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I brought it up Sous because I thought the Dot 4 would absorb water also. That's why people have always said use dot 3. At least that is what I remember reading on here somewhere. I guess you should be fine then.
Chet, I thank you for bringing it up and I appreciate it. I make mistakes and need someone to check my back at times.
Thanks again.
From my understanding, DOT 3 will absorb water as well as DOT 4. There is a shelf life for opened brake fluid bottles simply because air and water has been introduced into the bottle. That is my understanding.
Another reason for bleeding the brake system is because the fluid will absorb water over time. Again, this is my understanding.
Just waiting on the pads and rotors to come in the mail and I will get it knocked out. Then, I will look at checking the harness bolts and the Hydra chip tape.Will be ready for the next camping trip at the end of this month after that.
According to page 179 in the owner's manual, only DOT 3 brake fluid is to be used. Although, it is my understanding that DOT 3 and DOT 4 are compatible and interchangeable in every way. Perhaps I am wrong...
Off to search a bit more before making the decision to use the DOT 4 fluid or trash it and purchase some more DOT 3 & 4.
DOT 3 and DOT 4 are not "compatible and interchangeable in every way".
One cannot use DOT 3 fluid in a brake system that was originally specified for DOT 4.
However, one can use DOT 4 in a brake system that was originally specified for DOT 3.
So there is some interchangeability, just not in "every way". One way only.
When I changed brake fluid last, I used DOT 3 from Motorcraft. Available at every Ford dealer nationwide, as well as every O'Reilly's and PepBoys chain auto part stores on nights and weekends, the chances seemed higher to find it on the road.
And, it saved me from any concern about chemical compatibility (eg, borate) with the elastomeric piston seals in the calipers, and whatever seals are used inside the ABS module, which are still all original.. calipers pads, rotors, lines, ABS, the works.
To be fair, the 550 brakes are a bit larger, with a different pad design, and were made by Kelsey Hayes, not Akebono, who was the OEM supplier for the 99-03 F-250/350 brakes.
The Hawk SD brake pads arrived today (thanks USPS contract drivers) and they are the correct pads for the front despite being mis-priced and labeled as rear pads from the seller on Amazon. Rest of the parts should be here tomorrow or Wednesday and I will install on Thursday or Friday.
Oh my, ‘hub grease’, bearing grease, chassis grease etc have the SHORTEST service life of anything - except maybe antisieze. ‘Caliper’ grease is OK, but I’ve compared some high dollar stuff to good ole 100% silicone grease (quality dielectric grease) and the dielectric works better and lasts the longest. It has a HIGH melting point - which is why it stays put the longest. The other products gets really ‘thin’ and just run out when hot.
Your pads are fine, just really anemic performance once you get used to something better. If you had ‘ceramic’ pads or ‘low dust’ pads or worse, the ‘economy’ pads - I would encourage you to change them. They have dangerously weak stopping power and destroy rotors.
Took a day per side on mine going slow and easy since I was replacing the flexible hose as well and the hard line gave me a fit coming off. I did the usual bed in and they are working great so far. I did inject some red and tacky grease in my abs sensor hole on the side that ran hot from the caliper lock up just in case it baked some of the grease (figured it was better than nothing). I did use dielectric grease on the slide pins this time, thanks for the tip.
Left front brake rotor was supposed to arrive this week, like the right front and other parts did. I just received a notification from Amazon asking for approval to delay the order. I cancelled it instead and bought it from another seller on Amazon. It is supposed to be here Friday the 18th. Which is still plenty of time ahead of our camping trip on the 30th. Even if I don't get the brakes installed by the 30th, we are only going 25ish miles away to camp on lake Hartwell again, like we love to do.
I don't mind the side track information and hijacking in any of my threads. If it is worth saying, it is worth writing here.
As far as the truck you would lend me, it has your name spray painted on the side... Also, I would love to drive the truck around and maybe I will get the chance when we visit your homestead one day. I drove a 2002 Mercury Sable to Greenville SC and back to Hartwell 5 days a week and 120 miles round trip for 600 miles a week. I never washed the car, a deer hit it and I burned it up on the interstate because I didn't give a crap about it.
When we dropped it off at the salvage yard with 255,000 miles, they gave us $130 for it and I was happy to leave it with them. It still started every time, despite leaking every fluid it had in it. The transmission still shifted firmly, when there was adequate amount of fluid in it.
Here it is, shortly before we dropped it off...
If you look close, you can see where I pushed the metal back out through the inside with a punch and a large hammer after the deer hit us. We were on our way to my mom's house and when we got there Kate could not get out of the car. I went inside and borrowed a hammer my mom had and beat the hell out of the door until she could get out.
Nobody messed with me or cut me off on the interstate because I clearly didn't give a damn and might just PIT maneuver them into the ditch if they pissed me off. What a beast that car was, but I am glad it is gone because it served it's purpose very well.
09-06-2020, 01:21 PM
