brake fliuid

[Steve Lee]

The Cadillac dealer said my brake fluid was turning yellow, and needed to be changed. I worked as a mechanic for about 10 years, and the only reason to do that was because at the time, brake fluid was glycerine and alchohol, which absorbed water, making it neccessary to flush the system, and replenish it. Now they use DOT 5?, and whatever # it is, it is silicone. Does silicone turn yellow with age? Does it need to be changed when it does? What DOT number should be used??


Do I have to, or should I use, Mobil 5/30 in my 2005 XLR? There are a few other very good motor oils out there, one I can think of is valvoline. Castrol, and Pennzoil are also very good. I just purchased the car with 26,800 miles on it. If I wereto use Mobil which one? Sythentic?? or just regular old oil?

 

[hawkeye372]

Wow only 26,800 in miles. When I purchased mine in 2012 she only had 20,758 miles.


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[hawkeye372]

I prefer the synthetic but that’s my opinion. And the service guys put in Mobil 1


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[cubby558]

Dot3, dot4 and dot5.1 are all glycol based and can be mixed. DO NOT USE DOT5 in an ABS brake system!! Dot 5 is silicone based, and mostly used in older vintage cars that sit for long periods. Dot 5 doesn't absorb water from the air like glycol based brake fluids do.

As far as oil, your XLR left the assembly plant with Mobil 1 5/30 synthetic, so you should continue to use synthetic. Don't mix non synthetic with synthetic.

The Cadillac dealer said my brake fluid was turning yellow, and needed to be changed. I worked as a mechanic for about 10 years, and the only reason to do that was because at the time, brake fluid was glycerine and alchohol, which absorbed water, making it neccessary to flush the system, and replenish it. Now they use DOT 5?, and whatever # it is, it is silicone. Does silicone turn yellow with age? Does it need to be changed when it does? What DOT number should be used??


Do I have to, or should I use, Mobil 5/30 in my 2005 XLR? There are a few other very good motor oils out there, one I can think of is valvoline. Castrol, and Pennzoil are also very good. I just purchased the car with 26,800 miles on it. If I wereto use Mobil which one? Sythentic?? or just regular old oil?

 

[pure zen]

Full Syn ,,,,

I'm sure there is a reason why manufacturers of high end, high power vehicles use full synthetic oil in their vehicles, probably because it is a better lubricant to protect the engine. For the past twenty years, I use only Mobil 1 or Valvoline full-syn oil in my cars.....and change out that oil between 5-6K miles. JMO

 

[Steve Lee]

Dot3, dot4 and dot5.1 are all glycol based and can be mixed. DO NOT USE DOT5 in an ABS brake system!! Dot 5 is silicone based, and mostly used in older vintage cars that sit for long periods. Dot 5 doesn't absorb water from the air like glycol based brake fluids do.

As far as oil, your XLR left the assembly plant with Mobil 1 5/30 synthetic, so you should continue to use synthetic. Don't mix non synthetic with synthetic.

So are you saying to only use DOT 3, or 4??

 

[cubby558]

If your car has the factory fluid in it, it is Dot 3.

So are you saying to only use DOT 3, or 4??

 

[GM MUSL]

Use dot 4 if you are in the habit of getting your brakes hot - it has a higher boiling point. When I flush I always replace with dot 4.

 

[xlrlist01]

Use dot 4 if you are in the habit of getting your brakes hot - it has a higher boiling point. When I flush I always replace with dot 4.

You should use a low viscosity (ESP) formulation. And DOT 3 if it gets very cold.

 

[Steve Lee]

You should use a low viscosity (ESP) formulation. And DOT 3 if it gets very cold.

I'm in Florida, in the winter it "sometimes" (3or 4 times a winter goes to 32 degrees for about an hour ar 5-6 am.

 

[xlrlist01]

I'm in Florida, in the winter it "sometimes" (3or 4 times a winter goes to 32 degrees for about an hour ar 5-6 am.

That isn't cold. 'Cold' refers to an Alaskan winter, or Canada. DOT 4 will likely appear to work, but it is getting too viscus for the ABS/Stabil trac (ESP) valve control system to work properly and risks cavitation problems.