More Brake Fluid questions...
>> Also that 5 and 4 won't mix.
>
>Correct.
Is this also true for DOT 3 and DOT 5? I ask because I have reason to
believe that the PO of my car topped off the brake and clutch
reservoirs with DOT 5. I also have no reason to believe that the lines
were flushed beforehand.
I've checked with a few local mechanics / parts houses and the answers
I get is that although the two brake fluids can be mixed (and will not
cause any damage) no DOT 5 benefits are realized because of that mix.
In fact, IMHO, you will probably wind up with the worst of both worlds
in that the DOT 3 will absorb water and the DOT 5 will cause water
drops to accumulate in the lower parts of the brake system.
By now I believe that I've put enough DOT 3 through the systems where
there's little (if any) DOT 5 left. I wonder sometimes if the mix had
created some of the hydraulic problems I'm experiencing, but then the
systems seem so corroded in general that I tend to believe that lack of
maintenance caused the majority of the troubles.
BTW, regarding DOT 3 and rubber pieces-parts, does DOT 3 get more
corrosive towards those parts as it gets older? That may help to
explain some of the beliefs about their incompatibility.
Bruce Krobusek
Rochester NY
tinyhost@aol.com
'83 R80RT
'72 TR6
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