Dirty Hydraulic Fluid Windows

[Schlepporello]

Hi y'all.

I just noticed these today, these round things on the sides of the hydraulic fluid reservoirs for my front brake and for my clutch. It appears as if these may actually be windows designed for easy checking of fluid levels inside the reservoirs. I can't confirm this though because there seems to be 24 years of hardedned road grime on these windows. I haven't attempted to clean them yet for fear of using too much pressure on them and causing breakage. I was wondering what the best way to clean these would be and if it's actually safe to do so.

Edited July 12, 2008 by Schlepporello

[Albino Rhino]

I would start with a spray-on general purpose cleaner like 409, Fantastic, Simple Green, etc. Apply, let soak a few minutes, then gently wipe off whatever comes off; repeat. An alternative I would try is polishing compound, not the hard stuff, but the semi-liquid stuff that comes in a bottle with flip-up nozzle. Again, just light applications until the grime is gone.

[pegscraper]

If the fluid's been dirty at any time over the past years, maybe they need wiped off from the inside too.

[Yammer Dan]

Fluid needs to be changed,lines flushed and reservoirs cleaned.

[Condor]

It may not be road grime. Over time the windows will get opaque as the plastic deteriorates and turns to the consistency of swiss cheese. I don't know of any way to replace them, but that doesn't mean they can't. I've just never heard of it being done. We discussed this in a thread a long time ago and thought that coating them with a clear topcoat type paint might help and reharden the surface. The opaqueness does go away if a light oil is applied to the window, but if you're thinking about painting them it might not be too good of an idea to try it out. Cleaning them from the inside is pretty near impossible as the inside of the window is covered with a metal disc with a slot in it.

 

I had an after-thought. You might try clear nail polish???

Edited July 12, 2008 by Condor

[GeorgeS]

Do you know how Old the Fluid is in your clutch and brake system is ???

 

IF not: Deffinatly , flush out, and replace All the fluid.

 

I use Valvoline Synthetic Brake Fluid.

 

Mine is now 3 years old, and its on my next winter maintenance list of things to do.