Thread: Son used DOT 5....what a mess!!!!

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Prior to my purchasing my 34 Ford Street rod, someone had mixed DOT 3 and DOT 5 together but I didn't know it. The brakes were like pushing boulders around with your feet. Trying to diagnose the problem, I went to bleed the brakes. The stuff came out looking like bananna pudding. It was like yellow glue. I took around a gallon of DOT 3 brake fluid and with someone in the car pushing on the brakes, we got everything out... but it did take a gallon of it. That was in 2005 and have not had a brake issue since. It was a long day of laying under the car with my daughter reading a book and pushing the brake pedal when I asked her. She got the best leg workout that day!!!

Update: As Steve mentioned.....after many hours....and a gallon of denatured alcohol I'm fairly confident I got the biggest percentage of DOT 5 out of the system. I didnt rebuild anything but instead took everything apart and cleaned it with a rag. We bled flushed the whole system with DOT 3 and bench bled MC, and bled lines. Everything is back to normal. I'll be a guenie pig and see what happens. After one day of vehicle sitting....popped MC cover and reseviors still look to be just DOT 3....nothing floating on top like before (it look liked salad dressing before). This car will be sitting for a while before it gets painted so time will tell.

Thanks guys,
David

Sorry to be brutally honest but i would change every rubber in the system as it will all be damaged, In my opinion its just not worth the hassle of giving it a try as something will fail.

Originally Posted by MRJB1929

Prior to my purchasing my 34 Ford Street rod, someone had mixed DOT 3 and DOT 5 together but I didn't know it. The brakes were like pushing boulders around with your feet. Trying to diagnose the problem, I went to bleed the brakes. The stuff came out looking like bananna pudding. It was like yellow glue. I took around a gallon of DOT 3 brake fluid and with someone in the car pushing on the brakes, we got everything out... but it did take a gallon of it. That was in 2005 and have not had a brake issue since. It was a long day of laying under the car with my daughter reading a book and pushing the brake pedal when I asked her. She got the best leg workout that day!!!

Originally Posted by roadster32

Sorry to be brutally honest but i would change every rubber in the system as it will all be damaged, In my opinion its just not worth the hassle of giving it a try as something will fail.

Steve, I can't disagree with your philosophy, but I also read MRJB1929's tale that he did this over six years back and has had no problems to date. Maybe it's a time issue? Caught quickly it can be washed away with no ill effects? But then again, this is the brake system we're talking about, and we all like for them to be there when we press the pedal, don't we? I would likely do the same as David, but changing all the rubber pieces may be the best thing for a safety system - one never knows when the degradation (if any) might hit!