How to Replace the Hydraulic Fluid with Water on the Magura HS33 Brakes

On the 2010 New Year eve, together with my son Joel, I went to Wong Xu's apartment in Puchong to get my Magura HS33 brakes' hydraulic fluid (mineral oil) replaced with water.

Wong Xu has been using water instead of mineral oil on his HS33 brakes for the longest time now. It seems water is a popular substitute for mineral oil for HS33 in China. But not all hydraulic brakes can use water instead of hydraulic fluids... this only works on the Magura HS33 brakes without any leakages... :-)


Wong Xu removing the HS33 brake lever from the handle.


The grip was stuck so tight that he had to use a chopper to cut open the grip... LOL.


After removing the whole set of brakes from the bike, he proceeded to remove the screws to drain out all the hydraulic fluid.


The hydraulic fluid, originally yellowish in colour, is now completely BLACK with dirt particles!


Using a washing basin, the complete brake set is submerged in soap water. Using the lever, the soap is sucked into the brake tubing and pumped out to cleaned the inside completely.


Joel watching and learning... LOL.


After rinsing the brakes thoroughly, water is pumped into the brakes and the opening screwed tightly to ensure no leakages.


The Magura HS33 brakes... now powered by H2O.


The exterior of the brakes are cleaned thoroughly to remove any dirt.


The HS33 installed back on the bike.

15 days later, I have to replace the water in the brakes again. This is to ensure that all the dirt and grit inside the brake system are flushed out thoroughly. After that the brakes can be used for the next 6 months on a daily basis without any problem... I hope... LOL.

I will post up the How-to videos after I have finished uploading to Youtube.