Posted On: Tuesday - August 25th 2026 10:44AM MST
In Topics: Elections '16 - '26 Immigration Stupidity
South Carolinians will vote today to finish this thing. It's very likely that the winner of this special Primary election will beat Democrat "Dr. Annie" and become one of 100 Senators, but who knows, if this ends up with a woman v woman election in November.
I watched the hour debate embedded here disgustedly last week. I'd had about enough at 48 minutes in when Ralph Norman responded to immigration invasion questions with the usual, BUT LEEEGULLY! Both of these two re-re-re-iterated that they are "with Trump", but they may be thinking of Trump-45, with his "big beautiful wall with a big beautiful wall in it". Trump HAS wised up, probably with lots of help from Steven Miller and others.
I had to finish though, just now. I'm glad, at least, that one of the 3 interrogators came up with a
The big story on this debate last week was Darline*'s having told the audience in response to a question about China/Taiwan that foreign policy is just not her thing so much. I actually appreciated this honesty, as I listened to 20 minutes or whatever of standard NeoCon boilerplate BS from both of them. No, my problem was her having stated that South Carolina has 50 million residents! I thought I'd heard that wrong, until I saw it written elsewhere.** That's off by a whole order of magnitude.
This is no good. Perhaps this Norman guy is bad with numbers too, but if you can't get numbers, the whole immigration question, for one thing, is not something you'll ever be able to understand.
Here you go. I'll have more to say below it.
Speaking of numbers, as things got acrimonious over the last 10 minutes, Darline told the audience how Congressman Norman had been paid $1.7 million by the US taxpayers over 10 years. Well, I have access to a postcard, paid for, now that I know, by the Democrats that Mr. Norman says have supported Darline Graham.*** (I really don't know why they care either way on this one, but it's not a good sign of things that would come with her in office.) Here's the exact wording:
RICHER IN OFFICEOK, well that’s different from your getting SC taxpayer-funded paychecks for only… 18 years. Much different than 22, plus you don’t have a wallet. You have a purse. Ralph Norman’s latest Congressional salary was $174,000. Not bad. Miss Graham was a lowly poor Deep South State government employee only making … $138,000. I quote:
While in office, Ralph Norman has added millions to his personal wealth. South Carolinians deserve a Senator who works the make their lives better – not his own.
CAREER POLITICIAN
Ralph Norman has run for office 14 times over 22 years. Two decades collecting taxpayer-funded checks benefitting his wallet.
MISSED THE JOB
From April to June 2026, Ralph Norman missed nearly one-third of the 125 roll call votes … but still took his taxpayer-funded paycheck!
Darline Graham in 2025 was employed at South Carolina Commission for the Blind and had an annual salary of $138,000, according to public records. This salary was 88 percent higher than the average and 98 percent higher than the median salary in South Carolina Commission for the Blind.I guess the people in the Commission for the Blind payroll department overlooked this. (Sorry!)
I don't know her whole salary schedule over the last decade, but Darline did pretty darned well from the taxpayers' money too. Then, regarding absenteeism (would that every one of them called in sick for a few years!), one wonders how many sick days Miss Graham will have taken during her campaign? Do Congressmen get sick days too?
One point that Congressman Norman made that was pretty clever was to bring up SCrOTUS Justesse Amy Barrett as he touted his support for Judge Kavenaugh. He said words to the effect that Barrett didn't turn out so good. Hmmm, was he hinting that women are simply entitled to change their minds? I think he was, and that was a clever.
Without Mark Lynch,who'd only got a 2nd shot at this due to Linsey Grahamnesty's death, this is another Kang v Kodos election. I'd still like to see the best man win, haha. More importantly, I'd like to see Trump not get his way with his stupidity in backing Darline Graham. We'll find out this evening.
PS: One minor detail I just recalled is: Darline Graham was about to utter "illegal alien", but she must have been told that is NOT OK, as she adjusted it to "immigrant" in mid-word. Perhaps Ralph Norman would have done the same.
