Brake Fluid: synth or no?
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Brake Fluid: synth or no?
Been scouting around the web, learned that the brake fluid topic is akin to the radials/bias ply discussion.
My '40 is all original brake-wise, and everything is brand new (sleeved cylinders & MC, all new lines. Contamination is not an issue. Truck will get used pretty infrequently, I'm sure.
Bought a big bottle of DOT5 but haven't opened it yet. Reading & reading and there's 2 camps; the 'I've used it for 25 years on 35 vehicles and no problems' and 'it leaks, water puddles, spongy pedal' and on & on.
Who has tackled this issue on an original truck & what's your opinion of which you've used?
My '40 is all original brake-wise, and everything is brand new (sleeved cylinders & MC, all new lines. Contamination is not an issue. Truck will get used pretty infrequently, I'm sure.
Bought a big bottle of DOT5 but haven't opened it yet. Reading & reading and there's 2 camps; the 'I've used it for 25 years on 35 vehicles and no problems' and 'it leaks, water puddles, spongy pedal' and on & on.
Who has tackled this issue on an original truck & what's your opinion of which you've used?
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Found this thread, which I missed in my earlier search:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...ake-fluid.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...ake-fluid.html
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From: Upper Michigan
I have never given dot 5 a thought till I saw this post. Now, after doing some reading on it..... I still don't know what to think. Seeing I have used gallons of dot 3, and have one on the shelf, that's probably what I'll be using. Let us know what you decide.
Vic
Vic
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Could not find a clear consensus via variouis online forum combing.
I had thought initially that DOT 5 would not absorb moisture. It doesn't in that the fluid itself does not MIX with water/moisture, but a brake system filled with DOT5 will still absorb water… it'll just separate like oil/water do. Potentially the water may gather in one spot & potentially work harder at rotting out a component/ brake line.
My truck's hard stuff (all 4 wheel cylinders and the master cylinder) have been sleeved with stainless, brake lines are cheap, and I have no finished paint to worry about spattering BF on. So I'm going with glycol-based DOT 3.
I had thought initially that DOT 5 would not absorb moisture. It doesn't in that the fluid itself does not MIX with water/moisture, but a brake system filled with DOT5 will still absorb water… it'll just separate like oil/water do. Potentially the water may gather in one spot & potentially work harder at rotting out a component/ brake line.
My truck's hard stuff (all 4 wheel cylinders and the master cylinder) have been sleeved with stainless, brake lines are cheap, and I have no finished paint to worry about spattering BF on. So I'm going with glycol-based DOT 3.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
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From: Waterloo, Iowa
Brake fluid absorbs moisture but that's a feature, not a bug - in part so the line won't ever freeze solid. DOT 3 is good stuff, just change it out periodically to keep corrosion at bay. Hardly anyone does this.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Aug 2009
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From: Western Washington
I've been told that if you want to run DOT 5 you have to have a clean, new system that hasn't had fluid in it. It has something to do with the different compounds of DOT 5 vs DOT 3.
Sam
Sam
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