<VV> Brake Fluid Tech tip

[Sethracer at aol.com]

I attended a local car show yesterday. It was hosted by a local Auto Parts  
& machine shop. On the wall next to the parts counter, they had a printed  
tech tip. Most of us know that brake fluid is hygroscopic - it attracts 
water,  and it brings it into the fluid solution. There are several ways of 
telling  the exact percentage of water in solution, with the goal of flushing 
and  replacing the fluid if too much water is in suspension. The test they  
mention uses a digital Multi-meter. Normal fresh brake fluid is a good  
insulator, is doesn't conduct electricity. The water does conduct. ("Stay out of  
the bathtub with a hair dryer in your hand"). As the amount of water in  
suspension in the fluid increases, it becomes slightly conductive. The  printed 
tip didn't show exactly how to hook up the meter, But if set to register  
resistance, ohms, with one lead grounded and the other dipped into the middle 
of  your master cylinder reservoir, almost any amount of current passing  
through means it is time to replace the fluid.
 
If someone has an official guide for this measurement, or numbers and  
settings, please add it on to this note. 
 
 
Seth  Emerson

C's the Day! - Corvair, Camaro,  Corvette