* Yes, she used to be Darlene, but, no trannie, Adam Smith and I have both commented that the story is her older brother Lindsey had taught her to spell it differently. Why?
** Speaking of honesty, I honestly don't feel like going back to where this was after a week to give a timestamp. Knock yourself out watching this thing...
*** This was a point he made. Darline did not deny it but claimed to not know anything about the ads. Haha, yeah, sure.
Comments:
Adam Smith
Thursday - August 27th 2026 8:26AM MST
PS: Good morning, Messrs. Hail, Alarmist and Newman...
25% more vehicles? That's like, half a car.(?)
𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑙𝑎𝑧𝑖𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢...
Yeah, I wouldn't be so sure about that. 😉
𝐻𝑒'𝑠 𝑎 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟/𝑑𝑟𝑦𝑒𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡.
I would also recommend swapping out the receiver/dryer if you have to change the condenser, evaporator or otherwise do some sort of larger repair that necessitates opening the system for a reasonably long time. (Unless you live in a place like Phoenix AZ and you do this repair on one of those nice, dry (1-5% humidity) afternoons I previously mentioned. I'd imagine you can dry out the inside of a a/c system pretty well with some of that dry desert air. No desiccant can or nitrogen gas needed!)
https://tinyurl.com/4zarmkwx
https://tinyurl.com/ytff98bn
(As you can see, the receiver drier for my car is not very expensive. This is the case for most cars and trucks.)
R134a cans cost ~$13 this year...
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tech-R-134a-Straight-Gas-12oz/18676467121
They were $10 for the last couple years. Before that, they were $5 for what seemed like forever. (Until TrumpBuck$ doubled the price of everything with the strong dollar.) (So. Much. Winning!)
I haven't really messed with any other sort of refrigerant yet. But yes, you are correct. Generally, when the EPA (or whoever) mandates some sort of "new" refrigerant it is because some patent (usually held by DuPont/Chemours) is expiring. Or, as the clanker says... When an older, standard refrigerant reaches the end of its regulatory life, the chemical industry transitions production toward newer, patented blends that they control, maximizing corporate profits and creating a lucrative cycle.
ℎ𝑦𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 (𝑖𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑)...
Hygroscopicity (often spelled hydroscopicity) is the ability of a substance to attract and hold water molecules from the surrounding air through absorption or adsorption.
ℎ𝑒'𝑙𝑙 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑝 𝑜𝑓𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟...
Sometimes that's all they need. I've given more than a few older cars a little shot of refrigerant for the summer. (Sometimes it is a pretty big job to hunt down a tiny little leak...)
My e34 has a small leak that I can't find. (I can't find it with the bubble water and I can't find it with the UV dye.) I've taken the whole system apart, twice, to swap all the o-rings because I thought I might have one o-ring that is slightly the wrong size. (I may still have one o-ring in the system that is slightly the wrong size because the small leak persists.) I even swapped out my fake, aftermarket, Sanden-style compressor with a real, genuine Sanden compressor because I thought that might be the source of the super small leak. (Apparently, the aftermarket, Sanden-style compressor is just fine.)
So, yeah.. That's about all I have to say for now.
I hope you gentlemen all have a wonderful day/evening! ☮️
25% more vehicles? That's like, half a car.(?)
𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑙𝑎𝑧𝑖𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢...
Yeah, I wouldn't be so sure about that. 😉
𝐻𝑒'𝑠 𝑎 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟/𝑑𝑟𝑦𝑒𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡.
I would also recommend swapping out the receiver/dryer if you have to change the condenser, evaporator or otherwise do some sort of larger repair that necessitates opening the system for a reasonably long time. (Unless you live in a place like Phoenix AZ and you do this repair on one of those nice, dry (1-5% humidity) afternoons I previously mentioned. I'd imagine you can dry out the inside of a a/c system pretty well with some of that dry desert air. No desiccant can or nitrogen gas needed!)
https://tinyurl.com/4zarmkwx
https://tinyurl.com/ytff98bn
(As you can see, the receiver drier for my car is not very expensive. This is the case for most cars and trucks.)
