How to Check Brake Fluid Levels

Part of the Video Series Basic Car Tune Up

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Maintain the life of your car with regular maintenance and tune ups. Learn how to check the brake fluid with expert auto maintenance tips in this important free car repair video.

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Video Transcript

How to Check Brake Fluid Levels
Hi! My name is Nate McCullough on behalf of expertvillage.com. In this clip we are going to talk about one of the maintenance items involved in a major tune-up or vehicle overhaul. In this step we are going to talk about in this clip is checking of your brake fluid. Your brake fluid is going to be located in a reservoir right here on top of the vehicle’s master cylinder. It is generally located directly through from the steering wheel. You are going to want to take it and remove the cap and look at the fluid level inside the car. Take your finger and get a small sample. Take care not to get this fluid anywhere. What you are looking for on Dot 3 fluid is amber color which is nice and clear. When adjusting the fluid level if it happens to be low, when it is low, you will notice that the red brake light comes on. If it is low, you are going to have to add fluid to it. Each vehicle takes a specific kind of fluid. There are four kinds; Dot 3, Dot 4, Dot 5 and Dot 6. Dot 6 is only available for military purposes and you won’t be able to buy it in the civilian world. Dot 3 covers the vast amount of the drive in public. Any civilian type vehicles, anything that is sold, GMC, Chevy or Ford are going to take Dot 3. You do not want to mix these kinds of fluids being that they have different hydraulic standards they are manufactured to. Dot 4 is going to be listed in the same location as Dot 3 and now Dot 5 is going to be located in the same position as Dot 3. You are going to want to read either the reservoir cap or the master cylinder itself. Somewhere on there it is going to indicate what type of fluid it takes. This one takes Dot 3 and to fill it up you don’t want to take it right up to the top. You want to fill it up to about a half inch before the top of the reservoir, right there. Seem to have lost my cap here. There we go. All right! That’s how you check your brake fluid.

About the Expert

Expert: Nathan McCullough graduated from Nashville Auto-Diesel College with a Grade Point Average of 3.5 and received their craftsmanship award and honor seal. Read More