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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Silicone brake fluid.

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Silicone brake fluid. -- page: 1 2 3     1934 Ford 08-26-2012 @ 5:35 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 578 Joined: Oct 2009 The first Silicone in brakes for me was in a 1940 Ford pickup bult in 1983 for the 1984 Great American Race. Used the Dot 5 and it's still in use 29 years later. (Didn't use the 40 in the Race because they went to 1936 & older and we ran the 34 with mechanicals.) Just did it to my 81 El Camino and just flushed the system with alcohol and replaced the rubber hoses. I hope it lasts 29 years too. Gary M. 08-26-2012 @ 4:55 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 218 Joined: Oct 2009 Thanks for all your advice guys,it will be quite helpful... supereal 08-26-2012 @ 11:56 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 I've never measured it, Gary, but we buy it in gallon cans for our pressure bleeder. The difference in the height of the master and wheel cylinders on old Fords can make bleeding tricky sometimes. It helps to "bench bleed" the master before installation to work out as much air as possible. There are inexpensive pressure bleeders on the market that can make the job easier. Always start at the right rear, the wheel farthest from the master, and work toward the front. Be sure the bleed screws are tight, as silicone is somewhat like synthetic oil, and can leak from any fitting. Gary M. 08-25-2012 @ 3:29 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 218 Joined: Oct 2009 I am changing everything except the hard lines,including the brake light switch ,(Harley Davidson switch works). I only purchased a quart of silicone fluid so far but I can always get more. Out of curiousity,how much fluid does a dry system hold on a 39 Standard ? Thanks again... supereal 08-25-2012 @ 10:06 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Gary: We use denatured alcohol, which is available at most home centers, and is not expensive. Isopropl is rubbing alcohol, and is mostly water, so it is not suitable. DOT3, while alcohol based, does contain other ingredients. The alcohol flush is to clear the hoses and lines before adding the DOT5. As said here, the best way to make the switch is to completely replace the wheel and master cylinders, as it is nearly impossible to flush those completely. There have been some reports of the brake light switches leaking the silicone fluid, so be on the lookout. I am not anti silicone, but we don't use it at our shop, as customers don't like the soft pedal. I have it in my pickup truck, and it is spongy, and takes some getting used to. When we find brake troubles, it is almost always due to old DOT3 fluid contamination. Fully bleeding the system every couple of years will prevent that kind of problem. Silicone fluid sells for about $25 a quart, while a good grade of high temp DOT3 is about a quarter of that. If you can fully bleed an empty brake system with only a quart of fluid, you are better at it than I am. Gary M. 08-25-2012 @ 9:18 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 218 Joined: Oct 2009 Super, you mentioned flushing the lines with alcohol. What type of alcohol? I searched everywhere for a brake system flush with no results. Will brakeclean and compressed air work? Thanks... supereal 08-24-2012 @ 8:22 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Licensed by Ford only means they can use the word Ford on the box. It is simply a trademark program and, yes, Ford does get paid. However, there is no suggestion that the parts are of reasonable quality. Most foreign sources have no idea what the purpose is for the things they make. Gary M. 08-23-2012 @ 7:07 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 218 Joined: Oct 2009 As for NOS parts,I would be leary about using rubber parts on my brakes that are over 70 years old. Todays rubber and neoprene is much more high tech. Foreign parts that are sold by Macs and various other parts suppliers often have tags that say official licensed by Ford. What exactly does this mean ? Are the parts made to exact specs approved by Ford ? Does Ford get a cut of the profits ? How does the machining and rubber parts compare to domestic parts ? Anyone know the real answer ? Thanks again for your input .... TomO 08-23-2012 @ 7:56 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7271 Joined: Oct 2009 Gary, Last year we went nuts trying to bleed a brake system after replacing the master cylinder and wheel cylinders. The master cylinder was bench bled as a start and then we started on the wheel cylinders. After going around the car once, the pedal was good and everything seemed OK. We topped off the master cylinder and went to lunch. When we came back, we had no pedal. We tried bleeding again and had air in the system. No matter how many times we opened the bleeder screw, we could not purge the system. I disconnected the lines at the back of the master and plugged the output. The master cylinder would not hold pressure. We took it back and ordered a new one, that one would not bench bleed, the third one from that supplier would not bench bleed either. We went to another vendor and purchased a Wagner re-manufactured unit. It bench bled and we were able to bleed all of the wheels except the left front. We ordered a new wheel cylinder for it from Wagner and then the brakes worked. The 3 master cylinders and the one right front wheel cylinder were made in China. The left front was also made in China and it is still working. I don't know about you, but those odds are too high for me to risk buying the China parts again. The only way to be sure is to buy brake parts from a reputable supplier, that are in the manufacturer's box and read the wording in the box. Brake parts are still being manufactured in the US and a local parts house can order them. The Master Cylinder is the same one used on the Mercedes 300, if you want to buy a German made one. Tom supereal 08-22-2012 @ 7:47 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Now that NOS and US parts are either unobtainable, or very expensive, we are left with foreign repros or nothing. That is the real world. The fact that any parts are available for vehicles that are many decades old is, in itself, remarkable. I don't like it either, but there is little alternative. It doesn't look good for the future of the hobby, I am sorry to say.

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