R134a cans cost ~$13 this year...
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tech-R-134a-Straight-Gas-12oz/18676467121
They were $10 for the last couple years. Before that, they were $5 for what seemed like forever. (Until TrumpBuck$ doubled the price of everything with the strong dollar.) (So. Much. Winning!)
I haven't really messed with any other sort of refrigerant yet. But yes, you are correct. Generally, when the EPA (or whoever) mandates some sort of "new" refrigerant it is because some patent (usually held by DuPont/Chemours) is expiring. Or, as the clanker says... When an older, standard refrigerant reaches the end of its regulatory life, the chemical industry transitions production toward newer, patented blends that they control, maximizing corporate profits and creating a lucrative cycle.
ℎ𝑦𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 (𝑖𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑)...
Hygroscopicity (often spelled hydroscopicity) is the ability of a substance to attract and hold water molecules from the surrounding air through absorption or adsorption.
ℎ𝑒'𝑙𝑙 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑝 𝑜𝑓𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟...
Sometimes that's all they need. I've given more than a few older cars a little shot of refrigerant for the summer. (Sometimes it is a pretty big job to hunt down a tiny little leak...)
My e34 has a small leak that I can't find. (I can't find it with the bubble water and I can't find it with the UV dye.) I've taken the whole system apart, twice, to swap all the o-rings because I thought I might have one o-ring that is slightly the wrong size. (I may still have one o-ring in the system that is slightly the wrong size because the small leak persists.) I even swapped out my fake, aftermarket, Sanden-style compressor with a real, genuine Sanden compressor because I thought that might be the source of the super small leak. (Apparently, the aftermarket, Sanden-style compressor is just fine.)
So, yeah.. That's about all I have to say for now.
I hope you gentlemen all have a wonderful day/evening! ☮️
Moderator
Thursday - August 27th 2026 7:40AM MST
PS: No exit polls, Mr. Hail.
I forgot, yes, 6.5 years. Were Trump to get us out of Iran one way or another, then the NeoCon aspect wouldn't matter so much, and I'd figure Darline will be a decent asset - an Aye for Trump agenda votes every time... BUT, what after '28? I predict she'll be worthless or less than that.
Agreed, Alarmist!
I forgot, yes, 6.5 years. Were Trump to get us out of Iran one way or another, then the NeoCon aspect wouldn't matter so much, and I'd figure Darline will be a decent asset - an Aye for Trump agenda votes every time... BUT, what after '28? I predict she'll be worthless or less than that.
Agreed, Alarmist!
The Alarmist
Thursday - August 27th 2026 7:10AM MST
PS
The only winning move is to not play… Repeal the 19th Amendment.
🕉
The only winning move is to not play… Repeal the 19th Amendment.
🕉
Hail
Thursday - August 27th 2026 6:45AM MST
PS
Haven't had time to check but I assume no exit poll in this S.Carolina special election.
Now the game turns to:
"How bad will Darline be?"
6.5 years of her
Haven't had time to check but I assume no exit poll in this S.Carolina special election.
Now the game turns to:
"How bad will Darline be?"
6.5 years of her
Moderator
Thursday - August 27th 2026 6:30AM MST
PS: Mr. Hail, it was a difference of 5 percentage points, as in Darline got 52.5% to Ralph's 47.5%. Here:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-primary-special-elections/south-carolina-senate-runoff-results
I'm not a fan of the "networks", such as NBC and their sites (if nothing else because normally the sites are so ad-prone and "busy"), but they do a nice job displaying the numbers.
