Can anything be used as a substitute for brake fluid. When I pull the 52 home I'd like to have brakes. I should have the emergency brake but just would also like the brakes too. I don't want to spend $32 for 4 litres of brake fluid if I'm not gonna be using the brakes ever again. Any sugestions?

 

rubbing alchohol will work in a pinch, and it is cheap! just dont leave it in the system it will rust everything up.

 

Nathan, it holds four liters? Wow! How about if you only filled it half full just for the one trip? Or is it 4 litres because you have huge brake cylinders on there. Also, be advised that brake fluid is water based, so you cannot add any alternatives that are petrolium based. Just a word to the wise, if you know what I mean. How much would it cost for a tow? $32 would go a long way towards that, I would think. Then you could be at home making all the repairs instead of trying to make it road worthy where it is now. Good luck, John

 

Of the trucks I have had they were bone dry. 4 litres would probally just fill the system. It's cheaper to buy more. 1 litre is like $9 but then this is the good dot 3 stuff. It would cost me $70-90 to get it towed, I can't put it on the trailer since it just fit the F-1. I pulled my M-3 home with just the emergency brake but then we didn't have to go through a valley. I wonder if motor oil would work? I don't think that compresses. We got alot of used stuff.

 

Nathan DON'T put moror oil in the brake system. I'd use urine before I'd put oil in it. Oil will cause all the rubber parts to swell up, that could lead to the brakes locking up. Can you tow it with a tow bar maybe. Rich.

 

I would bite the bullet and get the fluid. No sense risking your life or someone else's because of not wanting to pay. Think of the insurance mess you'd be in if something bad happened, Lawsuits, etc.......

Barry

50 F-1

 

Hmmm... Since I've never seen the truck yet so I don't know the condition of the brakes. Barry the worst damage I could do is hitting our truck or running through a ditch into a barb wire fence. The truck is not gonna be pulled through town and most likely the place to hit the fence would be our own property since we own the land in the valley. Also what would a towbar help?

 

With a tow bar you would not need brakes as long as what you are towing it with is capable of handling that truck. In our area, you can't put anyone in the towed vehicle, so no need for the brakes.

Barry

 

The answer has been sitting in front of my face the whole time. Tractor Hydralic Fluid. It won't cause rubber to swell, we have a whole barrell of it and it also works as a power steering fluid.

 

Bleed your vehicle brake fluid into bottle, use other scrapped vehicles at any garage. Use master cylinder reservoir's filter.

 

Man, this thread is twelve years old, hopefully Nathan has gotten his truck home safely by now!

 

Time is illusion

He got that advice on time

 

Believe it or not extra virgin olive oil. that's a little expensive but in the pinch canola oil works just the same. and you could leave it in and use it as brake fluid

 

Raining Wrenches, the OP was in 2004. You might want to check dates before responding to OLD post.

 

Never heard oil any substitute for brake fluid, especially not any kind of vegetable oil. I would never use it and certainly wouldn't advise anyone else to use it.