That's not brake fluid in there . . .

[jilldilworth]

Had massive expensive brake work done on husband's 99 Yukon in July. Had oil changed at Wal-Mart in September. This is his work truck and doesn't get a whole lot of miles put on it, so he probably isn't due for another oil change for another 1000 miles.

But, last week the brakes died (he swears flames were coming out from underneath) and our much-trusted mechanic discovered something other than brake fluid in our reservoir. He didn't say if there was a color issue, just an oil-water mixture that shouldn't be there. (We should have known something was bound to be wrong when we realized we didn't get home from W-M with our dipstick . . .) I won't go into how painfully expensive this will be, you can guess. Given that no one has been under the hood except my husband, who discovered the missing dipstick on Christmas Day when he checked the oil, would this have happened at the last oil change? I'm discovering that it is frighteningly common at quick-lube type places for this mistake to occur.

At Wal-Mart, the service description from our oil change says they checked the transmission fluid, power steering, transfer case fluid, and differential fluid. Which one of these things do you suppose they mistook our brake fluid/master cylinder reservoir for? How does this happen? I mean, I know people get busy and they are overworked, etc., etc., but if you aren't supposed to be putting in brake fluid (and can't therefore reach for the wrong bottle) how would this happen?

 

[LAP TOP GAMER]

Had massive expensive brake work done on husband's 99 Yukon in July. Had oil changed at Wal-Mart in September. This is his work truck and doesn't get a whole lot of miles put on it, so he probably isn't due for another oil change for another 1000 miles.

But, last week the brakes died (he swears flames were coming out from underneath) and our much-trusted mechanic discovered something other than brake fluid in our reservoir. He didn't say if there was a color issue, just an oil-water mixture that shouldn't be there. (We should have known something was bound to be wrong when we realized we didn't get home from W-M with our dipstick . . .) I won't go into how painfully expensive this will be, you can guess. Given that no one has been under the hood except my husband, who discovered the missing dipstick on Christmas Day when he checked the oil, would this have happened at the last oil change? I'm discovering that it is frighteningly common at quick-lube type places for this mistake to occur.

At Wal-Mart, the service description from our oil change says they checked the transmission fluid, power steering, transfer case fluid, and differential fluid. Which one of these things do you suppose they mistook our brake fluid/master cylinder reservoir for? How does this happen? I mean, I know people get busy and they are overworked, etc., etc., but if you aren't supposed to be putting in brake fluid (and can't therefore reach for the wrong bottle) how would this happen?

I never take my vehicle to Wal Mart or Jiffy Lube as if the brain surgans arn't trying to rip you off, they're screwing somthing up.:skep:

 

[Rick90467]

This news of your brake fluid contamination is very dreadful. I hate to think of what it could possibly damage.

If its power steering fluid (the most often made mistake of this nature), it will quickly cause the seals and rubber parts in the brake system to swell. Once these seals and rubber parts become swollen they will deteriorate and leak. And must all be replaced.

 

[jilldilworth]

How long does it take for the damage to occur? Minutes or days or weeks or what? Or does it just depend?

 

[Rick90467]

The timeline for damage to occur is not predictable. But if you can crawl under the truck and take a look at the in sidewall of the tires. If your brake cylinders have begun to leak it will be noticeable the the sidewalls may have discolored shiny or darker than normal patches. It really doesn't pose any risk to the tires, but is simply evidence that you may already be leaking. The system should be immediatly flushed, reguardless. But if you detect a leak at any tire, it may be in your best interest to replace the all the seals. The parts are not really going to be very expensive, I would expect under $100. IMO, this is the most import safety device on your vehicle - I would give this to a trustworthy mechanic and let him advice you. Unless you have worked with brake cylinders and know how to bleed the brakes properly, it really isn't a do it yourself project. The damage is done and if your brakes were leaking it is quite possible to have seen flames as the fluids leaked down upon the very hot discs and drums. I do mean very hot, although a non typical example - check out this video clip http://www.vidmax.com/index.php/videos/view/1150