Why I NO Longer Recommend this Brake Fluid Tester / No need to Waste your Money
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- Опубліковано 1 сер 2024
- Here's why I no longer recommend this tester for brake fluid, no need to waste your money on this brake conductivity tester. This brake fluid tester review demonstrates the flaw in how conductivity testers handle moisture and brake fluid or brake fluid and water. I also touch on alternative methods for testing brake fluid; brake fluid strips and boiling point testers. Are brake fluid testers accurate? I test unopened brake fluid bottles using a conductivity tester and draw parallels to other methods. Accuracy is a must for testers for brake fluid if you are to depend on their results. Remember, changing your brake fluid is important to prevent brake failure from vapor lock
Get the Amazon
- Lomvum multimeter - amzn.to/3D1NOsi
- Prestone DOT 3 brake fluid - amzn.to/3yISnFu
- Honda DOT 3 brake fluid - amzn.to/3TcDWlm
- STP DOT3 brake fluid - amzn.to/3exTReH
I may earn a small commission from a purchase made through the link above. This does not increase the price you pay in any way.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:30 - Testing unopened brake fluid
1:08 - How a brake conductivity tester works
1:35 - Why you shouldn't use this
2:03 - Testing brake fluid with multimeter?
2:14 - Other considerations & take home points
#brakefluid #brakes #brakesystem #diyautoworksng #diymechanic #diycarrepair - Авто та транспорт
Do you have any experience with these brake fluid test pens? Feel free to share!😃
Yes, pretty unreliable/junk. I just bought on Amazon. The same fluid that tests ok, five minutes later will test in the red 4%.
Really unreliable. Sometimes it's dependent on the depth to which you insert the tester in the fluid 😕
@@DIYAutoworksNG Yes, I found out the hard way. Thanks
3 attempts to reply! These pens are good but only as a quick test!
I paid £3 not £32! If you get 4 lights with 2 year old fluid and new draw out fluid and get the boiling point tested also get the pen tested and replaced!
I had brake failure on a Daewoo Lanos Automatic! On a Hilly road!( Difference is it is easier slow down a car with a Manual Gearbox!) Kwikfit recommend changing fluid every 2 years!
As a quick test it alerts you to a possibility of brake failure on a steep hill or heavy traffic! Rolling road tests brakes when system is cold , not between 100°c and 300°c ( boiling point of water and oil at sea level!)
Nothing beats the new perspective gained when previously held beliefs are re-evaluated. Thanks.
Yep. It was a massive learning curve for me. It seems calibrated for European brake fluids. After much search, I only found one European brand that showed no water content freshly opened.
I placed this in my Amazon wishlist after watching you use it months ago. I've now removed it. Thanks for updating.
Happy for you! I've also removed it from all links in the description of previous videos.
Thanks for this update.
You're welcome.
VERY GOOD TO KNOW AND FOR YOUR TIME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks, mate!
thank you for making the video
You're welcome!
thank you for making the video🙂
You're welcome!
Mine shows new fluid is good and so far has only gone red when I tested tap water to make sure the device was working properly. I tested it as soon as I got it to make sure I didn’t need to return it. That being said, I don’t think they’re super accurate. Just gives you a quick way to know if you obviously need to change fluid or not. I recommend testing any tool you have with known values before trusting them. Definitely worth the $7 I paid for it. If it ever goes bad, I’ll probably buy another. Yours probably needs replacing if it gives failing results with new fluid. Also, do not test these with purified or filtered water. Water is an insulator unless it contains contaminates. It’s what’s in the water that is conductive.
Good for you. I still think it boils down to what market your tool is caliberated to.
After making this video I later found some brake fluid both made in Europe, and the tester reported them both as being brand new with 0% moisture! Interestingly, I got the brake fluid tester from the UK and all the fluids in the above video are US made!
good job
Thanks
Very interesting result. I just watched a video where the same tester in your video was used on new brake fluid which was initially pure, then 1%, 2%, 3% and 4% water was subsequently introduced using precise measurements. The tester worked perfectly. Not sure what the brand of the brake fluid. I read that the testers aren't calibrated for DOT 5.1 brake fluid, but they should at least give a result that's in the ballpark. I'm inclined to think that your tester was broken.
I am also going to test mine on a sealed bottle of brake fluid I have In the car ! We the public are becoming "Quality Control Experts " lol,,!!?
And critics?
Thank you for sharing. I've also seen those videos. It just boils down to caliberation.
I eventually found a brake fluid manufactured in Europe which upon opening, my tester read correctly. Thinking back, I bought the tester in Europe, but all the brake fluids I tested in the video were US made. The fact that I later got a brand that it read correctly tells me it wasn't broken. If you look a bit more, you'll also see people who had similar results to what I found. Its a known flaw of this design.
