How to Refill Brake Fluid
Driving with low brake fluid is not just bad for your car and damaging for its brakes, but it can be dangerous for you as well. Monitoring your brake fluid is relatively easy, and if you see that the brake fluids are a bit low, you can refill it for yourself. Here’s how.
Pop the hood by locating the hood lever near the driver’s seat. It’s usually found underneath the driver’s seat itself. Push it once, and see if the hood pops open.
Locate the bar underneath the hood and use it to prop your car hood up. Some car models don’t have a bar and will prop itself open without any help, until you need to put it back down again.
Look for the brake master cylinder. It is usually on the driver’s side near the back of the engine compartment. The cap of the brake master cylinder usually has a label that states to “use only DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid from a sealed container.”
Unscrew the cap and put it aside on a safe place where it won’t get it lost. The interior or the cylinder should have a line which will indicate if the cylinder is full. Check how low the brake fluid is.
Get a funnel and start pouring brake fluid in. Pause every now and then to check if you’ve already reached the indicator line to see if you’ve already filled up the cylinder. Do not add more brake fluid past that line, or else it might cause damage to your car engine.
Reseal the brake fluid container and get back the brake fluid cylinder cap. Put the cap back on and make sure it’s reattached securely.
Put any remaining brake fluid in a secure place where children won’t get it, as it is potentially harmful and dangerous to them.