Marc, Apparently DOT5 (silicone) fluid has a quite different appearance - purple (I think) instead of the light brown of normal brake fluid. If there's any fluid left in the M/C, or if you can pump a little out of one caliper, that should tell you.
I have heard that DOT4 is a bad idea because the mineral oil eats the natural rubber seals, not sure how much truth their is in that or not. Probably best to stick with DOT3 to be on the safe side, if you use DOT3 or 4. These can be safely mixed I believe. If you switch to DOT5 silicone fluid (NOT the same as the DOT5.1 stuff you sometimes see, not sure what that is), many believe that this needs to be done in conjunction with a rebuild of all your brake parts, replacing every bit of rubber in the system, or the rubber may perish. There are some who say that they have done just fine by flushing all the old fluid out of the system using 'mineral spirits' (I guess that may be American for White Spirit??), and filling with silicone fluid, without replacing anything. Also, Silicone fluid is significantly more expensive than normal brake fluid! It does have its advantages - spills won't eat through your paintwork, it will not absorb water which leads to corrosion of brake pipes (unless they've been replaced with copper), it needs bleeding less often. As for brake feel, opinions differ - I think Silicone is less compressible, which means brakes will come on more suddenly, and the brake will move less between the slightly-applied position and full-on position - some prefer this, some don't! One word of warning - be gentle when undoing your bleed nipples!! If they won't budge easily, spray with penetrating fluid and leave for a while. Apparently a hammer tap on the end helps as well - best use a small bit of wood between the hammer and the nipple to avoid damage to the nipple. I currently have THREE broken half-nipples stuck in my brakes, and am awaiting replacement calipers and rear cylinders, having failed to get the old bits out. Not good, and not cheap. Richard & Daffy ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Important Notice: The information in this email is confidential and may be legally-privileged. If you have reason to believe you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution or any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it is prohibited and may be unlawful and you are requested to contact the sender urgently and dispose of this email -----------------------------------------------------------exp. /// [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list /// Send admin requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] /// or try http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool /// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive /// Send list postings to [EMAIL PROTECTED] /// Edit your replies! If they include this trailer, they will NOT be sent.
