Hi all,

i recently received my disc brake conversion kit . It is a A123 Kit from SSBC. Now i don't know which brake fluid i need to use for this kit, it does state anything in the instructions that came with it. In the online shops in Germany (where i am located) i did not see DOT3 Fluid yet, only DOT4, DOT5 and DOT5.1.

Can you recommend the correct fluid to me? How much will i need to bleed the whole system?

Thanks a lot!

Olli

I'm using the DOT 4 synthetic brake fluid by Castrol. If you haven't looked, DOT 5 is really expensive compared to DOT 3 and DOT 4....DOT 5 is almost exclusively used on big trucks, etc. DOT 4 synthetic, which when spilled won't eat your paint.

Did you get the full 4 wheel brake system or just the fronts/rears? I'd say it takes 15-20 pumps to get all the air out of the right rear, then I'd do another 10-15 for the left rear. Obviously the front won't take as long, but I'd say 10 pumps to the front right, then another 5 to the front left. Repeat as needed to get a firm pedal.

So it doesn't matter if i take DOT3 ord DOT4? What about the fluid already in the system? I only will replace the front system, and there will be old brake fluid in the rear system. I would guess it's DOT3. I read that it's not good to mix DOT3 and DOT4, so how should i proceed?
How much of the fluid will i need?
Sorry, but i am really new to this.

Thanks
Olli

If it were me, I would bleed the rears and put whatever new fluid in the whole system, that way there's no confusing them. Brake fluid, at least the non-synthetic stuff is hydrostolic(will absorb water over time), so it'll be good to get new stuff in there anyway. Also, flushing it out totally with new fluid shouldn't be a problem if it's a different type.

I would get at least 1 quart of fluid or equivalent in Germany, that'll probably be enough for the fronts and the rears as long as you don't have a horrible air in the lines problem.

If doing this by yourself, you'll either need a helper to close the bleeder valve when the pedal is fully pushed down and open it when fully up, speed bleeders, or a vaccuum pump.

Also, make sure your brake kit comes with 2 copper washers for each caliper line which go on each side of the banjo fitting on the end of the line. If not, you can get these at a parts store...if you don't have them, they will leak.

Thank you! :thumbsup: