Edit: They've taken a second look and decided that it's not necessary to change it before it's first yearly service.

That's because you will be hit with the bill.

 

[GrumpySimes]

That's because you will be hit with the bill.

Maybe, I did take a look at both their demonstrator and a 2nd hand bike in the showroom and they both looked identical to mine. So I'm not overly concerned.

 

[nosha]

Mine were both 'straw' colour when I bought the bike - exdemo' 2mths old 2.5k, now 3.5mths old and 3.6k and the rear is black!!!

As the cap is on tight and everyone else's has also gone black I think it's caused by staining from the low pressure hose running from the resevoir to the brake cylinder, hence once the dye/black pigment has leached out of the hose it doesn't happen again if you change the fluid... but I could be wrong, after all I'm not a complete idiot... bits of me are missing!!

 

[John Armstrong]

Just had the rear brake fluid changed from the old black to a straw coloured version in the recent 12k service.

 

[GS Biker]

Mine were both 'straw' colour when I bought the bike - exdemo' 2mths old 2.5k, now 3.5mths old and 3.6k and the rear is black!!!

As the cap is on tight and everyone else's has also gone black I think it's caused by staining from the low pressure hose running from the resevoir to the brake cylinder, hence once the dye/black pigment has leached out of the hose it doesn't happen again if you change the fluid... but I could be wrong, after all I'm not a complete idiot... bits of me are missing!!

Sounds like a logical conclusion; I shall go out and check mine in a little while!

 

[nosha]

Replaced the rear fluid (easier to top up if you remove the res' retaining screw and pull it away from the frame) and it has stayed clear/straw so I think my original guess may have been right - pigment leaching out of rubber tube. Will let you know if it returns to black.

Have others who have changed the fluid noticed if it's turned black again?