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Volvo calls for Dot 4.
I have read on Valvoline Synpower brake fluid bottle (at my local Autozone) that it exceeds dot 3 and dot 4 brake fluid requirements. Does that make it compatible for Volvos and more specifically for the requirement of my 1989 240 which requires dot 4?
Any other brand of brake fluid you recommand? Either synthetic or not.
Should I just go to the Volvo dealer and buy Volvo dot 4 brake fluid?
Thanks in advance.
--
'89 244DL M47 158K miles
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Valvoline Synpower meets the specifications for both DOT 3 and DOT 4 and is perfectly suitable for using a Volvo 200 that specifies DOT 4 as well as other cars that specify either DOT 3 or DOT 4. So is Castrol LMA. Both are inexpensively available at local auto parts stores, so there is not really much of a reason to use DOT 3 (even in a car that specifies DOT 3, DOT 4 gives an extra margin of safety in terms of boiling points at an insignificant extra cost).
Has anyone done any experiment to see if Castrol LMA actually absorbs less water than Valvoline Synpower or other brands of DOT 4 brake fluid?
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Yep: it's actually DOT 4+.
I like Valvoline Synpower because it provides superior performance at a very competitive price. Flush this once every two years and you will never have corrosion inside the braking system.
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posted by
someone claiming to be mtbiker
on
Sat Jan 31 12:09 CST 2004 [ RELATED]
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ghj
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I used the Castrol LMA dot4 based on numerous recomendations. The LMA stands for low mositure accumalation.
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If it is rated as exceeding specs for DOT 3 and 4, then that's exactly what you want. You don't want DOT 5, however.
DOT 3 will be OK, in a pinch.
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I use Castrol LMA exclusively. I don't know that it's better than other, but it was specifically recommended by the British car manufacturers (I've previously owned Triumphs and MGs), and by Saab.
BTW, there are 2 reasons for the recommendation of this fluid. One is the fact that it is resistant to absorbing moisture from the air, while Dot3 is not. Second, it doesn't attack the rubber used in the braking systems of many european cars like Dot3 will.
--
1991 245, 61k miles, looking for a 5 speed 92-93 245 cheap.
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I second the vote about Castrol LMA -- it's specifically recommended by Mercedes-Benz, too (as a substitute for their own high-priced fluid, for when you can't get to a dealer, yeah!).
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BTW, there are 2 reasons for the recommendation of this fluid. One is the fact that it is resistant to absorbing moisture from the air, while Dot3 is not. Second, it doesn't attack the rubber used in the braking systems of many european cars like Dot3 will.
Both of these recommendations are technically untrue, though it's a rather moot point in our context. Both DOT 3 and DOT 4 will absorb moisture. There's just no way around that when you've got flexible hoses at four points and many different pistons whose travel is open to the moisture in the air. In fact, it is H2O in the lines that is more of a concern than actual air in the lines when you do your periodic bleeding. If your system hasn't been opened for any reason, after a couple of years you won't have any air in the lines, but you will always have water that you need to get out, since water compresses and starts to rust and corrode your hydraulic components. This is true just as much for DOT 4 as DOT 3. And it's not DOT 3 that isn't good for the rubber of some cars. It is no different from DOT 4 in that regard; it is DOT 5 that you are probably referring to.
Chemically, the DOT 3 and DOT 4 formulations are practically identical. Virtually the only difference between the DOT 3 and DOT 4 specs is that DOT 4 has a higher boiling point than DOT 3. It is extremely rare that the hydraulics in a Volvo would ever exceed the boiling point even of DOT 3, so Volvo's recommendation of DOT 4 can be seen as another example of Volvo's ultra-conservative stance on all things that effect safety. I'm not saying don't get DOT 4; definitely go by Volvo's recommendation. But if you need to top off with DOT 3 in a pinch, don't lose sleep over it.
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In fact one of the prime recommendations about Castrol LMA brake fluid is it's resistance to absorbing moisture. I didn't make it up, it true. I didn't say it won't absorb any moisture, it's just not as spongelike as Dot3.
Second, Girling specifically isued a bulletin while I owned my Saab 99 about not using Dot3 brake fluid because it could attack the seals in the system. I found this out, unfortunately, after I'd bled and refilled the brake and clutch systems on my Saab using DIT, and the seals in my clutch master and slave cylinder turned to mush.
Third, I'd never heard of Dot5 brake fluid causing such damage to seals, I wouldn't use it anyway. A unique characteristic of silicone brake fluid is it's tendency to compress under extreme pressure, which can cause a soft pedal. That's why all the racers I know quit using it about as quickly as they started back in the early 80s.
--
1991 245, 61k miles, looking for a 5 speed 92-93 245 cheap.
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In fact one of the prime recommendations about Castrol LMA brake fluid is it's resistance to absorbing moisture.
As I understand the Castrol product, it is the LMA rating (LMA=Low Moisture Accumulation) that addresses that issue, and not the Department of Transportations specifications for DOT 4, which was the poster's original question. Sorry for the confusion. The DOT 4 spec refers to a higher boiling point, irrespective of moisture accumulation.
Second, Girling specifically isued a bulletin while I owned my Saab 99 about not using Dot3 brake fluid because it could attack the seals in the system.
I've never heard of such a warning. Again, going by the DOT specs, and the formulations of manufacturers, I can't understand why that would be since the formulations (the difference in one brand of DOT 3 and the same brand of DOT 4) are practically identical. But I'm not going to argue with Girling, or you. I stand corrected.
Third, I'd never heard of Dot5 brake fluid causing such damage to seals, I wouldn't use it anyway.
I've read this warning in a few different sources.
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If it meets DOT 4, it's OK to use. The next question is "are they lying?" Probably not, but to be sure, get a well-known brand. Valvoline, Castrol, Prestone, etc.
Regards,
Bob
:>)
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