I remember reading several years ago that the army used an intermediate
fluid that caused the two types of brake fluid to intermix. Silicone fluid
is lighter than DOT 3/4 fluid and will "float" over the old fluid leaving
pockets of old fluid if you try to flush the DOT 3/4 fluid with the
silicone fluid. Intermixing would save the labor cost of emptying and
refilling the brake lines.
You would flush the DOT 3/4 fluid with the intermediate fluid. They would
mix and leave mostly intermediate fluid as you flush it through. Then you
would flush with silicone fluid. They would also intermix and would become
all silicone as you flush it through.
Unfortunately I do not remember what the intermediate fluid was.
Ed McGuirk
At 05:04 AM 8/8/2002 -0600, you wrote:
>Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2002 07:01:49 -0400
>From: "GREG DONEGAN" <tr6greg@msn.com>
>Subject: Re: Brake fluid Flush
>
>Patrick, flush the entire system out with denatured alcohol, it leaves no
>residue...anything else will not remove the old fluid. Make sure you blow out
>all the lines with compressed air to remove the alcohol and dry out the inside
>of the lines, it won't dry on its own, unless you wait for a month or so. If
>you take shortcuts, you may be sacrificing your braking, which isn't worth the
>risk. In my opinion, you should should also reseal the brake cylinders,
>calipers, master cylinder, to ensure you've got the system flushed and clean.
>At least flush them out as well as the lines, silicone and Dot 3/4 do not mix,
>and can cause air pockets, which is the last thing you want. Note that I
>didn't say not compatible, but they do not mix, they are compatible, your
>seals will not be damaged, but they will not intermix. When you use Silicone
>fluid, be aware that any shaking of the bottle that it is in will cause air to
>be mixed into the fluid, which must be removed before pouring it into the
>reservoir...let the bottle set for a while, like overnight before you use it,
>and then treat the bottle like Nitroglycerine while handling it, using a clean
>rod of some sort while pouring to let the fluid run down the rod, which will
>avoid introducing air into the fluid. It makes bleeding the brakes much
>easier, 'cause if you get air in the fluid before you ever bleed the brakes,
>the air that will be in the system as the fluid enters it will make the
>bleeding process very, very time consuming and difficult, if not impossible
>all together. Hope this helps, email me direct if you have any other
>questions, as I've been through this several times, done quite a bit of
>research on silicone fluid, and like to help folks avoid the problems
>associated with doing this particular job, it can really drive you nuts if not
>done carefully...
>
>Greg Donegan
>72 TR6 CC82492U
>Hebron, KY
>
>- ----- Original Message -----
>From: Patrick Bitton
>Sent: Wednesday, August 07, 2002 2:44 PM
>To: Triumph; 6pack
>Subject: Brake fluid Flush
>
>Hello,
>
>I want to replace my brake fluid Dot3 to silicone fluid. Is there something
>I can use to flush out any residue of old brake fluid?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Patrick
>
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