mark.barton Posted April 17, 2012 Report Share Posted April 17, 2012 I am getting ready to flush and replace the brake fluid in the GT500, but I have several questions......... 1) I know from reading that most everyone has recommended moving to a higher temp brake fluid when you track day the car and I also know that Motul and ATE Superblue are some of the favorites. My question is: How do these brake fluids work with ABS systems and will they harm and/or damage any of the components? Ford recommends only using DOT 3 brake fluid (Motorcraft High Performance, of course). The "extra" 100 degrees of dry boiling point on the other fluids seems like a nice safety factor, but I do not want to have an ABS pump failure down the road because I used the wrong fluid. 2) What is the fluid capacity of the of the brake system? Do I need to have a quart of brake fluid, 2 quarts, or just a pint to flush the system? 3) Because the brakes and clutch share a common reservoir, should you bleed the clutch slave cylinder too? Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Grey Posted April 20, 2012 Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 I use Motul RBF600 in all my vehicles, even my workvan. I have for years now, no problems. I change most vehicles at least once a year, the Mustangs before each track event...sometimes after as well. It won't hurt the factory equipment. The slave cylinder is not bleedable unless the trans is out basically. To do my Mustangs I can get by w/ near one pint of fluid having done it a million times, to be safe get 2 pints. You can usually get Motul at any motorcycle parts shops in town if you have one and it's a lot less expensive than ordering online. Done a million - now that's funny - oh I'm sorry I guess this is only a 500 site ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07SGT0547 Posted April 20, 2012 Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 Along with everything else stated above, I like to use the ATE Super Blue on the initial change-over... That way you can see when you have pumped enough new fluid thru each brake line... Have never had an issue with the Clutch Res or ABS system still having the factory fluids in them... I do highly recommend installing a set of Speed Bleeders on each caliper if you are planning to go to the track on a somewhat regular basis... They work like a champ and make the whole process just that much easier if you are doing all the work by yourself... Had them on a set of stock GT calipers initially on my SGT and then on the Brembos when I finally made the switch to the GT500 Wheels and Brakes... And will be doing the same when it comes time to service the brakes on my BOSS 302... Oh and get the SS Brake Lines (front & rear) if your budget will allow it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Patten Posted April 20, 2012 Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 Both the ATE Superblue or the Motul RBF600 work fantastic over the factory fluid and work just fine with the ABS system and neither one will hurt any of the components . If you do it right you can most likely do it with only one bottle. You do not want to leave unsealed bottles sitting around or even sealed ones for that matter. It's the wet boiling point that you need to be concerned with and both are more than adequate. Last year at the Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca Raceway one of the Trans-Am drivers complained about his brake pedal going away halfway through the session so we were going to help him flush the brake fluid. He pulls out this white bottle of Motul 600 ( it has not come in a white bottle for over 5 years) and says it should still be good because it was still sealed/never opened. Wrong - we flushed using it and he had the same problem the next time out - then we got some fresh stuff from the local auto parts store and flushed the fluid again - problem gone. Don't worry about the clutch line being bled it's a whole different procedure - however you may want to concider covering the clutch hydraulic line with a heat insulator wrap(especially if you have headers)or change over to the steel braided replacement from FRPP when it comes time to replace the clutch. No real need to do it any earlier. Brake fluid should be flushed every 18,000 miles or 18 months according to the service mannual but I do it at least once a year on the family car and do it both before and after each track event with mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark.barton Posted April 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 Along with everything else stated above, I like to use the ATE Super Blue on the initial change-over... That way you can see when you have pumped enough new fluid thru each brake line... Have never had an issue with the Clutch Res or ABS system still having the factory fluids in them... I do highly recommend installing a set of Speed Bleeders on each caliper if you are planning to go to the track on a somewhat regular basis... They work like a champ and make the whole process just that much easier if you are doing all the work by yourself... Had them on a set of stock GT calipers initially on my SGT and then on the Brembos when I finally made the switch to the GT500 Wheels and Brakes... And will be doing the same when it comes time to service the brakes on my BOSS 302... Oh and get the SS Brake Lines (front & rear) if your budget will allow it Thank you all for the answers. This information really helps make this job a lot easier. I looked all over the place and I really could not find the answers to these questions. For all I knew I might have needed a gallon of brake fluid to flush the system or, worse yet, not bought enough and ran out 3/4 of the way through the job. I am going to buy one of the Motive pressure bleeders or at minimum a vacuum pump to bleed the brakes with, but I may add the speed bleeders later when I upgrade the brake lines. Oh, and I guess I am showing my age a little bit. The last time I had to bleed a clutch, they still had external slave cylinders! Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunters1 Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 Just curious as well. Read alot before I act on something and just curious what floks say about the inevidable mixing of Dot3 and Dot5 fluids. That is the master cylinder does share dual duty and if you did not drain clutch slave and line would not that fluid mix with new Dot5? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jskup1 Posted September 27, 2012 Report Share Posted September 27, 2012 Do you guys do anything to keep the ABS pump active while bleeding? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy49 Posted September 27, 2012 Report Share Posted September 27, 2012 Just curious as well. Read a lot before I act on something and just curious what folks say about the inevitable mixing of Dot3 and Dot5 fluids. That is the master cylinder does share dual duty and if you did not drain clutch slave and line would not that fluid mix with new Dot5? Is DOT 5 compatible with the ABS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark.barton Posted September 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2012 Just curious as well. Read alot before I act on something and just curious what floks say about the inevidable mixing of Dot3 and Dot5 fluids. That is the master cylinder does share dual duty and if you did not drain clutch slave and line would not that fluid mix with new Dot5? It is not recommended to mix DOT3 and DOT5 brake fluids. On top of that DOT5 is not recommended for Ford vehicles. DOT5 is a completely different formulation and I am not even sure that it would work. Do you guys do anything to keep the ABS pump active while bleeding? Nope. The only people who could do that would be a dealer or mechanic shop that has the right equipment. Is DOT 5 compatible with the ABS? I would assume it probably is, but I darn sure would not put it in my car. If you are going to change your brake fluid use either the Ford High Performance DOT3 or use a good high temp fluid like ATE Superblue/ATE 200 or Motul 600 like Albino500 recommended. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy49 Posted September 28, 2012 Report Share Posted September 28, 2012 Brake fluid facts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunters1 Posted September 28, 2012 Report Share Posted September 28, 2012 opting for Motul 600,It appears that would be an upgrade. Have already done the clutch line during clutch replacement and that works great. Haven't however found the answer to when replacing fluid/lines do I also need/have to bleed clutch slave and line as they share same master cylinder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.