"McMike" (mcmike)
09/21/2015 at 18:10 • Filed to: brake fluid, brakes, DOT4, DOT5
0
17|
"McMike" (mcmike)
09/21/2015 at 18:10 • Filed to: brake fluid, brakes, DOT4, DOT5 | 0
| 17 |
Getting ready to flush some brake lines on a bike that came from the factory with DOT5, but it’s not uncommon for folks to switch over to DOT4.
I bought DOT5 just to be sure, but I have never worked with DOT5 and have NO IDEA what it looks like when it’s this old. He bought it six years ago from a widow that lost her husband two years prior, so the last time the bike was serviced (before my buddy got it) was probably 2005-2007 when the bike was five years old.
Now I’m not sure what to put in there.
I’m reading that DOT5 turns a yellowish color when it ages.
Update #1:
I mixed it with some fresh DOT4, and this is what it looked like five minutes later.
Update #2:
I mixed it with some fresh DOT5, and this is what it looked like five minutes later. No separation.
.
It turned out to be DOT5. Also, since the motorcycle only had 10K miles on it when he bought it, I’m guessing the last person to put brake fluid in that bike was Harley Davidson when it was on the assembly line.
crowmolly
> McMike
09/21/2015 at 17:32 |
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IIRC DOT5 is purple. That is 3/4.
EDIT: To confuse things further, DOT 5.1 is amber/clear.
Sam
> McMike
09/21/2015 at 17:34 |
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Taste it.
Then when you wake up in the hospital, they’ll tell you which fluid you ingested.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> crowmolly
09/21/2015 at 17:37 |
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To un-confuse things, DOT 5.1 is a glycol just like 3,4, so backmixing either of those will cause the giving of zero fucks.
Takuro Spirit
> McMike
09/21/2015 at 17:38 |
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ITS URINE
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crowmolly
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
09/21/2015 at 17:38 |
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Ramblin, do you concur that the syringe is not DOT 5? Even dirty I don’t think I’ve seen it that color.
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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> McMike
09/21/2015 at 17:39 |
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If it starts pickling your fingers immediately like you’re used to from brake fluid, it’s DOT3/4. If it takes a bit, and makes your fingers feel sullied and unusual, then it’s DOT5. The DOT5 has sliminess and seal-softening enhancers, but it doesn’t suck the moisture out of your fingers because it’s not a glycol.
Wacko
> McMike
09/21/2015 at 17:39 |
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Mix it with chlorine, you know just to be sure.
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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> crowmolly
09/21/2015 at 17:41 |
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I strongly suspect it’s 3 or 4 because I can’t imagine it becoming un-purpled to that extent and not being... well, brown opaque rotten nut-squeezing stuff. I haven’t worked with much if any old DOT5, just starting fresh.
GasolineLollipop191
> crowmolly
09/21/2015 at 17:47 |
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Old DOT 5 can also be clear with purple residue at the bottom of the reservoir.
CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
> McMike
09/21/2015 at 17:51 |
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DOT 4. I remember it as the crap that was in my AVID brakes.
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McMike
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
09/21/2015 at 17:55 |
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It took me more soap/hot water than usual to clean it off my hands. Also doesn’t have a strong smell at all. I’m leaning towards 5.
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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> McMike
09/21/2015 at 17:56 |
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Based on separation update, it very probably is DOT5 gone really, really bad.
dogisbadob
> McMike
09/21/2015 at 18:12 |
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wear gloves next time :p
desertdog5051
> McMike
09/21/2015 at 18:51 |
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My Harley uses DOT 5. They expressly tell you not to mix DOT 3 or 4 with it. It is a synthetic. I does not attrack moisture. I bled my brakes about a year ago. The old fluid was the same color as the new stuff.
gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
> McMike
09/21/2015 at 20:44 |
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http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c3-tech…
http://www.type2.com/library/brakes…
I’ve read several places to flush the system with alcohol first. If it came with DOT5 I’d use that with a thorough flushing.
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McMike
> Sam
09/21/2015 at 21:20 |
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Definitely DOT5
Tohru
> McMike
09/21/2015 at 23:24 |
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Taste test it.