DOT 5 is not the same as DOT 5.1 so under no circumstances use dot 5

14 hours ago, ludvig said:

I usually buy synthetic oils. I usually don't use the original manufacturer's oil either

Bear in mind there are there are different synthetics and not all are equal but a good oil is a good oil be it mineral marketing synthetic or higher end stuff, as long as it is suitable for application and use if it is above what the car manufacturer recommends (though of course that changes over the years and commercial contracts) you should get better service and life than the car manufacturer expects or wants no that they would care less about non-current models or models out of the longest warranty they give.

 

Using a good synthetic in the gearbox can be noticeable, of course some will say it is a placebo effect and/or changing very old worn oil to new fresh oil would make a difference anyway which is correct of course, but I have changed oils that have not been in long and had improvement with a different gearbox oil, against majority beliefs / judgements / views / opinions and often technical knowledge (outside of oil specialisation of course 🙂).

 

I've not know too many Citroens a mate had his bosses BX 16v (plastic dash and bonnet, it flew) my mate was hoping he would go on to get a new XM of the time (single spoke steering wheel that wheezed) and in the 1980s someone else I knew had a 70s DS, fabulous looking car, nearby us someone had a Safari(?) DS estate (very long) used to be outside his art-deco house, now the 80s Bentley (pre-Aldi) sits there instead so I am not sure the DS is in use anymore.  The girlfriend of someone I worked with had a little Citroen [remembered it was a poverty-spec Renault 5] that had overheated and was the first car I had noticed without a water temperature gauge (no blue and red lights back then either 😃),  Citroen used to do interesting cars, the modern DS hire car my wife had a number of years ago was interesting in what had already broken on it in 6 months from new, and the engine oil level being below minimum when I could check it after it had been delivered for my wife's use, 5,000 miles on the clock.

 

Edited 23 February, 20251 yr by nta16
wrong car

4 hours ago, nta16 said:

The girlfriend of someone I worked with had a little Citroen that had overheated and was the first car I had noticed without a water temperature gauge (no blue and red lights back then either 😃)

Not knowing the model, I'll just comment that it's possible that it was air cooled and didn't have water to have a temperature.

7 hours ago, nta16 said:

Bear in mind there are there are different synthetics and not all are equal but a good oil is a good oil be it mineral marketing synthetic or higher end stuf

Yep, I usually just check the manufacturers requirements and if the oil I have either is the same or surpasses those requirements I'll use it. There are good mineral oils too of course but I usually use the synthetic one we buy for cars since me and my parents are using the same oil for all our cars so simple and easy to buy a big 20 L oil drum, it fits the requirements for all of them.

10 hours ago, Thefeliciahacker said:

DOT 5 is not the same as DOT 5.1

 

so under no circumstances use dot 5

 

Yes.

 

I had that dilemma in the early years but after of what i have read i never took the risk.

I am not mechanic, i don't have a garage in my house and i don't want to have a sudden brake problem while driving Sport style in Mountain routes.

6 hours ago, Paws4Thot said:

Not knowing the model, I'll just comment that it's possible that it was air cooled and didn't have water to have a temperature.

Last night out of the blue I remembered (I think, never sure) it was a Renault 5, possibly a Campus if they are poverty-spec.  When he told me his (recent) girlfriend had it overheat shortly after he had just bought the car for her I just asked about why she hadn't noticed the temperature on the gauge rising but he didn't know, he had only passed his car test earlier that year and was only used to riding motorbikes.

 

This was an instance of not making instant assumptions when lifting the bonnet and checking further.  It had a plastic expansion tank easy to see IIRC fitted high on the firewall to rear of engine bay, in it was very clean recent blue coolant sitting at a good level, as he wouldn't know I assume (makes an ass out of u and me) it had been refilled after the overheat but with lifting off the rad cap I couldn't see coolant in there,  Something had happened to or in, I forget which, the black rubber hose off the bottom of the expansion tank so the clean fluid was just sitting on display really.  On further investigation, as the engine bay was perhaps unsurprising clean compared to the rest of the car I found big splatters of very rusty water, possibly from a pre-sale issue.

