Anybody out there using this? I have it in a '32 Ford with '40 - '48 juice brakes and I'm having a tough time getting the front hoses with copper crush washers to seal. I've heard that this stuff is too thin for the old Ford brake system, anybody have any luck?
The problems with silicone brake fluid are many and varied. I personally wouldn't use it for anything. But they have nothing to do with the mechanical seal at a hard fitting. Check the mating surfaces on your hose and cylinder, and make sure the fitting is screwing all the way down against the washer.
I used dot5 fluid in my 49 ford for the past 10 years and have had no problems with it. I have puy it in many old cars that mostly sit. You must start with a clean system.
I have used silicone fluid in the past but I'm taking it out of both the cars I put it in. Really performs poorly in the cold,seems to get thick. Hard to get a good pedal and has a tendency to hold air and foam. It's major claim is a really high boiling point so it's good for brakes that get super hot, not really much of a deal for most of us. I originally thought it was going to be great because it doesn't strip paint but since I'm using nothing but epoxies and urethanes these days I no longer worry about a little brake fluid spilling. MIKE
Try loosening and tightening a few times. If that doesn't do it get new washers. They crush once to seal and then they need to be replaced unless you get lucky.
Copper crush washers (the solid style, not those sold by Nissan, but I digress) can easily be reused by the simple expedient of heating the washer red hot (careful, it is close to the melting point), then allowing it to air cool. This anneals the copper, and allows it to crush again, thus sealing well once more. Been doing this for years, it works well. Cosmo
Been using Dot 5 Silcone brake fluid for a VERY long time in all my Deuces. Have well over 100,000 miles in my roadster alone with silcone fluid in the master cylinder and I also use it in my Land Speed Lakester race car. My 32's all have early Ford drum brakes on the front. The best way to get the copper washer to seal would be to aneal the washer. Its possible the washer's you have are to hard they need to be soft so that they seal correctly by forming to the surfaces when tightened. You can aneal the washer yourself to make them soft by using a small torch I use a small Benzamatic propane torch the type used to solder copper pipes. I have reused the copper washers with no problems at all just by making them soft once again.
I use it in everything, it does not attract moisture, just make shire your brake components are compatible.
Been using Dot-5 in all my cars since '82, early drums, later drums and disc type. Never any problem and thousands of miles. A bad seal has nothing to do with the type fluid, follow the above recommended procedures.
I have it in all my old cars and I love it. It goes in purple and years 6 years later when I flushed the system it was still purple. No loos in performance that I can tell either. Only complaint is that it kills the hydraulic brake light switch. Not a problem if you have a mechanical switch. The other huge plus is that it does not hurt paint!
I like all the good qualities of DOT 5 (does not attract moisture,does not hurt paint)fluid but could not get a firm pedal. Flushed out the sysytem and changed to DOT 3 and got better results in my application.
It is all I have ever run and still do today. The Dot 5 brake fluid in my 27 was about 23 years old when I redid the car a couple of years ago and it looked like brand new when I drained the system. Not only am I using it for my brakes but for my hydraulic clutch too. No leaks or any other problems whatsoever. Don
Before putting dot 5 into your system, you need to flush out the old dot 3 (flush with alcohol.) Mixing dot 5 with any non-silicone brake fluid supposedly causes the mixture to form a gel, which does not move thru the system properly. Dot 3 will hold moisture in the fluid (4 to 10%) while the amount of water held by dot 5 is negligible (1/2 of 1%.) One of my cars has steel brake pistons with aluminum cylinders; I use dot 5 in this vehicle to prevent rust/barnacles from forming on the pistons. Dot 5 works fine in almost any car, provided the system is clean (no dot 3) and provided it has been completely flushed with alcohol.
I have four rods,all with early Ford hydraulics,and Dot 5 fluid. I won't use anything else,in a car that sits for 6 months out of the year. One thing I learned from my days of Go Kart racing is,never pour Dot 5 directly into the resavoir. Always use a funnel,and pour onto the side of the funnel,or pump it into the res. This eliminates air bubbles forming. Never found any rust,in a system using Dot 5.
