Brake Fluid
Moderator: Rob Voska
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Howard ochocke
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sun Sep 19, 2010 3:29 pm
- Vintage Karting items owned: Dart Kart Grand Prix - 1964
MC9 Engine - User Agreement: Yes
Brake Fluid
I am rebuilding an Airheart master cylinder and 150 brake caliper. What are the pros and cons or using DOT3 versus mineral based fluid? Also, who is a good source of rebuild parts?
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Terry Armstrong
- Posts: 40
- Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 12:31 pm
- Vintage Karting items owned: (2) 63 Bug Wasps, Mc9 & West Bend 500 . 72 Bug Stinger, Mc49E.
- User Agreement: Yes
Re: Brake Fluid
Howard,
All three (3) of my vintage karts have Airheart braking systems with Red Mineral oil in them. Pro's of the mineral oil that I see are: (1) Oil is NOT Hydroscopic, i.e. Won't absorb water like DOT 3. So you don't have to worry about moisture contaminating and causing corrosion. (2) If you spill the mineral oil on the paint, it won't attack the paint. Just wipe it off. (3) You can buy the mineral oil, which is a MIL-H-5605 type fluid from Airports or Aircraft supply houses like Aircraft Spruce for reasonable cost.........Still probably not as available as DOT 3 though.
As far as rebuild kits, o-rings for mineral oil are Nitrile rubber and you can buy them cheaply from McMaster-Carr. If you need pistons/other parts, try Terry Ives or Airheart themselves. Look on this site under "Parts Sources".
Hope this helps.
Terry
All three (3) of my vintage karts have Airheart braking systems with Red Mineral oil in them. Pro's of the mineral oil that I see are: (1) Oil is NOT Hydroscopic, i.e. Won't absorb water like DOT 3. So you don't have to worry about moisture contaminating and causing corrosion. (2) If you spill the mineral oil on the paint, it won't attack the paint. Just wipe it off. (3) You can buy the mineral oil, which is a MIL-H-5605 type fluid from Airports or Aircraft supply houses like Aircraft Spruce for reasonable cost.........Still probably not as available as DOT 3 though.
As far as rebuild kits, o-rings for mineral oil are Nitrile rubber and you can buy them cheaply from McMaster-Carr. If you need pistons/other parts, try Terry Ives or Airheart themselves. Look on this site under "Parts Sources".
Hope this helps.
Terry
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Terry Bentley
- Posts: 131
- Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2010 3:21 am
- Vintage Karting items owned: Kavalla Rupp Hornet Bug Margay Cates, Ala Kart
- User Agreement: Yes
- Location: East of DFW
Re: Brake Fluid
Totally forget regular automotive brake fluid period. But instead of red mineral oil, the later brake systems, (insert Enginetics, MCP here) uses Dot 5 Silicone brake fluid. It is very functional and readily available at most parts houses. Back in the old days of red mineral, purple silicone was not around to be used. Today its used in plenty of racing systems and many restored classic automobiles because of its shelf life and ability of not absorbing moisture that destroys everything. I have been seriously wanting to flush out my Austin Healey 3000 brake system and change over to Silicone, since the car doesnt get driven that much and British cars are terrible about brake failures due to contamination of brake fluid. The basic design of all the American brake systems are the same, based on improved versions of the original Airheart. I am not 100%, but believe Silicone will work on all types of rubber, so no need to change over from one type to another. But then again, this is just one other persons opinion.