RogerH

Hi Folks, as I mentioned the other day I am new here and I am greatly pleased that I find that you are equally serious and as daft as a brush. Keep it going. I have a TR4A and am happy to do my mod's & bodges. But as a retired aerospace engineer my bodges are technically brilliant (almost, maybe). Roger

Hi Doug, thanks for the welcome. I'm just visiting at the mo but have been considering joining the club. I'm already with two other clubs. There are some many areas of concern with parts etc that it is easy to run riot with the keyboard - sorry. Not sure when anything on a car was pure rubber but has not been for a long time. However that is not the problem DOT3 keeps popping up as the standard. New materials can and do work well. Bad parts will always be bad parts. Buy from reputable suppliers. Indeed Dot3/4/5.1 burns quite well. But thankfully most brake systems are simple in design and leaks are rare(ish). Whereas 'waterless coolant' is also very flammable and leaks are common. Driving these cars is dangerous. The US military had the DOT5 developed so that their long stored vehicles would not absorb moisture over say a twenty year period. Turn the key and off you go. BUT it is a compromise. Haven't a clue what the additives are but there are a few. If somebody knows please reveal all. Hi Ian, I think the black staining is caused by the MC Ali body (ali produces black fretting debris). dot3/4 definitely produces black fluid very quickly. Do your stainless sleeved MC give off black fluid. Hi Pete, cheap parts are everywhere. Find a supplier that you get on with (I use both TRShop and Moss) a great deal. If there is a problem I report back to them. I hope they take note. I feel they do. Roger

Hi Folks, fairly new here. I've read all the different forum articles on here over the last few weeks and it's pretty good. However reading through this topic has had me scratching my head. A little cynicism comes across quite clearly. Poor quality - surley not !!! Most brake systems on our old cars are designed for DOT3. And that is what the various seals are spec'd to. Is DOT4 the same - nearly bit not quite. It has added Borate.for whatever purpose. It's main failing is that it is a very good paint stripper. DOT5 on the other hand will not lift your paint, But paint contaminated with DOT5 will be a devil to repaint. Replacing DOT3/4 with DOT5 can have its problems. DOT5 aerates badly. There is a post on a Harley biker forum give an account of off road bikes shaking the brake reservoir badly and the brakes stopped working. I appreciate that our cars do not shake that much and the small amount of fluid in the pipes would again not shake that much either. What about the rubber? Silicon is quite inert regarding the rubber seals. BUT DOT5 is not just silicon. It has a bunch of additives. One additive in particular actually makes the rubber swell. DOT3/4 also has this - but it is a different additive. So do the different additives when mixed produce a problem. Yes and no. There are reports all over the various forumnia that give both accounts. The majority state that it doesn't affect them. So from new there should be no damage. I would suggest if changing to DOT5 replace ALL your rubber seals (don't forget the MC). I am not aware of any brake component manufacturer for our parts that recommend DOT5 - I wonder why. Your comment about poor quality is reasonable in my view. There are too many 'interesting' parts out there. Not found any duff brake seals though. If you are happy with your brakes then fine - but keep an eye on them. Roger