![]() On top of that, as you drive and use your brakes, little bits of metal or rust will slowly contaminate the brake lines just as a part of regular everyday wear and tear.Ī brake fluid flush bleeds the line of the old fluid, debris, water, and any gas bubbles that have formed. Over the course of a year, your brake fluid will absorb 3% of its own weight in water. It's another glycol based one like DOT3 or DOT4, but the boiling point is similar to DOT5. It's also more expensive, and less common, so it's very unlikely that you would need DOT5 brake fluid.ĭOT5.1: DOT 5.1 brake fluid is not the same as DOT5, despite the name. DOT5 brake fluid isn't better than DOT3 or DOT4, it's just different. That means it has a higher boiling point, but it also means that if water does get in the line it will be in a pocket, so as it pushes through it could cause your brakes to corrode. DOT5 is a silicone-based brake fluid, and as such it doesn't absorb water at all. The difference between DOT3 and DOT4 isn't very significant, but your owner's manual will tell you which one your car is supposed to be using.ĭOT5: DOT5 brake fluid is not compatible at all with DOT4 or DOT3. There's absolutely no reason to use this in a normal car, however. It can handle much higher temperatures, but it will need to be changed more frequently. ![]() DOT4 fluids are also fairly standard for most average vehicles, although you can get a super DOT4 that is designed for performance vehicles like race cars. This is a very common type of brake fluid and will work in most vehicles.ĭOT4: DOT4 brake fluid is almost the same as DOT3, but there have been additives included to alter the boiling point. Your fluid is considered wet if it's only 4% water. The wet boiling point, which is what happens when it has absorbed water, is nearly half the dry point at 205 degrees Fahrenheit. That means that pure DOT3 brake fluid will boil at that temperature. The boiling point of DOT3 fluid, what they call the dry boiling point, is 401 degrees Fahrenheit. The more water that gets absorbed by the glycol, the lower its boiling point gets, and the sooner it can fail on you. For that reason, you need to keep your brake line sealed at all times to avoid contamination. DOT3 and DOT4, because they are glycol based, are able to absorb water either from the air itself or from leaks in the line. ![]() Mixing the wrong fluids together could be disastrous.ĭOT3 : This is a glycol-based fluid and has a lower boiling point than DOT 5, for instance. You need to check your manual so that you know what kind of brake fluid is meant to go in your car. There are several types of brake fluid that you can buy, and not all of them are going to work well in your vehicle. They don't work together properly and will definitely damage your vehicle. It's important to know if you plan on replacing the brake fluid yourself, you absolutely cannot mix these kinds of brake fluid together. ![]() You can also get silicone-based formulas and mineral oil-based formulas. Most brake fluid on the market today is a glycol ether-based formula. Normally when you step on the brakes, pressure forces the fluid down the line causing the pads to depress against the rotors which in turn causes the car to slow to a stop. If your brakes fail, you and everyone else around you are in extreme danger. As you can imagine, this is one of the most important things in your entire car. When you put your foot on the brakes, there's no pressure, the brakes are unable to function. The hydraulic pressure is no longer able to maintain the system. This is why if a brake line is damaged, the brakes fail. That means that it works based on the pressure of liquid in an enclosed system. The brakes in your car will not work without brake fluid because it is a hydraulic system.
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