Brake FLuid FLush??

[Mustang5L5]

Stock fluid is Dot 3 right? Can I upgrade to Dot 4 or should i just stick with 3?

How many quarts should do a complete flush?

Also, i start with RR, LR and then do RF and LF?

SHould be no need to touch the bleeders on the MC right? I think i will be doing the Mach 1 13" front kit at the same time and new pads out back?

Also, does anyone know the min rotor thickness for the rear rotors of the GT? My rotors are fine, so i was just gonna slap new pads on but i want to make sure they aren't too thin.

 

[DTNODYA]

Stock fluid is Dot 3 right? Can I upgrade to Dot 4 or should i just stick with 3?

The fluid I used sais it was compatible with Dot 3 and Dot 4 so I don't know if it matters ...

How many quarts should do a complete flush?

I just bought the biggest bottle (32 oz I think but I had a lot left over). This is what I used.

Also, i start with RR, LR and then do RF and LF?

That is correct, just make sure to keep the master cyl. full so you don't get air in the system. Check it often.

SHould be no need to touch the bleeders on the MC right?

I didn't.

 

[03ghoststang]

The fluid I used sais it was compatible with Dot 3 and Dot 4 so I don't know if it matters ...


I just bought the biggest bottle (32 oz I think but I had a lot left over). This is what I used.


That is correct, just make sure to keep the master cyl. full so you don't get air in the system. Check it often.



I didn't.

agreed with everything above just have a friend doing the pumping on the brakes and checking the fluid level on the resivour, just make sure it dont get low and keep doing it till new fluid comes out of all the calipers

 

[Mustang5L5]

Ok, but what fluid?

Stick with Dot 3, or is Dot 4 an upgrade??

 

[03ghoststang]

you can stick with dot 3

 

[mr-mike]

higher #'s

when I did my brakes at 90,000 the fluid looked bad I flushed & moved up to dot 4 the higher the # means the higher the boiling temperature of the brake fluid , thats what I was told , racers & car restore people change fluid all the time , they say it goes bad after hard driving or sitting for long periods , its a pretty cheap fix

 

[Mustang5L5]

Yeah but my understanding is the higher the number, the less the fluid will absorb moisture. Dot 5 requires a flush between every race basically.

Dot 3 is good for about 30K miles or 2 years while i beleive Dot 4 has a higher boiling point but requires you to flush it even more often due to not absorbing moisture.

 

[CRZYHRSGT]

I use the cheap VW/Audi stuff at work. It's rated DOT 4 and they suggest it be flushed every 2 years, reguardless of mileage. I do mine about once a year since it seems like it's always humid as ***t here and I worry about the water in the system.......That and I'm anal like that...

On a side note, I have heard that water in the brake fluid also eats away at the rubber seals throughout the system. Well, I have always done maintenances religiously on all my cars. When I got rid of my '87 VW Golf it had just rolled over 300,000 miles and it was still wearing the original calipers and master cylinder. Call it luck...

 

[ToplessStang]

There are Dot 3 brake fluids with diffrent boilng points. The Ford fluid has a pretty high boiling point. More than you'll ever need I think.

 

[Mustang5L5]

What's a good brand to use? Other than Ford?

 

[DTNODYA]

This is what I used.

Never quoted myself before but I thought you may not have seen the link ....

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Some good info: http://www.bullittarchive.com/1003.htm

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Oh, here's an even better article specifically about brake fluid specs: http://www.bullittarchive.com/5001.htm

 

[Mustang5L5]

Good stuff everyone. Guess i'll go pick up some fluid this weekend.

I have my pads and rotors for the rear. For the front instead of paying for new pads and rotors for the GT i might as well buy the Mach 1 13" kit from buyfordracing.com for $310. It's only slightly more than new GT parts

 

[CdnNavybob]

The Ford Spec DOT 3 I used has a higher bioling point than any DOT 4 I saw. I got it at Canadian Tire so you probably won't find the same brand but it had the boiling point right on the bottle, I'll see if I can find it and tell you what it is.