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dot 4 brake fluid is suitable to top up all dot specified brake fluids
the dot fluids are glycol based fluids are are used widely in the transport industry
the are controlled standards issue by the department of transport (DOT) your car will not be using dot 5 fluid
the main differences between the dot standards is the boiling points of the fluids
for example dot 3 wet boiling point is 140c-284f
dot 4------------------------------------------155c-311f
dot5--------------------------------------------180c-356f
dot5.1------------------------------------------190c-374f
a brake fluid compatibility chart shows the following
dot 3 with dot 3, dot 4 NOT dot 5 , dot 5.1
dot 4 compatible with dot3 dot4 NOT dot5 , dot 5.1
dot 5 Not Compatible with dot3,dot4, dot5.1
dot5.1 compatible with dot 3,dot4 dot5.1 not compatible with dot5
refe to site epicbleedsolutions.com for references
for any other information as to why boiling points are the main factors and why brake fluid should be changed on a regular basis go google and type in ---brake fluid dot specifications and compatibility--- and there are many informative sites available
I have come across several misconceptions concerning brake fluids. Unfortunately the brake fluids available to us are the inheritance of a by-gone age and we are stuck with the inferior Glycol-Ethyl based fluids because there is no practical way upgrade all the vehicles in the world to the far superior Silicone based fluids, and the two differnet based fluids are not compatible with each other. Brake fluids need to comply to several stringent requirements, these have been upgrared over the years and are marked by their DOT ratings, most recently from DOT 3 to DOT 4, and the seldom seen DOT 5.1. Here the main problem arises. DOT 4 supercedes DOT 3, (the older fluid is not meant to be used on older cars) and if you come across any, it is long past its Sell By Date. The main difference between Dot 3 and Dot 4 is the boiling points of the fluids (which for obvious reasons have to be as high as possible). DOT 3 has a dry boiling point of 205 deg F. while DOT 4 has a dry boiling point of 230 deg F. With a mere 3.7% water added to the fluids DOT 3 boiling point drops to 140 deg F. and DOT 4 drops to 155 deg. F. Basically, what it comes down to is that DOT 3 fluids should be phased out and removed from systems as soon as possible, even on older and vintage and veteran vehicles and replaced with DOT 4 fluid. Strictly speaking, if normal maintenance routines are followed, there should not be any DOT 3 equiped vehicles on the roads anymore.
The standard brake fluid for your car is dot 3. This is the best for your car. Dot 4 is a higher standard brake fluid for newer car makes. I don't see any advantages of dot 4 your 2005' car. Other fact is dot 4 is more expensive than dot 3.
The filler cap and manual both specify DOT 3--"Delco Supreme 11" or equivalent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lets look at what the DOT ratings mean. The table below shows the MINIMUM wet and dry boiling points for DOT 2, 3, 4, and 5 brake fluid in degrees fahrenheit. DOT 2 DOT 3 DOT 4 DOT 5 Dry Boiling point 374 401 446 500 Wet boiling point 284 311 356
The DOT 2 spec is for drum brakes and is obsolete. If you have any DOT 2 in your garage, throw it away!
DOT 5 is for silicone brake fluid. Silicone brake fluid (DOT 5) should be avoided because it is not compatible with regular brake fluid, it is hard to pour without introducing bubbles and thus results in soft pedal feel, and moisture still gets into your system and will pool in low areas like your calipers and encourage rapid corrosion. STAY AWAY! That leaves DOT 3 and DOT 4 fluids. These fluids are compatible with each other and may be interchanged or mixed with no ill effects.
I haven't had any problems at that time adding Prestone DOT 4 to the original GM fluid.
Changing BRAKE FLUID is a MUST. Most dealers recomend at 60K scheduled maintenance service. The industry standard is every 3 to 4 years for DOT 3 and every 2 years for DOT 4 under normal driving conditions.
Do not use DOT 3 brake fluid in a power steering pump. It will eat away all of the seals and hoses. If you are looking at power steering fluid, any power steering fluid will work. If we are talking about brake fluid, Then yes use DOT 3 brake fluid or DOT 4 break fluid. The top of the master cylinder should tell you which to use.
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