When I purchased my Spitfire this past October I changed all the fluids and
rebuilt the MCs and the clutch slave unit. The manuals, caps, spec sheets,
etc. all say to use DOT 3. The majority (if not all) listers/owners say use
DOT 4 (which I did) because of the "melting" affect DOT 3 has on the natural
rubber seals Triumph used.
Over the years I've never rebuilt any hydraulic components on my 3A, except a
leaky wheel cylinder about 10 years ago. Occasionally I have topped off the
reservoir with fluid, I'm sure I've used DOT 3 for many years with no adverse
(noticeable) affects. It's not a daily driver, maybe 2K a year.
Were there changes along the way in the rubber used in the earlier models, or
was all the rubber used over the years "natural," and why? Is DOT 3 in any
year/model an accident waiting to happen? TIA
Dave Willner
59 TR3A Apple Green
80 Spitfire Carmine Red
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