Heavy Duty Brake Fluid

[Guest]

I am the new owner of a 62 tbird and the owners manual says to use ford heavy duty brake fluid,does this still hold true in 2013 or can I use synthetic DOT3 wiyhout having leaks.
TKS in advance for your input.

[YellowRose]

Heavy Duty Brake Fluid

Hi Gas! Welcome to the Forum, again! I would think that it might be a good idea to try and determine what brake fluid is in the MC now, if possible. If you mix different kinds of brake fluid you are probably going to have problems. You might want to drain all the brake fluid out, and do a bench bleed then put in what you want to. If the brake fluid has been in that car for many years, it probably needs to be replaced anyway. Probably the best person to answer your question would be our webmaster, Dave ~ simplyconnected. He is on the Forum now and he certainly knows the best answer to your question.

[simplyconnected]

Thanks, Ray. Yes, your car came with DOT-3 and Ford still puts it in their cars and trucks. Why? Because it is still the best brake fluid. The only important fact they left out of your Maintenance Schedule is to change it at LEAST every three years (or sooner). Ford puts this into their new car Maintenance Schedules, now.

Ray is right about keeping your brake fluid fresh. All fluid goes in clear, then something happens inside your lines that turn it brownish red; rust.

DOT-3 is glycol-based and compatible with DOT-4, but not DOT-5. It also sucks up water (faster than Scotch), keeping your brake lines rust free until saturation sets in.
DOT-5 is silicone-based, and gives a slightly 'spongy' feel.

Here's a simple test if you need to identify what you have in your system: Take a few drops from your M/C and drop them in a small container of water. DOT3 will completely dissolve and mix into the water. DOT5 will not.

If you ever need to flush your system to prepare it for another type of fluid, use plenty of alcohol.

Always keep petroleum products away from DOT-3 as it will bloat your seals. Use clean brake fluid to ‘wash’ your rubber brake parts before assembly. Most of those “Brake Cleaner” spray cans are petroleum-based and dangerously flammable. I found out the hard way. The first time I applied the brakes, they wouldn’t retract and kept the brakes on. Sure enough, the seals were bloated a lot.

Hope this helps. - Dave