Posted by Ray on April 19, 1999 at 21:51:35:
In Reply to: dot 5 brake fluid posted by mike becker on April 19, 1999 at 18:29:37:
1. Your entire system must be compleatly cleaned. Take this oportunity to compleatly rebuild your system as any remaining dot 3 will turn in to a jelly that will block your plumbing an has caused many a catastophic brake failure.
2. The main diferance between 3 and 5 is that DOT3 is hygorscopic and DOT5 is not. this means that any water in dot3 will become part of it and you can remove it by flushing your system once a year with one gallon of dot3. Dot5 will not absorbe the moisure that gets into it and will settle into the lower recesses of your system and be very difficult to remove.
3. DOT5 is more viscous and traps small bubbles of air which if left in can expand at high altitude causing the pedel to go to the floor, usualy about the time you get started down hill.
4. most problems reported about DOT3 are due to people not taking the time to flush their systems every year.