John P. Quinn wrote:
>
> OK, I just bought a '62 Sprite that has '72 Midget front disk brakes on it.
>
> What is the right type or best type of brake fluid to use? Silicon? Dot5?
> Combo of both?
>
> Q
> Jay Quinn - '62 Austin-Healey MKII Sprite
> jpquinn@cyberramp.net
> www.cyberramp.net/~jpquinn
> PGP Encryption Key Upon Request
The answer you seek is not so straight-forward. DOT 3 fluid was the
original fluid used in these cars, and is still acceptable. Drawbacks
to it are it's tendency to absorb moisture (allowing brake components to
corrode), and the fact that it is a terrific paint-remover - an obvious
potential problem.
DOT 5 is silicone based, and doesn't harm paint, or absorb moisture.
It's use requires the complete flushing of all old DOT 3 fluid, and it
may cause some degredation to certain types of rubber found in older
car's brake systems. This might require complete re-build of the
hydraulic system.
If you are starting with a newly re-built brake system, that has not
been exposed to DOT3, I would recommend considering DOT 5. Otherwise,
excersise care, keep the fluid resevoir full and sealed, and go with DOT
3 or DOT 4 (DOT 4 is a newer formulation of DOT 3 type fluids - and
supposedly is a little bit better in some regards)
Good Luck,
Chris Delling
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