I'm pretty sure it's the crappy Mac's wheel cylinders because I've gone thru 3 sets of hoses & 4 sets of copper washers annealed and not annealed and they still leak! I guess the surface area where the washer mates to the wheel cylinder is warped. Think I'll get some from Napa and replace them.
I think this is the 2ond thread that was about Mac's wheel cyl/hoses not sealing. something to remember when I get the the brakes on my car...one post said to heat the copper washer to red hot, I think I would give this a try, it makes the copper softer
I could file them down but that is tough to do to get them perfectly flat and on the same plane as the surface itself! If I filed them and they were off slightly, I'd have leaks again.
I wonder how long that takes? I heard that too so I mixed Dot3 and 5 in a cup and watched it on the workbench for weeks and nothing happened. I was told that our military uses Dot5. It must be good if thats true. I have been using Dot 5 for more than 2o years on many ol cars and its so nice that there is no sludge buildup or stuck pistons. I have driven my 39 Ford every day for 17 years and dont remember ever changing a wheel cylinder after I started using Dot5 in it
I'v had dot 5 in a vette for 34 years now and every time i check it, it's like new. never had any problems with it, there must be a difference in brands with so many having bad experiences with it. calipers are sleeved with stainless and master cylinder with brass, brake lines are original steel.
All things considered, for most applications, I prefer to use DOT 3 and flush the system every year or two. Below I have listed some pros and cons of silicone/DOT 5 fluid : - Some silicone fluid is not compatible with some seal materials. - On metal to metal surfaces silicone is not as good a lubricant as "regular" fluid. - Silicone is not very good for preventing corrosion. - Silicone fluid doesn't absorb moisture. That means flushing/bleeding can't remove any moisture existing in the system. So, depending on the situation that property can be a plus or a minus. - Air tends to stay mixed with silicone, making it hard to thoroughly bleed. - For most street applications not a factor, but silicone can tolerate more heat than "regular" fluid. - Silicone doesn't damage paint as "regular" fluid can. - Slicone is not compatible with most other fluids. That means a THOROUGH AND COMPLETE cleaning of the system if switching over.
Get the ribbed crush washers from NAPA and dip them in DOT 5 when you install them. Never mix DOT 5 with any other brake fluid. This will help. http://fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108525&highlight=dot+brake+fluid
i havent had any trouble with dot 5 in 3 cars over about a 15 yr period. All of these cars set for a pretty good time between being used & before using dot 5 every time i started to drive one - one thing or another in the brake system would be corroded . The most important thing is to make sure that the brake system is 100% cleaned of the dot 3
I have looked high and low for the ribbed washers, I still can't find those. The Napa's near me do not have them. And this car has a new brake system, only DOT 5 has been in this car.
Instead of copper, it's possible to use the washers used in hydraulic systems. They are steel washers with 0-ring material bonded to the inside diameter. There are two types. One is the Stat-o-seal that's available in all sizes from Earl's or any Aeroquip dealer. The other is known as a Dowty washer, and can be had from a hydraulic shop. I quit using copper washers years ago and now use Stat-o-seals. Because they come in many sizes, I also use them for drain and fill plug gaskets.
Worked fine in my wife's 1936 Ford coupe w/fdb and rr. drums. used it for almost 17 years in that car with no issues. Had a firewall mounted m.c. with lots of paint 'n' polish near it. Never stained or removed any paint.
It is debated on every forum, with every car crowd. Personally, I don't like it. The road race people hate it, and most performance pad / caliper companies in road racing flat out don't recommend it. I don't like it when it's cold and it performs horribly on the track when its hot as hell. I understand some people like it, but then again, a lot of our cars on here aren't subject to the extremes of either winter driving, road racing, towing, etc. Personally, I recommend a DOT 5.1 fluid like ATE Super Blue, Motul RBF 600, or Castrol SRF. I use Super Blue in most everything, and flush all my cars every 15,000 miles.
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