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MG TD TF 1500 - brake fluid

I recently put about 20ccs of silicone brake fluid in my new front brake cylinders. I still have master cylinder full of dot 3. I have decided not to go with the silicone & stay with the dot 3. My question is can I mix the two or do I need to pull the master cylinder out & flush the system? Am I wrong to think that I have to physically take the master cylinder out to get all the brake fluid out if that is the case? Thank you for you imput! Steve
S Radonich

Steve - You should be able to just remove the front wheel cylinders and clean them out real well and be good to go. I would suggest going with DOT 4 (such as Castrol LMA) rather than DOT 3 - it is a better fluid. With DOT 4 you can just pump the master cylinder dry and fill with DOT 4 and use it to flush out each line. You will need about a quart of fluid to do this. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

David, in what way is DOT 4 a better fluid?
G.E. Love

I believe DOT4 has higher "boiling point" and is less prone to condensation.
David D will no doubt have a better explanation.
Cheers,
David 55 TF1500 #7427
David Sheward

Lower moisture absorption, higher boiling point.
David DuBois

Thank you for the information.

I have another question. Does anyone know of a wheel paint which approximates to the "original" colour and which can be sprayed onto wheels, that is totally impervious to the ravages of drips of brake fluid?

I have to repaint the set of 5 wheels on my TD and am anxious to avoid the patchy stripping of the paint on the inside of wheels during brake bleeding operations. No matter how much care I try to take, there always seems to be a bald patch somewhere. Recently I have taken the wheels off to do this job but somehow a drip always seems to get them.. I am adverse to the cost of powder coating.

Thanks for any info.
G.E. Love

If you use any kind of 'paint' you will strip it with brake fluid....don't know if powder coating does the same or not...not sure why you started using silicon then stopped? No muss no fuss no sucking up moisture no seizing and or honing....!
gblawson(gordon)

Unless you are painting the wheels with a rattle can, powder coating can be done for a cost of not much more than any good paint job. If you are not real picky about the shade of silver, some places will do it for $25 a wheel. The other option is silicone fluid. I have run with that in our TD for over 25 years without ever flushing it and it is as clear as the day I put it in, indicating absolutely no interior corrosion. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

My first choice would be silicon fluid, but if you don't want to use that or go through the conversion process, you could always use POR15. You won't get much choice in the shade of silver but it is impervious to brake fluid.

Drips should only hit the rear of the wheel anyway, and if you're careful then you may never get any fluid on the wheels at all so perhaps it's a moot issue!
Steve Simmons

I used A Home Depot brand "Americas Finast" by Rust-Oleum,,, HD2815 ALUMINUM,,,(rattle can) Looks great, but like any other, it probably will not stand up to brake fluid...

SPW
Steve Wincze

This thread was discussed between 19/08/2009 and 21/08/2009

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