I happened to look at that site only about a couple of hours after the SC polls closed, and it was already at 75% or so of votes in. It was instructive for my kid seeing the spread and my showing him how to figure out when the election was (unfortunately) mathematically clinched. By 10 EDT, it was stuck at 99% with 800 votes remaining, a far cry from California in every way. (Note the 2 freaks in the Los Angeles Mayor election!)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-primary-special-elections/south-carolina-senate-runoff-results
I'm not a fan of the "networks", such as NBC and their sites (if nothing else because normally the sites are so ad-prone and "busy"), but they do a nice job displaying the numbers.
I happened to look at that site only about a couple of hours after the SC polls closed, and it was already at 75% or so of votes in. It was instructive for my kid seeing the spread and my showing him how to figure out when the election was (unfortunately) mathematically clinched. By 10 EDT, it was stuck at 99% with 800 votes remaining, a far cry from California in every way. (Note the 2 freaks in the Los Angeles Mayor election!)
Moderator
Thursday - August 27th 2026 6:25AM MST
PS: Regarding the A/C, yes, that's what my friend does. He's also a big proponent of changing out the receiver/dryer when he changes out the compressor at least.
Then, though, you do have people who are operating vehicles on their last legs, trying to get another year or two out of them before something major turns them into junk cars. For those people, for a small leak, he'll just top off the system for the summer. Hopefully, the customer can get one summer out of it. BTW, that new refrigerant is costly as hell, he told me. Gotta keep DuPont or whomever in the black.
Then, though, you do have people who are operating vehicles on their last legs, trying to get another year or two out of them before something major turns them into junk cars. For those people, for a small leak, he'll just top off the system for the summer. Hopefully, the customer can get one summer out of it. BTW, that new refrigerant is costly as hell, he told me. Gotta keep DuPont or whomever in the black.
Moderator
Thursday - August 27th 2026 6:22AM MST
PS: Yes, Adam, we're in general agreement on the car maintenance sub-thread here. I am just lazier than you and have maybe 25% - 50% more vehicles(?)
However, that brake system was in very good shape even after most of a decade. As I wrote, I could see the last of the old fluid in each line - somewhat pee-yellow vs the lemonade color of the new stuff.
The new stuff was DOT-3, BTW. That wasn't from your advice on hydroscopicity (if that's the word), but that I had a few sealed old bottles around and wasn't gonna waste it. (I asked my mechanic friend first.) I'm glad to read what you wrote on -3 vs -4 though.
Yes, indeed, you don't want to draw in more air from the top. My kid or I would run to the front and keep it nearly topped in between bleeding the brakes.
However, that brake system was in very good shape even after most of a decade. As I wrote, I could see the last of the old fluid in each line - somewhat pee-yellow vs the lemonade color of the new stuff.
The new stuff was DOT-3, BTW. That wasn't from your advice on hydroscopicity (if that's the word), but that I had a few sealed old bottles around and wasn't gonna waste it. (I asked my mechanic friend first.) I'm glad to read what you wrote on -3 vs -4 though.
Yes, indeed, you don't want to draw in more air from the top. My kid or I would run to the front and keep it nearly topped in between bleeding the brakes.
Hail
Wednesday - August 26th 2026 3:51PM MST
PS
So Darline won after all!
100% due to the Blompf Effect given how close it was.
Haven't seen detailed numbers on total votes or regions or exit poll (if any), but saw the final was 52-48.
The prediction market I saw had her at 65% to win,l the head-to-head against the other guy, which turns out to be a good call.
So Darline won after all!
100% due to the Blompf Effect given how close it was.
Haven't seen detailed numbers on total votes or regions or exit poll (if any), but saw the final was 52-48.
The prediction market I saw had her at 65% to win,l the head-to-head against the other guy, which turns out to be a good call.
Adam Smith
Wednesday - August 26th 2026 1:08PM MST
PS: Last comment. (For now...)
