Douglas,
Having had silicon fluid in the brake system of my TD for the past 20
years, I feel qualified to answer this. Stated simply, this rather
remote expert is full of s--t! My brake system has the standard rubber
components that is used in all TD brake system and has suffered no ill
effects. I have heard this same claim for any number of different makes
of cars - "our cars use natural, unnatural, synthetic (take your choice)
rubber and can only use DOT 2, DOT 3, DOT 4, Lockheed (again, take your
choice) fluid or the system will self destruct". None of this is true!
All brake fluid is produced to be compatible with all the rubber used in
brake systems. After 20 years, I have had only one seal fail from old
age. The fluid is as crystal clear as the day I put it in the system,
with no sign of rust or corrosion anywhere in the system (the fluid has
never been changed) and the car still stops as well as ever. So go
ahead and use silicon fluid and let the "experts" scare everyone else.
A couple of points to remember when using silicon fluid: 1) Start with
a completely clean, dry system. While silicone fluid and DOT 3 or 4 are
not compatible, that only means that they will not mix, but they will
coexist together with no problems. However any DOT 3 or 4 fluid left in
the system will still draw moisture, which will cause corrosion in the
system. 2) Like synthetic oil, silicon fluid will leak through the
tiniest hole, so you must make sure that all sealing washers and
fittings are doing their job. 3) Silicone will retain bubbles of air
more than DOT 3 or 4, so be gentle in the bleeding process. Speaking of
bleeding, note that the bleeders at each wheel, only bleeds the line,
not the cylinder. I always fill the wheel cylinders with fluid and then
attach them to the backing plates and hook them up - a messy job, but
makes bleeding much easier.
Happy motoring,
Dave
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