 

1 hour ago, nta16 said:

Last night out of the blue I remembered (I think, never sure) it was a Renault 5, possibly a Campus if they are poverty-spec.

I know next to nothing about Ren-no.

You mean Ren-No!. 😁  I must try remember when I refer to my neighbour's previous Ren-No! Cashcows they were actually Nissan as that's how I start to get myself even more confused.  🙃

 

2 minutes ago, nta16 said:

Ren-No! Cashcows

LOLROFHMS!!

They were actually good cars, apart from the problem with  - would you believe (!) the 12v battery that got a recall on the 21 plate car and the under warranty replacement battery was more thrown in than fitted and someone overtighten one of battery terminal clamps so that it sat higher and put a ridge in the battery terminal and squashed the clamp fully closed.  The 23 plate had a gearbox leak, I believe the car was damaged before delivery from new to customer because when I looked under the car there was black underseal on some bits of metal and over-sprayed/brushed on to the plastic under covers, plus some parts on the underside and in the engine bay had blue and green pen markings that weren't factory.  Can't blame Nissan for that though.  The radio did intermittently loose its DAB for no good reason and after the first service the coolant level remained at or gnat's whisker below 'Min'.

 

@ludvig beware of the coolant additives, learn from my problems:

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/502254-mocool-2-brands-of-g11-antifreeze-black-sludge/

 

 

On 21/02/2025 at 20:10, ludvig said:

I'll think about changing it to DOT 5, as I don't have ABS, but you do need to change the seals then right if I don't remember wrong?

And my reply. -

On 21/02/2025 at 21:01, nta16 said:

. . . and when that mate I mentioned bought my 1973 car with DoT4 in it he told me (ETA: he) just pushed it out with putting the DoT 5 in (ETA:) he told me.  His job is working on "classic" car racing engines he doesn't follow the usual classic car myths and rules he does what he knows works.  I wished I had know I could have save lots of time hassle and money over the decades of old cars ownership.

I saw that mate today with the car he bought from me and he confirmed (again) he did not pre-flush the brake system when it had DoT 4 in it he just used the Dot 5 to push out the DoT 4 and fill with DoT 5, and he did not replace the seals. Just 4 pushed out by 5. And he confirmed the (other, 1969 MG B) car he rebuilt 25+ years ago and put DoT 5 in then he has never changed that fluid or any seals in all that time. He has no problem with brakes or brake pedal feel in either car, and he is not a slow driver in either car.

Photo of (purple in this case) DoT 5 silicone fluid in brake system (and previously filled clutch system) 1973 MG Midget. -

Edited 9 March, 20251 yr by nta16
ETA in 21/02/25 'Quote' of myself to make more sense of typos

1 hour ago, nta16 said:

put DoT 5 in then he has never changed that fluid or any seals in all that time. He has no problem with brakes or brake pedal feel in either car

Oh really? No seals or any other modification?

Compleately wash-up the previous DOT and refill with DOT5?

The 1969 car was probably rebuilt nearer or probably over 30 years ago, I forget when I first saw it, he may have rebuilt the brake lines and at that point fitted new master, slave wheel cylinders I don't know as I've never asked and can't remember what I might have seen (you certainly wouldn't fit new made parts later and now and p1ss-poor Chinese rubbish rubber must have been around perhaps 20 years ago and still is. Modern made "classic" car parts can be so cheap that many, or many, many years, stock are made and bought in one go, if they last 12 months from sale then they are not usually replaced under warranty. Some parts you might be lucky to see them last 12 days let alone 12 months and that is if you can fit them and they work at first use or just after first use.

I was lucky I got about 2.5 years out of one modern made rear wheel cylinder I fitted before it leaked, car parked overnight at the international classic motor show at the NEC after doing rides ready to do more the next day plus get me 50 miles back home, luckily the rear brakes do so little.

These parts make some modern VW parts almost look good and long lasting.

As I have put before on another forum I was told by the American car owner of a 1940s/50s MG which he had bought and run for about 18 months when he decided to change the brake fluid (DoT 3 or 4) and as he emptied out he saw a distinct change of colour to the fluid coming out at one point and found DoT 5 had been put in with DoT 3 or 4 at some point before his ownership and until then he never knew or experience any difference to the braking. Perhaps he was lying but it did not seem he was to me. He thought the silicone fluid had been in the system for a very long time in with the traditional stuff..