Here are a couple links that help make my last comment a bit more complete...
https://www.suerf.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/f_77ae1a5da3b68dc65a9d1648242a29a7_8209_suerf.pdf
https://centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/tabletop-exercises/event-201-pandemic-tabletop-exercise
And one more for good luck...
https://www.turnto23.com/news/coronavirus/watch-controversial-press-conference-held-by-two-bakersfield-doctors-that-was-pulled-down-by-youtube
Happy Wednesday! ☮️
Here are a couple links that help make my last comment a bit more complete...
https://www.suerf.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/f_77ae1a5da3b68dc65a9d1648242a29a7_8209_suerf.pdf
https://centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/tabletop-exercises/event-201-pandemic-tabletop-exercise
And one more for good luck...
https://www.turnto23.com/news/coronavirus/watch-controversial-press-conference-held-by-two-bakersfield-doctors-that-was-pulled-down-by-youtube
Happy Wednesday! ☮️
Adam Smith
Wednesday - August 26th 2026 12:58PM MST
PS: Me again...
𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑡.
So, I had a quick chat with the clanker this morning. (You know how I like to push its buttons to see where the censorship bot starts intervening in the clanker's outputs.) It started out pretty lame but ended up in an interesting place. It's not long. Here's a link...
https://share.google/aimode/nSqiJLKagDRzecfQe
Keep in mind, this "chat" is with the regular, standard, corporate chatbot. There is no "jailbreaking" or use of cheatcodes with this one.
The good stuff happens in the third response from the end. Under the heading:
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑙𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒: 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑠 𝐸𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝐺𝑙𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑠𝑦𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑡
Cheers! ☮️
𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑡.
So, I had a quick chat with the clanker this morning. (You know how I like to push its buttons to see where the censorship bot starts intervening in the clanker's outputs.) It started out pretty lame but ended up in an interesting place. It's not long. Here's a link...
https://share.google/aimode/nSqiJLKagDRzecfQe
Keep in mind, this "chat" is with the regular, standard, corporate chatbot. There is no "jailbreaking" or use of cheatcodes with this one.
The good stuff happens in the third response from the end. Under the heading:
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑙𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒: 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑠 𝐸𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝐺𝑙𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑠𝑦𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑡
Cheers! ☮️
Adam Smith
Wednesday - August 26th 2026 11:41AM MST
PS: Good afternoon, again, Mr. Moderator...
From our discussion under post 3594...
𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑡𝑜 1) 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 2) 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘. (𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 30 𝑦/𝑜 𝑇𝑜𝑦𝑜𝑡𝑎 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑙𝑜𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑠, 𝑖𝑡'𝑑 𝑜𝑏𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔, 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑑𝑎𝑙 𝑤𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑤𝑎𝑦, 𝑠𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑖𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎 𝑐𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒. 𝐻𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑜𝑓𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑠𝑎𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑦.) 𝐼 𝑓𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑖𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑜𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑖𝑛. 𝐴𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑝𝑢𝑚𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠, 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑖𝑛, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑝𝑢𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒. 𝑌𝑒𝑠, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑖𝑛.
How long does it take for the brake fluid to absorb enough water to be problematic? As you already realize, it depends...
(For example...) Despite having a higher boiling point, dot 4 brake fluid is more hygroscopic than dot 3 brake fluid. So, dot 4 brake fluid will absorb more moisture from the environment than dot 3 in the same amount of time. Meaning, dot 4 brake fluid has to be changed more frequently than dot 3.
Here in Dahlonega, we live in a gentle climate for cars, even though we are generally pretty humid. We are currently ~60% humidity out there. (We often enjoy humidity as high as 100%. It is very common for us to have 80%+ humidity.) As far as I can tell, the lowest humidity ever recorded here is about 30-35%. Meanwhile, a place like Phoenix AZ enjoys an average annual humidity of about 36%, with monthly averages typically ranging from a low of 19% in June to a high of 51% in December. Phoenix, Arizona frequently records relative humidity dropping into the single digits (often around 1% to 3%) during dry summer afternoons. (I imagine you see where I'm going with this.)
So, even though dot 4 is more hygroscopic than dot 3 you probably need to change your dot 3 more frequently here in Dahlonega than you would have to change your dot 4 in Phoenix. Also, dot 4 doesn't really make sense here in Dahlonega for a regular daily driver. (Not that dot 4 doesn't work, or anything like that. But you will have to change it more often.) In Phoenix, because of the much higher average temperatures involved, dot 4 is a good idea.
