Recommended Brake Fluid MK II Front Brake?

Status
Not open for further replies.
chaztuna said:
Derek, brake fluid replacement is more of a Calander, rather than mileage issue. Fluid life varies depending upon how humid your local climate is. Buy one of the fluid testing pens on Amazon and you won't have to worry, plus you won't have to flush it more often than really needed. You can use it on your cars and trucks, as well.
FYI, the anti lock brake controller on your car/truck costs $1,200 to $2,500 to replace [US vehicles cheaper, Euro models most expensive] Old, dirty, contaminated brake fluid is what kills them. Flushing the brake fluid on cars/trucks with ABS is WAY cheaper than an ABS controller replacement [they can't be repaired & you'll rarely find a good one in the junk yard] Recently replaced an ABS controller on a customer's 2008 LS470 Lexus. Repair was over $2,000. If you think you can simply delete the ABS on your car/truck, forget it. The proportioning valve is built into the controller! :eek:
Click to expand...
Thanks for your concern - You assume way too much, like I own vehicles with ABS… lol
 
Derek Wilson said:
Thanks for your concern - You assume way too much, like I own vehicles with ABS… lol
Click to expand...
A man after my own heart. KISS principle all the way! How did people ever drive for 70 years before ABS??? We learned how to actually drive! One of my favorite photos was of the custom spare tire cover on a jeep. It had the shift pattern for a 5 speed manual transmission with the words "Millennial anti-theft device"
 
chaztuna said:
A man after my own heart. KISS principle all the way! How did people ever drive for 70 years before ABS??? We learned how to actually drive! One of my favorite photos was of the custom spare tire cover on a jeep. It had the shift pattern for a 5 speed manual transmission with the words "Millennial anti-theft device"
Click to expand...
You can see all three of my rides in this picture - nothing too fancy, all stuff I can fix myself. The one ton has a manual and a straight pipe - would be hard to steal - lol. The wagon uses it’s styling as an anti theft device hahaha
 

Attachments

  • Recommended Brake Fluid MK II Front Brake?
    F521B89E-7513-4E5C-BBF6-71AEBC645557.webp
    327.4 KB · Views: 144
chaztuna said:
A man after my own heart. KISS principle all the way! How did people ever drive for 70 years before ABS??? We learned how to actually drive! One of my favorite photos was of the custom spare tire cover on a jeep. It had the shift pattern for a 5 speed manual transmission with the words "Millennial anti-theft device"
Click to expand...
LOL. My son traded in his 2010 Tacoma for a 2015. The 2010 was a 5-speed. He had the shift knob from his '93 Corolla on the shifter. The dealership was in a panic after he left. Seems they never even test drove the truck before he vacated the premises.

Eventually they figured it out.
 
i have checked with the UK suppliers of these kits standard Norton master / caliper kit is suitable for dot 3/4/5.1
Not Guaranteed for use with silicone this material spec it can be supplied but to special order only

so using silicone is a crap shoot unless you can verify the material of the seals is correct, modern EDPM rubber seals are common for modern automotive use but not for old motorcycles
bear in mind these calipers were in use in 1971 and material specs suppliers use may have not changed , i have had a bad experience using silicone in a system designed for glycol based fluid
leaks from places you it never did previously

if you do not know who`s kit and what type of seal is used stick with the DOT 4 / 5.1
 
Frankie17 said:
i have checked with the UK suppliers of these kits standard Norton master / caliper kit is suitable for dot 3/4/5.1
Not Guaranteed for use with silicone this material spec it can be supplied but to special order only

so using silicone is a crap shoot unless you can verify the material of the seals is correct, modern EDPM rubber seals are common for modern automotive use but not for old motorcycles
bear in mind these calipers were in use in 1971 and material specs suppliers use may have not changed , i have had a bad experience using silicone in a system designed for glycol based fluid
leaks from places you it never did previously

if you do not know who`s kit and what type of seal is used stick with the DOT 4 / 5.1
Click to expand...
FWIW, I used silicone dot 5 brake fluid for the last 30 odd years with no ill effect whatsoever.
Although, just as with any type of brake fluid, it has to be refreshed every now and then.
 
Although after I treated both brakes to rebuilds I could lock either end without much trouble , yet feather in brakes as situation required ….
 
I've had dot 5 in my 850 for over 10 years now. And have converted my Honda's, yamahas, and fuzziness over when I rebuilt those brake systems. Same with my mg rd. I've had no problems at all in any of my machines in all the years since conversion.
 