My mate pushed the new DoT 5 into the system and the introduced DoT5 pushed out the existing DoT 4 and as is normal good practice made sure plenty of Dot 5 was also pushed out to ensure no muck was left in or air bubbles. As I had previously drained, flushed refilled the DoT 4 with two to three times the system fill capacity it should have already been very clean other than if a rubber seal is breaking down. DoT 4 is so very cheap why would you not be very thorough with the brakes and checking the possibility of p1ss-poor Chinese rubbish rubber fitted and breaking down.

When I done the brake and clutch systems with DoT 4 I would have a bucket of water, watering can with water, wet and very damp rags in case of spillage or leak to save the paint. With Dot 5 you don't need to worry about the paint being stripped

Good very (very) old rubber seals can break down with age so I think if this happens after putting DoT 5 in many will blame the DoT 5 and not the ancient rubber. The Driver's Handbook had to change the brake seals at 36 months (two book changes of DoT 3 (at the time) of the brake fluid) but very few if any owners ever did change the seals and had no problems in those days and much later with the seals.

He also uses 10w-40 engine oil though 20w-50 is specified, IIRC his relative works at Castrol. For many years he has also had the model name sake of the Midget, it has an uprated engine and other stuff and used regularly and not driven slowly and his job involves working on classic Jag and the like race engines. He prefers his own knowledge and experience to the popular "wisdom" believes, as I do, but he has more to be confident about than I.

Now, that should have covered it for you. 😄

4 hours ago, nta16 said:

The 1969 car was ... He prefers his own knowledge and experience to the popular "wisdom" believes, as I do, but he has more to be confident about than I.

Now, that should have covered it for you. 😄

Which explains why I don't advocate using DOT 5.0 except on a fully drained system. It's far to easy to get a pocket of wet DOT 3.0/4.0 (or even water) in the brake lines or wheel cylinders, which then turns into highly compressible steam at or near the brakes, and back into water by the time someone "investigates" the brakes 3 or 4 days after "the crash".

11 hours ago, nta16 said:

The Driver's Handbook had to change the brake seals at 36 months (two book changes of DoT 3 (at the time) of the brake fluid) but very few if any owners ever did change the seals and had no problems in those days and much later with the seals.

I have to admit that i haven't read for Felicia that brake seals must be changed.

I still have the original and i don't know where to search for new ones. 🙄

7 hours ago, Paws4Thot said:

Which explains why I don't advocate using DOT 5.0 except on a fully drained system.

I understand what you mean but don't see how it relates to the quote in the case of either car unless you mean the drain as a continuous push through of new fluid (be it DoT whatever) to push out the old. He uses Eezibleed, but I don't like the system especially with the horrible cheap nasty DoT 3 and 4 as if it creates a leak or doesn't seal at the cap there's more worry about the paint and clearing up.

The 69 car may have had new pipes and cylinders fitted when rebuilt, I don't know as I can't remember, the 73 car I do know had modern "classic" car parts 'quality'(?) cylinders on as I fitted them and one of the slave cylinders leaked which didn't surprise me at all, I was surprised it had lasted so long from me fitting it.

1 hour ago, D.FYLAKTOS said:

I have to admit that i haven't read for Felicia that brake seals must be changed.

I still have the original and i don't know where to search for new ones. 🙄

Bear in mind I was referring to a British car built in the 1970s but component designs from the 1950s. The 1950s MGA would have service work every 1,000 miles on some parts, things move on and change. In the UK rubber seals for "classic" cars can leak very soon after fitting so there is no point changing those until all the stocks of Chinese p1ss-poor rubbish rubber seals has been used up and that could take many more years or never.

Some after market parts for more modern cars are also potentially poor quality and short life.

just change your headgasket

4 hours ago, Thefeliciahacker said:

just change your headgasket

That's for @ludvig ?

4 hours ago, D.FYLAKTOS said:

That's for

yeah, between serious and joking ofc