<VV> brakes - dot 5 fluid - a word of caution

[Frank DuVal]

This has not been my experience with DOT 5 brake fluid. I have cars 
sitting for years that still have no leaks.

Leaks have been my experience with DOT 3, along with crud buildup.

You might have had a small piece of grit that worked through after you 
started driving it again.

Frank DuVal

On 8/4/2012 12:50 AM, judynrandy at comcast.net wrote:
>
> I have dot 5 fluid in both my corvairs. One thing i have discovered  that it does is seep.  I took my '63 to the body shop in March 2010 and didn't get it back until October of last year.  It was started regularly but only driven once in that time span.   Upon rotating the tires recently, I noticed a wet spot on the drum.  Upon disassembly, there was a trail of brake fluid down the backing plate.  I cleaned everything up and  topped off the master cylinder. (the resovoir was down about 3 inches.)  I figured I was looking at a leaky wheel cylinder and proceeded to order a rebuild kit. (The wheel cylinders were rebuilt after I got the car in 2009)  As it was a slow leak, I continued to drive the car and kept a close eye on that drum for any signs of wettness.
>
>     Upon disassembly, the mystery was solved.  The backing plate and everything inside the drum were still clean and bone dry.  Not a hint of wetness.  This, after a few thousand miles of travel.  So it appears that dot 5 brake fluid will seep on a car that has sat unused for an extended period of time.  In my case it was 19 months.
>
>
>
>
> Randy (Cap'n) Hook
>
> '63 ragtop 110/pg
>
> '65 monza 4dr. 84/pg