Mart UK said:
A 2nd hand car salesman told my daughter not to worry, you never need to change brake fluid on modern cars. We walked.
Click to expand...
I have never changed brake fluid in any car that I have owned. One ran over 200,000 miles
 
Mine never gets changed intentionally - just when the brake lines rot out - LOL!!

Rust never sleeps... Joys of living in the Rust Belt...
 
Derek Wilson said:
Mine never gets changed intentionally - just when the brake lines rot out - LOL!!

Rust never sleeps... Joys of living in the Rust Belt...
Click to expand...
What I don't understand is how moisture (supposedly) enters a sealed system.
 
Dan1950 said:
What I don't understand is how moisture (supposedly) enters a sealed system.
Click to expand...
In my unfortunate experience, moisture will actually be absorbed through some hose and seal materials. EPDM is the best material for combating this, neoprenes and nitriles are the worst, although, I have also had decent luck with teflons in my personal life.
 
Dan1950 said:
I have never changed brake fluid in any car that I have owned. One ran over 200,000 miles
Click to expand...
I was a lad when my dad's brake fluid boiled descending an Alpine pass. We survived because nothing was coming in the opposite direction. I take the view it costs peanuts to replace and less than half an hour. Even dot 5 can suffer. It doesn't absorb the water in the system, but doesn't stop the water getting in.
 
Dan1950 said:
What I don't understand is how moisture (supposedly) enters a sealed system.
Click to expand...
It's not sealed. The brake fluid reservoir is (has to be) vented which, depending on the seal, can result in some air exchange during normal operation. There is usually some sort of flexible rubber-type gasket/seal to prevent/reduce that. But they are not 100% effective.
 
MexicoMike said:
It's not sealed. The brake fluid reservoir is (has to be) vented which, depending on the seal, can result in some air exchange during normal operation. There is usually some sort of flexible rubber-type gasket/seal to prevent/reduce that. But they are not 100% effective.
Click to expand...
There is a diaphragm under the vent that is essentially a flexible seal than allows the system to breath without introducing atmospheric gases.

andover-norton.co.uk

Motorcycle parts and spares for Norton motorbikes - Genuine Andover Norton Spare Parts - Andover Norton Motorcycles Parts - Original Andover Norton Parts

Motorcycle parts and spares for Andover Norton motorbikes: Andover Norton manufactures and supplies all Genuine Factory Spare Parts for Norton motorcycles built before 2002.
andover-norton.co.uk
 
"There is a diaphragm under the vent that is essentially a flexible seal than allows the system to breath without introducing atmospheric gases."

I might revise the wording to say, "...is essentially a flexible seal than IS SUPPOSED TO allow the system to breath without introducing atmospheric gases" :)

All MCs I have ever seen (cars and bikes) have such a seal but moisture sometimes appears in the system anyway. There is a much greater chance of moisture from this source rather than from air passing through the walls of flexible brake hoses since there is no physical "pressure" on atmospheric air that would cause it to enter the system that way.
 
MexicoMike said:
"There is a diaphragm under the vent that is essentially a flexible seal than allows the system to breath without introducing atmospheric gases."

I might revise the wording to say, "...is essentially a flexible seal than IS SUPPOSED TO allow the system to breath without introducing atmospheric gases" :)

All MCs I have ever seen (cars and bikes) have such a seal but moisture sometimes appears in the system anyway. There is a much greater chance of moisture from this source rather than from air passing through the walls of flexible brake hoses since there is no physical "pressure" on atmospheric air that would cause it to enter the system that way.
Click to expand...
Actually there is 14.7 psi atmospheric pressure. Pressure gauges are scaled to take that into consideration as they act against that ambient pressure. The most likely place for atmospheric gases to enter the system would be wheel cylinder cups on hydraulic brake systems as the cups retract and to a much smaller extent at the caliper piston seals but the later would be negligible due to the fact that the pistons don't retract under normal conditions.. There would be no more influence of that 14.7 psi acting on the diaphragm than the hoses.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

N
Braided brake hose for '75 MKIII
Replies
7
Views
278
Desmopower
Desmopower
Edfury828
New Brake Pads!
2 3 4 5
Replies
83
Views
3,672
acotrel
acotrel
Tornado
Bleedin' MKIII Rear
Replies
12
Views
342
Torontonian
Torontonian
W
72 Disc Brake issue
Replies
15
Views
605
wbehning1
W
Jonez69
1973 850 Commando front brake M/C question
2 3
Replies
41
Views
964
lazyeye6
lazyeye6
Back
Top