Very informative and right on point!
Thanks!
I think from my experience anyway ..the cheaper ones via amazon etc are pretty hit and miss. I bought a known brand and tested it with old and new brake fluid with massive differences ....its true though ...just change your brake fluid on recommended intervals to be sure.
Same experience here. Thanks for sharing.
thanks for posting. i had the same experience after seeing this tester on one of my favorite yt channels, project farm. so i got one, replaced the fluid in my vehicles, then for the hell of it, tested my new dot3 container and got >4%. dammit, i trust the project farm guy but think this was a waste. buyer beware
Thanks for sharing this. From my research it's largely down to the caliberation. I later found a brake fluid made in Europe which the tester read correctly ever single time. Project Farm is a great guy.
Can used it for engine oil testing
Not what it's designed for.
I test my tester but using a glass breaker put 20 mi fresh fluid and it show zero and slowing add 1% ,2 %,3%, 4% of water and the tester change. So is good.
Yea. The brake fluid you have is probably one for which the tool is calibrated.
@@DIYAutoworksNG😂 bruh… his el cheapo tester obviously works as designed and yours is broken. Simple as that.
It would be completely MORONIC for them to sell a tester which only works with one specific brake fluid. 🤨😒😑🤦🏻♂️
Brake fluids all comply to the same standard, in order to be sold legally. The test pen should be able to read if working properly. 🤷🏻♂️
I would try another pen type tester tool and see what results you get. maybe your tester pen is not working
I know! But, considering the science plus documented evidence, it's enough to seal it for me.
This what do you recommend for testing the brake fluid then?
They are testers that rely on boiling point. That's the more accurate method. For now, I'll be going by when last of was replaced.
I also do not recommend them anymore as the results vary and are therefore unreliable.
💯
organic fluids are often not conductive
I have one and perfectly satisfied by the results, with fresh fluid I get one green led, with used brake fluid changed after 2-3 years I get the red led. After a brake fluid flush from time to time I test it with this tool to see the state of it and how it is affected by time and the results are pretty accurate. I think you have a problem with yours, it is very cheap so you should test those bottles of brake fluids with another one and see what you get. This is a good example for a testing: m.ua-cam.com/video/uAw0J_DH6gI/v-deo.html
That's great. I did actually find one brake fluid brand from Europe on which it tested correctly. In all, it just goes back to the point I made in the video, the tool will be fine if you find a brake fluid for which it is well calibrated. It's been well documented that this kind of tester can fail in freshly opened brake fluid. I also found multiple reviewers on Amazon who had the same exact experience as I did. Brand new tester pens with brand new brake fluid.
Use brake fluid test strips.
Yea. That's an option.
The gold standard is boiling point testers.
I believe you shouldn’t push the tester deeply just touch the fluid with tester n u will see
Fair point. The result differs by the depth of the probes in these fluids that I tested. This is a flaw. I later found one European brand (brake fluid) that this tester read accurately irrespective of depth of the probes. It all goes back to the caliberation issue I discussed in the video.
It's not a flaw ...it's just a cheap device. All you have to do is just tip the electrodes in liquid. It's accurate enough in this way. You can make a test with 1%,2%,3% water mixed voluntarily in brake fluid and you will be obtain accurate readings
@simbacoba2198 - the instruction say to dip the prongs all the way in to the plastic.
Oil sits on top of water. Gotta go in DEEP to read the true moisture content, I’m guessing. 🤷🏻♂️
I was about to write the same. Only the tips of the conductors can tell, and if you push it all the way it will give wrong readings no matter what. I'm using one to monitor my car brake fluid for years now and the readings are consistent with the age.
@zootopiashow Yea, but that inconsistency isn't great.
HELL maybe the oil companies are adding water to break down the brakes and the systems faster who knows unless you test.
I watched another guy use the same tester his worked fine he even used a dropper for different water % and it read them all correctly maybe your tester was bad.
Your first point cracked me up🤣
I think it's all in the brake fluid that the tester is caliberated for. I got this tester from Europe, and noticed that it works like a charm for brake fluids manufactured in the Eurozone. The fluids I used in the video were all from the US market. I've also seen several other complaints on the Internet that support my findings.
Well in fact the only bad batch is your brake fliud tester lol. Try buy another one. And do some real scientific calibration.
There are some other users including those who got brand new testers and reported the same findings.
Scotty Kilmer uses one. Good enough for me...
This 'tester' is really not needed.
Multimeter set to VOLTAGE.
+ve in the Fluid Reservoir. -ve on Body Ground.
0.03 or less Voltage is acceptable any more change the fluid.