Early Ford V-8 Club Forum

EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Brake fluid

Reply to Discussion | New Discussion << previous || next >>

Posted By Discussion Topic: Brake fluid     1934 Ford 03-31-2019 @ 1:05 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 573 Joined: Oct 2009 I used Dot 5 in a 1940 Ford Pickup in 1983. The truck is still used almost daily and has had only a few drops of Dot 5 added in 2003. Never had any brake repairs since it was installed in a new system. I find no faults with Dot 5. Also did it to my 81 El Camino in 2007 and use it often with no issues either. Dot 3 is very hard on paint and wheel cylinder rubber. 1934 Ford's since 1972 This message was edited by 1934 Ford on 3-31-19 @ 1:06 PM fatso2114 03-30-2019 @ 5:50 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 55 Joined: Oct 2016 Thanks to all for the info I will stick with the dot 3,John pauls39coupe 03-29-2019 @ 6:25 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 205 Joined: Jul 2014 My car has had DOT 5 since it was built in 1986. The brakes work well and the system is rust free. It does need to have the brake light switch replaced about every 5 years or so, as the do develop leaks. Dot 5 will not absorb water from the air and rust the brake lines and cylinders like early DOT 3. Often these old cars are not driven enough to boil the moisture out of the brake fluid leading to rusty lines etc. I have not tried sylicone DOT 3 fluid as yet which may be the ultimate answer. 37RAGTOPMAN 03-29-2019 @ 10:10 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1958 Joined: Oct 2009 HI fatso2114 I had problems with the dot 5 silicone brake fluid. it really was made for high performance driving, so it will not boil away, not really meant for vintage cars, this is my 2 cents, 2 cars that I had problems with, 1 1948 CHEVROLET station wagon I did for a customer, had problems in about 1 year, had to go back, 2 1962 MERCEDES BENZ 190 D had a great pedal , every once in a while, pedal went just about to the FLOOR,!! both of these cars has all new parts, also the STOP LIGHT SWITCH, went bad in the Benz, I heard you have to use a HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE Stop light switch to cure this problem, I switched over to SYNTHETIC BRAKE fluid, DOT 3 and have had no problems,and you save money,for sure, just remember ATV'S and MOTORCYCLES have a sealed system with a bladder in the master, so no air enters this what I believe to be accurate ,maybe I am wrong, YOU bleed the systems backwards, regular brake fluid with last for years, and its be around for years this is my 2 cents 1937RAGTOPMAN you asked for opinions, TomO 03-29-2019 @ 7:18 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7250 Joined: Oct 2009 I have DOT 5 in both of my cars. The 1940 with the master cylinder under the floor is harder to bleed and get a firm pedal. On the plus side is that I still have the wheel cylinders that I installed 40 years ago and they looked like new when I opened up the system 5 years ago to replace the hoses. I have not had any leak problems, but have to replace the stop light switch every 3 or 4 years. My 53 has the master cylinder mounted on the firewall and it is very easy to get a hard pedal on it. If I were to do my brakes over, I would keep DOT 5 in the 53 and change the 40 to DOT 3. With DOT 3 you should get some test strips to check the fluid annually and flush it every other year. Tom trjford8 03-29-2019 @ 6:54 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 4214 Joined: Oct 2009 In addition to the other comments, if you do use Dot5 you must have a totally clean system. That means new MC, wheel cylinders, hoses and totally clean lines or new lines. kubes40 03-29-2019 @ 6:15 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 3394 Joined: Oct 2009 I'm also in the corner for DOT3. Yes, there are issues with it attracting moisture through the rubber hoses. And as such, you are wise to bleed the system every three to five years. Still, with DOT3, you will get a firmer pedal, you can use a correct lamp switch and your chances of leaks are diminished vs. the #5. Mike "Kube" Kubarth carcrazy 03-28-2019 @ 4:18 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1652 Joined: Oct 2009 DOT 3 Brake Fluid was originally used in our old Fords and it is still the best brake fluid to use in them. fatso2114 03-28-2019 @ 2:44 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 55 Joined: Oct 2016 Hello,going to redo brakes on my 1946 and was wondering if dot 5 is better to use or what would be recommended to use for this job,thanks John

<< previous || next >>

NOTE: YOU MUST BE A REGISTERED USER AND BE LOGGED IN TO POST (and reply to) messages in this forum. If you are a first time user, please click the CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT in the masthead above to register and Log In. After that, all you do is LOG IN to enjoy using this site.

DISCLAIMER: The V-8 Club does no independent testing of any of the opinions, thoughts or suggestions presented in the website on the Forum, in the Tech Tips section, or any section. A reader should consider the website to be a forum wherein differing solutions to a particular set of circumstances may be discussed. Ultimately, the selection of an item for an individual's vehicle must be based upon the independent study of the vehicle owner in consultation with people in the hobby and restoration experts.

EFV-8 Club Forum Home | Back to Home Page | Contact the Webmaster

Copyright © 2009 - EFV-8.org
Powered by < CF FORUM > v.2.1