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

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My son and I messed up. We grabbed my DOT 5 for my race bikes without a thought in the world and filled the master cyclinder while bleeding brakes on my sons 65 El Camino. I only got the DOT 5 in the rear lines.I hadnt bled the fronts yet. Went to local parts store and bought a gallon of DOT 3, just figured on vacuum bleeding whole thing.

Pulled the master cyclinder, drained it, put in fresh DOT 3 and bench bled it. Odd thing I noticed while bench bleeding (this is a power dual master off like a late 70's or early 80's Vette, 4 port only using 2 ports), the most I could push in the valve was 1/8" with it in the vise. It just wouldnt go any further period! I remounted and set up with the vacuum bleeder and focused on the rear. I cant tell you I've ever seen anything quite like it. Looks like foam. Now I know DOT 5 & 3 will not intermix, but I sure thought after a gallon of fluid, I'd have most of it out of there. Question is, what now? Am I going to have to change everything out or is there a trick I can use (like a grease remover DX330 or mineral spirit to purge the 5 out?)? Should I just drain the DOT 3 out and go with the DOT 5.

I was able to bleed the fronts without any trouble. The pedal does go to the floor but I'm fairly certain thats because of the air in the rear line. When we use the 2 man method with Dustin on the brake pedal and me craking the bleeders.....the fronts move a lot of fluid as I'd expect. But the rears move no fluid. With the vacuum set up on the rear I can move quite a bit of fluid (have to keep an eye on filling the resevoir). Something else I noticed. When son depresses pedal I can see the front resevoir trying to spit fluid out like normal. But the rear there is no activity. In fact the fluid is murky in the rear resevoir even though I cleaned it good before the bench bleed.

Bless my feeble mind please. LOL's.

David