How long does it take before it becomes a problem? I don't know. How old are the brake lines? How old are the calipers and wheel cylinders? How old are the seals?
When I said I like to do this about every year, I'm erring on the cautious side. (Also, I'm a bit lazier than I used to be. This one year recommendation is not set in stone. It has been a couple years since I last changed my brake fluid. Probably about time to do so again.)
Many mechanics and brake fluid manufacturers recommend changing the brake fluid every two years. But brake fluid is cheap. Much cheaper than the brake parts. Lots of factors involved. But... If you pop the brake fluid reservoir open and it is very dark brown or black (and especially if it is milky). Time to change it. If it is still light colored or almost clear, you're probably good to go for a while. If in doubt, change it out. (Easier said than done without the proper tool. With a proper vacuum pump and recovery tank setup, it only takes like a half hour.)
𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑓𝑓 𝑝𝑢𝑠ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑓𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑡. 𝐷𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑢𝑠ℎ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑡? 𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑖𝑑, 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡? 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑒 𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐾𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑎-𝑚𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑒, 𝐼 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑓𝑓 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ, 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑝𝑢𝑚𝑝, 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑝𝑒𝑒-𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑑 (𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑤𝑛) 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑑𝑒. 𝑆𝑜, 𝑤𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ.
𝐷𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑢𝑠ℎ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑡?
I would say pull (because vacuum) but yes. As you pull the old fluid out from the bleeder and pull the new fluid in from the reservoir, it replaces everything in the line with new fluid. (If the fluid is really, really bad and if you are being very thorough, you could pull all the old out replacing it with new and cap the system for a while. Maybe a week or so. The new fluid will absorb all the old moisture in the system. Simply change the fluid again and you will have good clean fluid. This is the ocd approach to dealing with a badly neglected system.)
When I change brake fluid, I start at the brake fluid reservoir at the master cylinder. I take my vacuum line and I suck all the old fluid out. From there it kind of depends how dirty the reservoir is. If it is filthy, I'll clean it. (In what ever way is appropriate and/or necessary.) Once/if it is good, I refill with new fluid.
Then... I start on the brake lines themselves. Some people say you should start with the wheel farthest from the brake fluid reservoir. (On almost all American cars this is the rear passenger wheel.) I'm not sure it really matters. But... I will go around to each line, crack the bleeder and put my vacuum tube on the bleeder. I use a clear tube because, as you say, you can see when the old dirty fluid turns to clear new fluid.
* The important part here is to not let the reservoir run out of clean fluid. If you do, you will suck air into the line. Which isn't a real "problem" per se, it just means you have to pull more fluid through the line to make sure the air is out. (Otherwise you will have very poor brake performance. With enough air in a line, the pedal will drop to the floor and you will have no brake on that line and possibly no brakes at all.) If you keep the reservoir full (keep topping it off) as you pull the fluid through the line then this will not be a problem. (It's really pretty simple. Especially with the right tool.)
(Talk about a long treatise...)
On to the air conditioning...
𝑀𝑦 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑎 𝑣𝑎𝑐𝑢𝑢𝑚 𝑝𝑢𝑚𝑝 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡, 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝐼 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑖𝑙 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑜 𝐴/𝐶 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑠, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑠.
Ok. So... The point of pulling a vacuum on an a/c system is not to get the refrigerant out (Any leak in the system will eventually evacuate all the refrigerant. Because the system in under positive pressure, you do not need vacuum for this.) nor is it to get the pag oil out. (Most of the compressor oil pools at the bottom of the system. This is usually the receiver/filter/dryer (desiccant) canister and the compressor itself.) The point of pulling a vacuum on an a/c/ system is to pull all the moisture out.
Which is why, if you really want to do this right, you should always replace the receiver/dryer every time you open the system for any amount of time. Also.. If you really want to do this right, first you vacuum the system for an hour or two. Next, you fill the system with nitrogen gas to finish removing the moisture. Then, vacuum the system again. Finally, fill with the proper amount of refrigerant.
