Brake Fluid

[Ernest C.]

I am just now installing new calipers on my 65. In the past there has been discussions on the type of brake fluid that should be used considering that the cars sit for long periods of time. Any reccomendations would be appreciated.
Thanks
Ernie

[Stephen B.]

Re: Brake Fluid

Ernest
I have owned a 1966 since new.In about 1975 I replaced all calipers with stainless and filled system with silicon fluid. In 2001 or 2 I restored my chassis. I had a very hard brake pedal for over 25 years, never had a leak,and when I flushed the system in 2001 or 2 the old fluid was as clean as the day I first put it in.One of the added benefits of silicon fluid is that if you ever get some on a painted surface it wipes right off.I currently have 3 cars with silicon fluid in them and have yet to see a down side.
Stephen Barrett (21558)

[John C.]

Re: Brake Fluid

Ernest
I have owned a 1966 since new.In about 1975 I replaced all calipers with stainless and filled system with silicon fluid. In 2001 or 2 I restored my chassis. I had a very hard brake pedal for over 25 years, never had a leak,and when I flushed the system in 2001 or 2 the old fluid was as clean as the day I first put it in.One of the added benefits of silicon fluid is that if you ever get some on a painted surface it wipes right off.I currently have 3 cars with silicon fluid in them and have yet to see a down side.
Stephen Barrett (21558)

Hey Stephen, I'm going to be rebuilding the M/C on my 65 next week and that would be a good time to do a fluid change. Is there any special silicon fluid to look for, ie; type 3 or 4 or just plain silicon fluid.
JC

[Terry M.]

Re: Brake Fluid

Hey Stephen, I'm going to be rebuilding the M/C on my 65 next week and that would be a good time to do a fluid change. Is there any special silicon fluid to look for, ie; type 3 or 4 or just plain silicon fluid.
JC

JC Silicone fluid is DOT 5, glycol fluid is DOT 3, 4, 5.1. DOT 5 does not mix well with the glycol fluids.

Ernest will have to disassemble his master cylinder clean the glycol fluid out and reassemble the master cylinder using DOT 5 as a lubricant. He should also flush the brake lines with alcohol to get rid of residual glycol fluid.

For best results you should disassemble your calipers, clean out the glycol residue and reassemble using DOT 5 as a lubricant. You too will have to flush your brake lines just like Ernest.

[Pierre J.]

Re: Brake Fluid

[Ernest C.]

Re: Brake Fluid

So, if i" reading this correctly, I should clean the MC as well as the lines before trying to fill with DOT 5. Is that correct?
Thanks
Ernie

[Terry M.]

Re: Brake Fluid

So, if i" reading this correctly, I should clean the MC as well as the lines before trying to fill with DOT 5. Is that correct?
Thanks
Ernie

Yes you should. I missread the thread and attributed the original post to Steven. I am sorry.

[Terry M.]

Re: Brake Fluid

If you are sure the fluid you use is compatible with the materials used in your brake system -- knock your sox off. Purchasing a fluid marked DOT assures you of that compatibility.

I have seen a brake system to which motor oil was added -- it was a mess I never want to see again, and none of us want to pay to fix THAT. Not to mention should you have an accident what the lawyers would say if they found out there was non-DOT fluid in the brake system.

[Duke W.]

Re: Brake Fluid

The first hydraulic brake systems showed up on cars in the early 1920s. At the time, rubber parts were based on natural rubber, which has poor resistance to degradation from contact with petroleum-based products.

Hydraulic systems were new and very rare back then. Heavy construction equipment like draglines were all cables and pulleys.

So a fluid that wouldn't freeze and had a high boiling point had to be selected, and the glycol ether-based fluid that we still use today was the best available choice 90 years ago.

As aircraft grew larger in the 1930s, hydraulic boost control was required, but by that time synthetic elastomers were developed that resisted petroleum product attack, so most modern hydraulic fluids are petroleum based, and their use spread as hydraulic control systems replaced older mechanical control systems on virtually all vehicles and equipment.

It's not likely that new cars will ever go to petroleum based hydraulic fluids as the DOT is concerned that they might end up in earlier cars and cause brake system failure due to elastomer degradation.

Our current brake fluid is a legacy of the early days, and we are stuck with the disadvantages of it.

Duke

[Stephen B.]

Re: Brake Fluid

Ernest
The product I've used for years is made by Stainless Steel Brakes Corperation and is availible from Paragon.Use this product and you will never see rust in your system again. You can pour the whole bottle on your 99.9 point car and do no damage to the paint job. Do not use this product on ABS systems, it does not like to be agitated.
Stephen Barrett (21558)