Is it OK to smash brake hoses for a while to change out a caliper without losing expensive silicone brake fluid? I fear doing permanent damage to the hose.
Not a good idea to pinch hoses.I usually just make sure i am ready to make the swap and do it as fast as i can on the hose part.
I like to just let them drain and keep an eye on the reservoir....good way and time to flush the fluid threw the lines.
Brake fluid is cheap enough, how much did you expect to lose? In reality, maybe less than an ounce, plus you have to bleed them anyway. Bob
I use golf tees to plug the lines. You have to sharpen them a bit though, as the stock taper is too steep for them to stay put in the hose or tube. This is for 3/16" lines. I plug them mainly to minimise the bleeding I have to do.
Only smash them if you are going to replace them right then! You definitely destroy them by doing so! Fluid is a lot cheaper than hoses. You don't need to take them off very often and when you do it doesn't hurt to freshen up the fluid anyway. Do as suggested, plug the hose end. I usually just try to get everything ready to install (new calipers or whatever) and put it back together as quickly as possible. Leave the cap on the master cylinder and it won't drain as fast (if the M.C. is mounted high). ~Alden
If you drive over your garden hose sooner or later it will leak. Same with brake hoses, only a little more critical. Charlie Stephens
I do it all the time. Been doing it for years (decades), never had a problem. Just don't crush it with a ton of pressure. No need to. Just lightly pinch it off. I use needle-nose vise grips and just use enough clamping force to stop the flow. I just replaced 3 calipers on my diesel Super Duty the week before I left for spring Carlisle. A few weeks later I was towing my hot rod to Thompson for the races.
Must be OK .....A number of companies sell tools to do it. Sealey Hose Pinch Tool Composite Small - Brake/Fuel Hoses VS030 Our Reference = WW-VS030
DOT 5 silicone is usually considered an expendable commodity used for racecars only. It has no ability to handle any moisture incurred with street-driven cars
Silicone Brake Fluids In years past, all brake fluids were glycol. Then D.O.T. 5, a silicone fluid having a higher temperature rating, emerged, initially to meet the higher boiling point requirements of racing use. (Race car brake systems include oil-cooler-like heat exchangers and ceramic pads.) Silicone fluid was able to withstand the most heat of any brake fluid, so it earned a reputation as a racing brake fluid. However, silicone brake fluid has properties very different from glycol fluid, and has its own pros and cons. On the advantage side, silicone fluid will not harm paint or plastic, and does not aggressively attract additional moisture as glycol fluid does. On the disadvantage side however, silicone fluid aerates easily. Harley-Davison, one of the sole current OEM users of silicone fluid, warns buyers to let the fluid sit at least an hour before using it. Silicone fluid is also slightly more compressible than glycol fluid, does not change color to tip the user to its moisture content, and worst of all, neither accepts or disperses moisture, making systems using it more corrosion prone, and requiring much more frequent fluid changes. Silicone brake fluid also lacks glycol fluid's naturally occurring lubricity, making it incompatible with the mechanical valving in some antilock braking systems.
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