DOT5 or not to DOT5...that is the question?

[70bigblockdodge]

Yeah you have to change your hoses on a A/C conversion also or the freon will leak out. Well after a number of years I'm still waiting for it to leak out so I can change the shrader valve on the Low side of compressor.
Can someone tell me how long it takes for this freon to magically leak out of old hoses.

 

[Clover]

Exactly why I wanted to stay with 3/4. **** if it's really as ez as flush it all through, then I would consider changing over to 5.

This is what I’ve been saying: it really is as easy as flush it all through with DOT 5. I’ve done it many times. But I wouldn’t want to talk anybody into doing something that went against their nature!

 

[Clover]

Years ago, when I was Service Manager at a dealership, I decided to run an open experiment with 3 and 5. I took a small container (4oz.) and nearly filled it with 50% of each fluid. I carefully poured the 5 in on top of the 3 and let them sit for a month or so. Nothing happened. It was like oil and water- they stayed separated. I then shook the mixture and let it sit for six months. Again- nothing happened. When I shook up the mixture, it turned into bubbles of each fluid, just like oil and water. But unlike oil and water, the two fluids stayed separated for the entire six months and showed no sign of doing anything different when I pitched the sample.

 

[mr. fix it]

Years ago, when I was Service Manager at a dealership, I decided to run an open experiment with 3 and 5. I took a small container (4oz.) and nearly filled it with 50% of each fluid. I carefully poured the 5 in on top of the 3 and let them sit for a month or so. Nothing happened. It was like oil and water- they stayed separated. I then shook the mixture and let it sit for six months. Again- nothing happened. When I shook up the mixture, it turned into bubbles of each fluid, just like oil and water. But unlike oil and water, the two fluids stayed separated for the entire six months and showed no sign of doing anything different when I pitched the sample.

That’s because they are two totally different fluids good test

 

[mr. fix it]

Dan the Mopar man has videos showing why he won’t use dot5 but he skewed the results claiming it destroyed the old rubber seals and o-rings

He showed a swollen up M/C seal that was soaked in mineral spirits

I think the point here was that flushing with the mineral spirits would cause the seals to fail but he implied that the dot5 fluids caused it
I commented on his video asking to clarify but no answer to date
There’s lots of misinformation out there...

 

[Clover]

I sold my Road Runner a few years ago but I did a complete resto on it beforehand. When I put the brakes together, I had no DOT 5 on hand but plenty of 3, and figured I’d just change it later (btw, if you’re going to change over, bail the old fluid from the master cylinder, rather than trying to push it all through). I Filled the master too high because the next spring, expansion had caused the DOT 3 to leak out the top and run down onto the frame rail, wrinkling a bunch of paint. I cursed my lazy *** and bailed out the master, then filled it with 5, figuring I’d get somebody to help me bleed it through later. I never did. That car still has a mix of DOT 3 and DOT 5. The horror!

 

[Clover]

Dan the Mopar man has videos showing why he won’t use dot5 but he skewed the results claiming it destroyed the old rubber seals and o-rings

He showed a swollen up M/C seal that was soaked in mineral spirits

I think the point here was that flushing with the mineral spirits would cause the seals to fail but he implied that the dot5 fluids caused it
I commented on his video asking to clarify but no answer to date
There’s lots of misinformation out there...

Of course it was the mineral spirits! You can’t flush with mineral spirits unless you’re going to replace all the rubber! Nobody should try that!

 

[Clover]

That’s because they are two totally different fluids good test

Apparently with essentially identical densities.

 

[livininharrow]

so can someone please tell me what are all of the advantages to using dot 5? thanks in advance.

 

[Clover]

1. Proven capability to allow the car to sit for decades with little use and have the brakes still work. 2. Does not harm paint. You can wax your car with it. 3. You get to make people think that you’re some kind of freak because everybody knows that stuff is bad!

 

[Clover]

There are also performance gains to be had but they don’t apply unless you’re road racing.

 

[mr. fix it]

Of course it was the mineral spirits! You can’t flush with mineral spirits unless you’re going to replace all the rubber! Nobody should try that!

Well all I can say is that is what he used for the demo which I think was totally skewed...

Here is the video... 3:53 is where he starts into the mineral spirits spleil

 

[mr. fix it]

There are also performance gains to be had but they don’t apply unless you’re road racing.

actually most racers use DOT3 or 4 or 5.1

 

[Clover]

Well al I cna say is that is what he used for the demo which I think was totally skewed...

Here is the video... 3:53 is where he starts into the mineral spirits spleil

This video is disinformative BS. Never heard of this guy and not impressed.