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From: RodsINTOMG@aol.com
Full-name: RodsINTOMG
Message-ID: <12d.692c97.2864abc4@aol.com>
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2001 10:10:12 EDT
Subject: Re: Silicone brake fluid
To: JWoesvra@aol.com
MIME-Version: 1.0
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In a message dated 6/19/01 6:52:17 AM Pacific Daylight Time, JWoesvra@aol.com
writes:
<<
<< There's millions of anecdotal failures all warning "it didn't work for
me". What do you see as the failure point? I live in the desert and don't
live with the common absorption problems but even out here I've heard the
stories. Can you two enlighten us all? >>
>>
I think that the biggest problem is that first time users of silicone brake
fluid pump the pedal vigorously to blead the brakes which is a problem with
silicone. Silicone has a greater viscosity that DOT 3 and will capture air
like a jar of honey when you shake it up. I use a vacume bleader (it hooks
up to your compressor and sucks the brake fluid out of the bleader valve) and
don't have a problem.
To take full advantage of silicone, you should start with a completly rebuilt
system. I think that many of the problems start here. I started with clean
lines and fresh wheel cylinders on John Brookmans racing MGTD. I used a new
master cylinder from Moss Motors. I couldn't get any fluid out of the wheel
cylinders no mater how hard I tried. Finally I cracked the line on the
master and couldn't get any fluid to pump out. Took off the master and took
it apart and found that the check valve was in backwards. I think that this
the kind of problem that gets blamed on silicone brake fluid: new or rebuilt
parts that are not 100% spot on and adjusted properly (especially pedal
pustrod length/adjustment, or old margenal brake hoses). The cost of
silicone fluid makes many first time users upset when they have a problem and
waste a quart or more of fluid to get a firm pedal and they give up and go
back to DOT3 etc.
I hope this helps,
Rod Schweiger
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