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Re: Silicone Brake Fluid

To: "Barney Gaylord" <barneymg@juno.com>, <ckotting@iwaynet.net>
Subject: Re: Silicone Brake Fluid
From: Larry Macy <macy@bblmail.psycha.upenn.edu>
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 97 10:00:48 -0400
>
>On Wed, 17 Sep 1997 07:57:27 -0400 Chris Kotting <ckotting@iwaynet.net>
>writes:
>>barneymg@juno.com (Barney Gaylord) wrote:
>>
>>>I started using DOT 5 when I restored my car, .....  That switch only
>lasted 11 years and 125,000 miles.  Should I be disappointed?
>>
>>Uh, no.  .....
>>
>>OTOH, I've known folks running silicone who had to replace 3 switches
>over the course of a summer, then went back to Castrol with no problems. 
>Go figure.  Maybe there's a difference between the MGA and MGB switches
>that matters?
>
>Or maybe the switches made 11 years ago were better than those made more
>recently?   Oh, oh !   Maybe I'd better stock a spare now?
>
>Barney Gaylord
>1958 MGA with an attitude
The current Road & Track October 1997, pg178-179, has a breif discussion 
on this very subject in the Technical Corespondance section. They state, 
and I am paraphrasing, Dow chemical says that DOT 3 and 4 are compaatible 
with natural rubber seals. Castrol LMA is speciffically designed for 
natural rubber seals and "Silicone (DOT 5) fluids won't harm natural 
rubber either, but they don't mix with other brake fluids" Note that Tom 
Wilson, the author of the section, states that Baer Racing specialists 
use only brake fluid from cans as the plastic ones will allow moisture 
in. 

Larry Macy
78 Midget

To the internet police - I stated the name of the magazine, Author, Date, 
pg No.s and quoted where needed.

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