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Brake Fluid ... How many Dots?


John76

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10 hours ago, tjones02 said:

Dot 4 for sure! I like Ate Type200. Which is the yellow equivalent of Ate Blue. I’ve been using it for a couple of decades.

Well then. You probably should change it 

 

😁

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Ray

Stop reading this! Don't you have anything better to do?? :P
Two running things. Two broken things.

 

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On 10/30/2022 at 4:19 PM, Lorin said:

I bought a few cans of ATE blue a while back that I’m working through on the cars, mostly. 
 

Another of my favorites that I use in motorcycles is  Motul 5.1 , that stuff is great. 

 

 

LOL.... that must have been a LONG while back.

2xM3

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Thanks all for your responses.

Here's what I concluded so far:  The higher the number of Dots, the higher the wet boiling point...that's a duh!

But...the higher the boiling point means the fluid does not absorb as much water, and therefore needs to be changed more often.

For high-performance braking in hot and humid environments the Dot 4 or 5+ makes sense, at the expense of more frequent changes.  For normal driving in a low humidity, mild environ, especially if garaged, the Dot 3 will do just fine, and only needs changing every 2-3 years.

If you enjoy bleeding your brakes (I do!) then Dot 3 with annual changes is even better...at least for "normal" driving.

Does this make sense????

John

PS: Stay away from Dot 5 unless you change it regularly or store your car in a hermetically sealed garage.

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So… i have a buddy with a fleet of older cars here in Germany, and he’s switched all of them to DOT 5 long ago and swears by it in that he rarely ever has to change the fluid and it doesn't absorb water like standard fluid here in humid Germany that dictates regular changes. 
 

Since I had to break the lines to do the rear subframe refresh hes now trying to convince me to swap over to Silicone based fluid. 
 

thoughts?

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1 hour ago, 2002Scoob said:

thoughts?

So where does that moisture go in cold and humid Germany? 

It is not absorbed by Dot 5 Silicone, which is why it has a very high boiling point. 

But it still gets into the brake system through the seals and vent holes. 

I put Dot 5 in my motorcycle and thought I would never have to change it again.... wrong!!!

Any moisture in the brake system pools together and sinks to the lowest point. Regular fluid absorbs the moisture and keeps it in suspension and has to be changed regularly to prevent turning to steam and the resulting brake failure.

After about 4 years, this happened to my rear disc brake cylinder. Went for a ride one morning and the rear brake froze solid on the first pedal push. Luckily, I was not too far from home and managed to drag the back to the garage for an autopsy.

Found a rather large drop of water at the bottom of the cylinder that rusted the lining and corroded the piston.

I still keep that old brake cylinder with the corroded hole in the bottom to remind me not to use Dot 5.

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On 11/1/2022 at 10:43 PM, John76 said:

So where does that moisture go in cold and humid Germany? 

It is not absorbed by Dot 5 Silicone, which is why it has a very high boiling point. 

But it still gets into the brake system through the seals and vent holes. 

I put Dot 5 in my motorcycle and thought I would never have to change it again.... wrong!!!

Any moisture in the brake system pools together and sinks to the lowest point. Regular fluid absorbs the moisture and keeps it in suspension and has to be changed regularly to prevent turning to steam and the resulting brake failure.

After about 4 years, this happened to my rear disc brake cylinder. Went for a ride one morning and the rear brake froze solid on the first pedal push. Luckily, I was not too far from home and managed to drag the back to the garage for an autopsy.

Found a rather large drop of water at the bottom of the cylinder that rusted the lining and corroded the piston.

I still keep that old brake cylinder with the corroded hole in the bottom to remind me not to use Dot 5.

 

Thanks for the response. Yah... I understand the concerns. I just hate bleeding brakes and having to mess with that toxic juice, and would love a set it and forget it solution. But it keeps my mechanic happy I guess when I bring him my car every year for a flush. 

 

I've been reading a bunch of threads but haven't found too much feed-back or actual experience from people using it on a 2002 thou. Would love to hear anyone who's made the leap and is fine, or regretted it beyond the more 'rubbery' pedal-feel. 

 

And don't worry. I'll probably just end up using DOT 4 anyway. But the curiosity and temptation is there. 

Edited by 2002Scoob
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I converted my 2002 to DOT 5 back in the 90’s and ran it for a year or so. I was running Volvo calipers and 320 rear drums. I do not remember dealing with any issues except the pedal feel which was as you say a little rubbery. I did a lot of bleeding to try and improve that situation and keep the pedal feel as good as possible. 
 

I did not start with a completely dry,  new brake system which I understand is optimal for running DOT5. The system previously filled with Castrol LMA which I ultimately went back to. 
 

I did not like the pedal feel. 

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