Allen Bachelder writes:
>Just $0.02 worth more. Castrol GT LMA is classified as DOT #4. I do
>always use it (except on the car I'm converting to Silicone) but the main
>thing is to use DOT #4. A lot of the stuff you see in parts stores is DOT
>#3 - avoid it!
Okay, why avoid DOT 3? Most (if not all) car makers use it at the factory.
Silicone is fine for those concerned with long-term storage or paint damage,
but has problems with compressibility (makes pedals spongier). DOT 4 can
be claimed to be better, as the test standards are higher, but do you really
need to be worried about boiling point in a clutch cylinder?
Autocrossers and road racers are recommending Ford Heavy Duty Brake Fluid
as the "hot ticket" (it's DOT 3). Even GM's test facility drains the factory
fluid
from their cars and replaces it with Ford HD. Remember, DOT ratings are the
minimum performance (will meet or exceed xxx), not a ceiling value.
Also, didn't all that rubber incompatibility stuff work itself out by the
60's? I
know it was true early in automotive history, but with the Miracle of
Science(tm),
wasn't the rubber used in hydraulics pretty much immune to different fluids
by
1960 or so? (Or earlier?) I doubt BL was still using natural latex for seals
in 1980.
I know I've read somewhere that most of this fluid/seal voodoo is now more
old
wive's tales than truth by now, especially for those of us who have rebuilt
hydraulics with current kits.
Dave "sometimes _I_ need a higher boiling point" Williamson (silikal@aol.com)
Disclaimer: "Not related to Henry Ford, nor do I have any other connection to
Ford
Motor Company, Glen Ford, or Ford Prefect."
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