How to Check Brake Fluid 2003-12 Volvo XC90

Hey friends, it's Len here from 1A Auto. Today we're working on our 2004 Volvo XC 90, and I want to show you something very basic. We're going to be checking the brake fluid. The master cylinder for your brake fluid is located right over here. It has a black cap with yellow writing on it. On the cap it tells you what type of fluid to use. This particular vehicle says to use only DOT 4 brake fluid. That means you do not want to use DOT 3, and you do definitely do not want to use Dot 5.

So let's check your fluid. Right along the side over here, you've got a maximum line right here, and then down there there's the minimum line. As long as you're anywhere in between here, preferably up close to the maximum you're doing all right, but I like to keep it just about at that maximum line.

Let's take a look where it is. It looks like it's just a scoatch below it. I'm not going to add anything to that because by the time I add a drop, it might even go above it. But let's assume that you do have to. What you would do, take a rag or whatever you might have, a cloth or whatever, try to clean off the area around it and or along the sides of the cap just so there's no large chunks of debris around it. We'll get this out of here too. Here we are. And that's just so that when we take off the cap, we don't get any type of debris inside the master cylinder. We're going to remove the cap by turning it counterclockwise. We'll take a look at it. I like to just push this back down and in, and then I take a look at it and see if it looks like it's dry rotted and cracked. This doesn't look like it's dry rotted or cracked, so it looks like we're doing all right.

Also something to pay attention to is if it's swollen. This right here, it looks like it's perfect, but sometimes you'll see it, it looks almost like an expanded glove. Like, if I was to blow up this glove and you saw my thumb just poof up right here. Okay. It would look like that inside here, this one looks perfect though.

Now it's time to add. We would use the specified type, like I said, which is DOT 4 brake fluid. Top it off until it's either at or just below the maximum line. Once it's topped off, just take your cap, screw it back clockwise or to the right until it feels like it's nice and snug, and then it's nice and full. So there you are. That's how to check your brake fluid on your 2004 Volvo XC 90.

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