Overview

This guide goes through the steps we used to flush the brake fluid on a 1987 Ferrari Testarossa. For the Testarossa, flushing the brake fluid is no different than any normal car, except the clutch fluid needs to be bled at the same time. We chose to use a Motive brake fluid power bleeder instead of flushing the brake fluid the manual way with one person pumping the brake pedal. The Motive brake fluid power bleeder saves a significant amount of time and only requires one person. If you flush your brake fluid often (e.g. if you track the car often), we definitely recommend getting one.

Before flushing the old fluid, you could use a turkey baster to remove some of the old fluid in the reservoir first to reduce the amount of fluid being flushed and prevent mixing of new and old fluid. Personally, we did not do this, since the Motive brake fluid power bleeder makes quick work of the flush and have not seen an issue of old vs. new fluid mixing.

NOTE: Always be careful not to spill brake fluid on any painted surface. Brake fluid will remove paint very easily and quickly! Also, be careful with brake cleaner, since it will discolor paint protection film (PPF)/clear bra.

¹Ideally, it would be best to use a flare nut wrench (like this 7 x 8 mm flare nut wrench); however, finding a 7 mm flare nut wrench can be difficult. We chose to use a regular combination wrench (the open-end).