Here is a handy little book for anyone involved with this sort of work...
https://www.4s.com/media/9782/fourseasonscapacityguide_22.pdf
Generally speaking, you do not have to replace the oil in an ac system, unless you are replacing parts. If/when this sort of larger repair happens, you have to remove the old oil from the system before refilling with new oil. (Be careful to refill with the proper type of oil and the proper amount of oil. If in doubt, use the type of oil the compressor manufacturer recommends.)
So, yeah.. That's about it. I hope you have a great afternoon, mr. Moderator!
☮️
From our discussion under post 3594...
𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑡𝑜 1) 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 2) 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘. (𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 30 𝑦/𝑜 𝑇𝑜𝑦𝑜𝑡𝑎 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑙𝑜𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑠, 𝑖𝑡'𝑑 𝑜𝑏𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔, 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑑𝑎𝑙 𝑤𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑤𝑎𝑦, 𝑠𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑖𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎 𝑐𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒. 𝐻𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑜𝑓𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑠𝑎𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑦.) 𝐼 𝑓𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑖𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑜𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑖𝑛. 𝐴𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑝𝑢𝑚𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠, 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑖𝑛, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑝𝑢𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒. 𝑌𝑒𝑠, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑖𝑛.
How long does it take for the brake fluid to absorb enough water to be problematic? As you already realize, it depends...
(For example...) Despite having a higher boiling point, dot 4 brake fluid is more hygroscopic than dot 3 brake fluid. So, dot 4 brake fluid will absorb more moisture from the environment than dot 3 in the same amount of time. Meaning, dot 4 brake fluid has to be changed more frequently than dot 3.
Here in Dahlonega, we live in a gentle climate for cars, even though we are generally pretty humid. We are currently ~60% humidity out there. (We often enjoy humidity as high as 100%. It is very common for us to have 80%+ humidity.) As far as I can tell, the lowest humidity ever recorded here is about 30-35%. Meanwhile, a place like Phoenix AZ enjoys an average annual humidity of about 36%, with monthly averages typically ranging from a low of 19% in June to a high of 51% in December. Phoenix, Arizona frequently records relative humidity dropping into the single digits (often around 1% to 3%) during dry summer afternoons. (I imagine you see where I'm going with this.)
So, even though dot 4 is more hygroscopic than dot 3 you probably need to change your dot 3 more frequently here in Dahlonega than you would have to change your dot 4 in Phoenix. Also, dot 4 doesn't really make sense here in Dahlonega for a regular daily driver. (Not that dot 4 doesn't work, or anything like that. But you will have to change it more often.) In Phoenix, because of the much higher average temperatures involved, dot 4 is a good idea.
How long does it take before it becomes a problem? I don't know. How old are the brake lines? How old are the calipers and wheel cylinders? How old are the seals?
When I said I like to do this about every year, I'm erring on the cautious side. (Also, I'm a bit lazier than I used to be. This one year recommendation is not set in stone. It has been a couple years since I last changed my brake fluid. Probably about time to do so again.)
Many mechanics and brake fluid manufacturers recommend changing the brake fluid every two years. But brake fluid is cheap. Much cheaper than the brake parts. Lots of factors involved. But... If you pop the brake fluid reservoir open and it is very dark brown or black (and especially if it is milky). Time to change it. If it is still light colored or almost clear, you're probably good to go for a while. If in doubt, change it out. (Easier said than done without the proper tool. With a proper vacuum pump and recovery tank setup, it only takes like a half hour.)
𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑓𝑓 𝑝𝑢𝑠ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑓𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑡. 𝐷𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑢𝑠ℎ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑡? 𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑖𝑑, 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡? 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑒 𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐾𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑎-𝑚𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑒, 𝐼 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑓𝑓 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ, 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑝𝑢𝑚𝑝, 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑝𝑒𝑒-𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑑 (𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑤𝑛) 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑑𝑒. 𝑆𝑜, 𝑤𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ.
