M101A2 Brake Flulid

[patracy]

So why would the military document and approve it?

 

[73m819]

So why would the military document and approve it?

Because it is the military, there is, 1- The right way, 2- the wrong way, 3- the I have no idea why way, 4- The it does not make sense way, 5- the this is the cheaper way, 6- this is the most expensive way, 7- the this will do way, 8-the low bidder way (not always the cheapest), then there is the military way that combines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

 

[patracy]

It was a rhetorical question.

 

[73m819]

So why would the military document and approve it?

Because it is the military, there is, 1- The right way, 2- the wrong way, 3- the I have no idea why way, 4- The it does not make sense way, 5- the this is the cheaper way, 6- this is the most expensive way, 7- the this will do way, 8-the low bidder way (not always the cheapest), then there is the military way that combines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

It was a rhetorical question.

But answered anyway with a NON-rhetorical answer

 

[the skull]

I'm going to chime in here, This is an interesting discussion. I do know not to mix different
grades of brake fluids. However I have seen dot 3 swapped out to dot 5 on several cars
that have gone thru our shop, and haven't really seen bad side effects. BUT I would
flush the system completlely.

Harbor Freight sells a brake bleeder for less than $30 that I have used at least 2 times a week
for 2 years with no issues. It's powered by compressed air and works like a champ!

I see dot 3 fluid get green or brown after a while. It does absorb moisture and gets
kind of (snotty?) or (syrupy?) but I can't tell you anything about dot 5.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

Anybody know if the appropriate seals are available in a DOT 3 flavor?

I'm thinking that the way to be sure is to disaasemble the system, flush it with a solvent, dry it out, and start over with fresh seals.

 

[Scar59]

Why go through all that work just to convert to a different brake fluid? Is it the cost of DOT 5? Precieved enhanced performance of DOT 3 over DOT 5? Or a phobia to purple fluid?

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

I wouldn't bother unless I were doing a major brake system overhaul anyway. But if I were, I'd rather move to the DOT 3/4 world. I've done enough reading on it to prefer it, and uniformity for the fleet matters, too.

But not enough to do it to a working system!

 

[sggoat]

Stick with the DOT 5(silicone). I just cleaned, flushed, and refilled my 101A2.(took 2 Advance Auto bottles with a tad left over). The Silicone is hydrophobic--doesn't like water, unlike the DOT 3 product.-So your system will stay cleaner. If you don't have any leaks, it should be a 1-time job.Gary