Postby Hook » February 1st, 2005, 4:48 pm
^^^so true....bruddaman, I wouldn't look for brake lines in a scrap yard...u might as well find some old brake pads there while u at it and put them on ur ride one time
but the DOT rating on brake fluids have to do with the boiling point ("dry" as in "fresh out of the bottle" and "wet" as in "in use"..there's a percentage of water present "in use" but I cyah remember) as well as the chemical composition of the fluid
DOT 3 fluids are ether based and absorb water as if by magic (I sheit u not folks, by magic..u'd be surprised and scared shitless at the same time) which lowers the boiling point (sometimes by as much as 1/3 for a fluid boiling at ~400F contaminated with water that boils at ~200F)...not fun when yuh comin down Maracas hill!!!!!
let's just call it "water contamination magic" iite
when bled completely regularly (say annually maybe), u keep it performing just right
DOT4 fluids are ether based as well but treated to resist water absorption but once the "water comtamination magic" kicks in the boiling point drops off further and faster than DOT3 fluids do...so u hadda change it a bit more regularly
also the treatment doesn't bode well for seals and flex lines and fittings made for DOT3 fluid so don't use DOT4 if ur manufacturer says to use DOT3
DOT5 fluids are silicon based and resist "water contamination magic" so the boilig point is more stable..but it don't resist compression as well as DOT 3 or DOT4 fluids...thas pretty much all I know about DOT5 fluid