DOT-5 fluid anyone?

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Not here in CO. The boiling point drops drastically at altitude. I don't like the pedal feel either, but that's just my opinion.

The stuff is easy on paint though.
 
Why would there be a diff in pedal feel? .. did you go back to the regular fluid?
 
I'm going with DOT 5 in my '68. The pedal should feel the same unless there's comtmination of some sort in it.(?) I've heard that it's a pain to blead, and with the higher boiling point, and lack of moister atraction the biggest down fall I see it the price. I couldn't see it as being "maintenence-free" as there are wearing parts in the brake system, but pretty close to it compaired to "normal" brake fluides.
 
I mean maintenence-free as far as having to worry about it attracting moisture and thus rusting and damaging the master cylinder and wheel cylinders.
 
Since DOT 5 is silicon based it wont atract moister and the internal rust is a thing of the past... That's why i'm going with it. Ramcharger, about how much did it cost you to fill up your system? Where I work we sell a small bottle for 5-6.00.
 
'68-340-S said:
Since DOT 5 is silicon based it wont atract moister and the internal rust is a thing of the past... That's why i'm going with it. Ramcharger, about how much did it cost you to fill up your system? Where I work we sell a small bottle for 5-6.00.
Click to expand...


Close to two quarts, but that was in my Ramcharger and I wanted to be sure it was flushed good.
 
whatever you make sure you really flush the system before changing to DOT5. i used rubbing Alcohol. use the type that is more % Alcohol though... then fill with DOT 5.


DOT 5 won't absorb moisture like DOT 3 so if any moisture does find its way into the system it will most likely end up in the calibers or wheel cyl. so worst case is you blead the brakes once a year.... i'm running DOT 5 in my dart and it feels great. i know quite a few guys running DOT 5 and none have had any issues...
 
I'm going to try it too in an all new system. A large bottle (don't know exact quantity) of Dot 5 is going for $30+ at Napa.
 
When I restored my Cuda I replaced every part on the braking system and went with dot 5 and had no problems bleeding it out and it works great. The engine came unglued 150 miles after getting it all together and sat for 10 months before I had all the money to get it back together and when I did it still felt just as good. Great pedal feel for non power disc brakes although I can't say if it's actually better because I never drove the Cuda with dot 3 in it. I plan on allways using Dot 5 on new systems from now on mainly because it doesn't eat paint like dot 3 and doesn't draw moisture. You can use it on an existing system but like Joe said make sure every ounce of the old stuff is flushed out.
 
I used DOT 5 in my 67 chevelle SS when it went through a frame off in 1998,
I have had no problems! The pedal feel is fine,the car stops great.I have had to add a little here and there but have not had any leaks anywhere.I would and will definately use it again! It is gentle on paint only if on it for a very brief time.If it is left on for awhile it will affect the paint. But the old style brake fluid would damage paint in a very short time period.
 
Can anyone expalin how extensive the ALKY flush should be?
 
im running DOT-5 in my barracuda manual disc brakes,,my hole system was new when i installed the DOT-5 works great i also use it in the hyd throw out bearing,,, it doesnt attract moisture and if you spring a leak it wont eat your paint,,,standard brake fluid is MEEN it will destroy any thig it gets on,,
 
edit



http://www.xs11.com/tips/maintenance/maint1.shtml

This is a link to a page "Brake Fluid Facts
by Steve Wall" written by a former materials engineering supervisor at a major automotive brake system supplier.

And no offense MtNemoMopar, but you are misinformed about brake fluid compatability. You cannot just pour DOT 5 in with DOT 3-4, they are not compatible in that fashion.
 
I was replacing my brake fluid once a year, but with DOT-5, I am only doing it once a year, as moisture is no longer a concern. All brake fluids must be compatible, by law, so it is not critical to flush all the old stuff out, just good practice.
 
As I recall the bleed nipples are about the highest point on the wheel cylinders and disc pucks.
(I figure that is where the air would accumulate so for bleeding purposes it is made like that.)
I'm having trouble visualizing how I could get "all" the old fluid out of there by just bleeding it.
Most , but how could one be sure?
Unless 5 has a greater specific gravity and will displace the 3 in the bleeding process.
 
In order to be sure all the old fluid is out you will need to replace or rebuild your wheel cylinders/calipers.I have noticed the most advantage on my cars in very long storage( 2/3 yrs plus)in almost any car that sets that long the wheel cylinders will leak(the residual pressur valve can only hold pressure so long)when the dot 5 leaks out it seems to evaporate.no corroded cyl.no fluid soaked shoes etc.the master will be very low but if topped off the brakes work exactly the same as when last driven.I just recently converted my '66 cuda to late model disks and the last time I was in those brakes was 1986!!!
 
to assure all old fluid is out converting over to DOT=5 either replace all componets,,,,or bleed till purple fluid comes out,,,
 
I have it in my Dart. Everything was new so no big deal. I bought a mini vac pump to bleed the brakes, made the bleeding job very easy and no need for someone pumping the brakes. Have non power disc/drum and the pedal feels good for the system on it.

My plan when I bought the DOT5 was to change it in the Prowler. But decided to not since I would have to clean the system out completely. I just didn't want to take any chances. So since I had it already when the Dart need brake fluid it got it
 
Best way is to do it with a Prssure Pot Bleeding system..


ALSO make sure you keep EXTRA inb the car because ya never know when you may nned some or something happen and you DO NOT want to Re-Contaminate it again...


The Pedal is a SMALL bit softer than DOT 3 because of the Molecule ratio....



SS
 
I'm following Richard Ehrenberg's advice. Read it here:

http://www.moparaction.com/Tech/quest/BINDER_JUICE.html

In a nusthell, he says it's OK to switch over to DOT 5 in a system that previously had DOT 3 or 4.

Regarding the advice from a BMW guy that was posted here. I don't put any faith in that. In the mid 90's, when I still worked in a machine shop we were getting 5 to 7 BMW cylinder heads a week that had blown head gaskets. It was a major design flaw. Not to mention that we had countless other early BMW heads that were cracked. I know this doesn't have anything to do with brakes, but the point that I'm trying to make is that those cars are not all they're cracked up to be and I'm not taking advice from someone who is into them.
 
After reading that article by E-booger I thought of something. I used what is called Dot-5 in my car a couple of years ago but I never looked to see if it is actually silicone based. I just thought all Dot-5 was silicone based. He says it don't have to be. Just a higher boiling temp. I do remember that when I used to work on Crown forklifts they all used Dot-5 fluid and it was purple. The Dot-5 I bought from Wal-mart for my car isn't purple. It looks just like regular fluid, clear. Maybe only the purple stuff is silicone based???? I never thought about it at the time. I'm gonna have to see if I still have a bottle of it and read it to see if is actually silicone based.
 
Is there any information about not mixing fluids on the containers?
That would be a good clue if there weren’t.
Liability and govt. regulation issues would seem to make that necessary.
I've never wanted to spend the extra money, but it is probably worth it.
 
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