Brake fluid warning check your asap

[chris52]

I am doing some work on the car and as a result needed to disconnect some brake lines. When I came to bleed them (I use a self bleeder that puts 20psi in the system) I couldn't get any fluid out then this thick clear jelly like substance started oozing out of the bleed nipple then just stopped again. The reservoir was also full of this jelly. The jelly was in all the brake lines and had blocked the rear brakes completely at the compensator, so I have been driving on front brakes only for some time even with the brake pipes removed at the rear and my foot pressing as hard as I could on the pedal not a drop of fluid reached the rear calipers, very scary indeed.
I only got the car in July last year but looking through the history it was last changed in 2014 and about 4000 miles ago at a well respected TVR specialist. I have now read online a few other people having this issue mainly on bikes and the general consensus is that it's water getting into the fluid not mixing types of fluid.
So just a word of warning check your fluid and if in doubt change it. I was lucky that I found it when I did I had already lost rear brakes with the amount of jelly in the system it wouldn't have been long before I lost fronts as well.
Now this may be me being synical but I wonder if the fluid was actually changed in 2014 and if it was what fluid did they use? Or was it just a bad batch of fluid or perhaps some old stuff that had been hanging around the workshop for a while unsealed.
Chris

[chris52]

I posted this on on the facebook site as well and mixing dot 4 and dot 5 is what has been suggested. I'm not sure this is the case but it certainly could be. Dot 5 is purple or violet in colour and costs about 5 times more that dot 4. There is nothing in the history file about this. There was also no purple or violet colour in the fluid. I have never seen this before and have worked in the Motor trade for 30 years. Maybe your right I don't know but it's worth checking just to be safe.
I have flushed the whole system now and it seems to be ok all seals seem to be holding up well. But I will keep an eye on it and if needed will get all the seals replaced.
Chris

[chris52]

The fronts wer the same full of this jelly but they were still working. Whatever it was seems to dissolve in new clean brake fluid and turn back to liquid to sieved the brake fluid from that came out and I had pile of this jelly left in the sieve but as I poured the fluid I used to flush the system it disappeared. Very strange indeed I think I will see how it goes but do another full flush in a few weeks just to be on the safe side.
Chris