𝐷𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑢𝑠ℎ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑡?
I would say pull (because vacuum) but yes. As you pull the old fluid out from the bleeder and pull the new fluid in from the reservoir, it replaces everything in the line with new fluid. (If the fluid is really, really bad and if you are being very thorough, you could pull all the old out replacing it with new and cap the system for a while. Maybe a week or so. The new fluid will absorb all the old moisture in the system. Simply change the fluid again and you will have good clean fluid. This is the ocd approach to dealing with a badly neglected system.)
When I change brake fluid, I start at the brake fluid reservoir at the master cylinder. I take my vacuum line and I suck all the old fluid out. From there it kind of depends how dirty the reservoir is. If it is filthy, I'll clean it. (In what ever way is appropriate and/or necessary.) Once/if it is good, I refill with new fluid.
Then... I start on the brake lines themselves. Some people say you should start with the wheel farthest from the brake fluid reservoir. (On almost all American cars this is the rear passenger wheel.) I'm not sure it really matters. But... I will go around to each line, crack the bleeder and put my vacuum tube on the bleeder. I use a clear tube because, as you say, you can see when the old dirty fluid turns to clear new fluid.
* The important part here is to not let the reservoir run out of clean fluid. If you do, you will suck air into the line. Which isn't a real "problem" per se, it just means you have to pull more fluid through the line to make sure the air is out. (Otherwise you will have very poor brake performance. With enough air in a line, the pedal will drop to the floor and you will have no brake on that line and possibly no brakes at all.) If you keep the reservoir full (keep topping it off) as you pull the fluid through the line then this will not be a problem. (It's really pretty simple. Especially with the right tool.)
(Talk about a long treatise...)
On to the air conditioning...
𝑀𝑦 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑎 𝑣𝑎𝑐𝑢𝑢𝑚 𝑝𝑢𝑚𝑝 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡, 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝐼 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑖𝑙 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑜 𝐴/𝐶 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑠, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑠.
Ok. So... The point of pulling a vacuum on an a/c system is not to get the refrigerant out (Any leak in the system will eventually evacuate all the refrigerant. Because the system in under positive pressure, you do not need vacuum for this.) nor is it to get the pag oil out. (Most of the compressor oil pools at the bottom of the system. This is usually the receiver/filter/dryer (desiccant) canister and the compressor itself.) The point of pulling a vacuum on an a/c/ system is to pull all the moisture out.
Which is why, if you really want to do this right, you should always replace the receiver/dryer every time you open the system for any amount of time. Also.. If you really want to do this right, first you vacuum the system for an hour or two. Next, you fill the system with nitrogen gas to finish removing the moisture. Then, vacuum the system again. Finally, fill with the proper amount of refrigerant.
Here is a handy little book for anyone involved with this sort of work...
https://www.4s.com/media/9782/fourseasonscapacityguide_22.pdf
Generally speaking, you do not have to replace the oil in an ac system, unless you are replacing parts. If/when this sort of larger repair happens, you have to remove the old oil from the system before refilling with new oil. (Be careful to refill with the proper type of oil and the proper amount of oil. If in doubt, use the type of oil the compressor manufacturer recommends.)
So, yeah.. That's about it. I hope you have a great afternoon, mr. Moderator!
☮️
Adam Smith
Wednesday - August 26th 2026 10:01AM MST
PS: Good afternoon, Achmed!
I hope the voters win this time. They've been on such a losing streak, for such a long time. I really feel bad for them.
They could use a win.
☮️
I hope the voters win this time. They've been on such a losing streak, for such a long time. I really feel bad for them.
They could use a win.
☮️
Or... I goofed up one o-ring each time I did the system overhaul. There are like 14 o-rings in the system. If one of them is just a little off (but not off enough to see the leak with the bubble water or the UV dye) then it can cause a very small leak. (Which is why it is important not only to have exactly the right size o-rings, but also to be very careful installing them.)
Anyway...
Happy Thursday! ☮️