paint damage from brake fluid

[Dickie]

HI, some brake fluid leaked during inspection from my master cylinder and bubbled my paint under the MC ( i know....im a goof} . anyone ever glued something on this part to ensure this doesn't happen. Any Ideas?

 

[Rustytruck]

I use a piece of aluminium foil to catch leaks under the master cylinder when working on it. foil forms easily around all the stuff in the way.

 

[Apogee]

Rubbing alcohol cuts brake fluid really well in my experience, so I just have a spray bottle handy whenever I'm working with brake fluid and clean stuff up in a timely manner. That plus compressed air with a rag will help get it out of nooks and crannies. Ideally you wouldn't get it where it doesn't belong, but that's not always possible.

Tobin

 

[Broncobowsher]

Or just a bunch of water. Brake fluid is hydroscopic, glycol (not oil) based. Garden hose will wash it away.

 

[Dickie]

thanks what about a tubber material thats glued down. first of all to hide the bubbled paint , and then prevent it

 

[Dude 713]

I run synthetic brake fluid and have spilled it all over. Doesn't hurt the paint at all.

 

[Dickie]

I run synthetic brake fluid and have spilled it all over. Doesn't hurt the paint at all.

really thats true/ now should i put a sticker over the affected part

 

[DirtDonk]

If both wheel well tops are relatively free of bolt-on stuff, a matching pair of sheet aluminum panels would not only get the job of hiding the damage done, but also dress it up a bit with a "custom" touch.
Just don't use diamond plate unless you really like the stuff. It's old-school and even though Broncos are old-school too, it just does not have that purposeful look of either plain old flat aluminum, or better yet a thin bit of stainless steel.

The panels act as paint protectors in the full sense of the word. Not just for spills, but for all the other things that happen to the wheel wells over the years.
You can screw them down too. Gluing is fine, but it's pretty permanent too. A few nice looking screws would get the job done nicely as well.

Good luck. Brake fluid damage under the master looks lousy!

Paul

 

[Jfryjfry]

Get some vinyl wrap material. I used 3m clear under my master to prevent such a thing.

 

[Apogee]

I run synthetic brake fluid and have spilled it all over. Doesn't hurt the paint at all.

That would be DOT5 silicone fluid...synthetic just means that it's not a naturally occurring substance that has been chemically synthesized in a lab, so all brake fluids are technically synthetic. DOT3, DOT4 and DOT5.1 brake fluids are generally polyethylene glycol based fluids with borate ester modifiers for the higher boiling points, so they tend to be compatible and miscible with one another, but not with DOT5 fluid due to the different chemical base.

While DOT5 fluid tends to be popular in the hot rod market since it doesn't attack paint, it tends to aerate easily and doesn't provide as good of performance or pedal feel as DOT3/4/5.1 fluids IMO, so I won't run it. Other than Harley Davidson, I don't think a single OEM has ever supplied DOT5 in any vehicle, and the two major users in the US are the military and the USPS, and last I heard both were working on plans to convert back to DOT3/4 fluid in the future for various reasons.

Tobin

 

[cannunz546]

Any port in a storm....

 

[Dude 713]

That would be DOT5 silicone fluid...synthetic just means that it's not a naturally occurring substance that has been chemically synthesized in a lab, so all brake fluids are technically synthetic. DOT3, DOT4 and DOT5.1 brake fluids are generally polyethylene glycol based fluids with borate ester modifiers for the higher boiling points, so they tend to be compatible and miscible with one another, but not with DOT5 fluid due to the different chemical base.

While DOT5 fluid tends to be popular in the hot rod market since it doesn't attack paint, it tends to aerate easily and doesn't provide as good of performance or pedal feel as DOT3/4/5.1 fluids IMO, so I won't run it. Other than Harley Davidson, I don't think a single OEM has ever supplied DOT5 in any vehicle, and the two major users in the US are the military and the USPS, and last I heard both were working on plans to convert back to DOT3/4 fluid in the future for various reasons.

Tobin

Yes Dot 5 I should have specified that. I have had some people say that don't like it but it seems to work good for me and I have toooooo much money into my paint job to have it getting messed up.

 

[DirtDonk]

I've had DOT 5 in five different vehicles now over 40 years and never an issue that I'm aware of. Good pedal feel and braking action. I have certainly worried over it many times, due to the stated issues that could potentially arise. But I never had any of them.

I am going to find out soon enough about any moisture that might have gotten itself inside the system and settled down at the calipers and wheel cylinders, so will know if that one is unavoidable where sitting for a long time is an issue.

Paul

 

[Apogee]

Other than full-on track rats, most won't notice the difference in compressibility between DOT5 and DOT3/4/5.1 fluids, but it can be quite noticeable in performance applications, particularly ones that run higher brake pressures.

The fact that water and silicone do not mix means that water is much less likely to get into a system filled with DOT5, but when it does get in, it just puddles up at the low points and sits there waiting to be turned to steam and corroding whatever metal it lays in contact with, and no amount of bleeding will typically remove the water from the system without completely disassembling the calipers.

DOT3/4/5.1 glycol fluids will mix with whatever water enters the system and flush out with the brake fluid with you bleed the brakes. When you look at the "wet boiling point" of brake fluid, it is measured at 3.7% water by volume, which is an estimate for how much water can accumulate in the brake fluid over a 2-year service interval. DOT3 fluid with 8% water by volume has almost the same boiling point as water, so fresh brake fluid is a good thing and flushing your system with new fluid every 2 years or so is probably the best way to extend the life of the system while maximizing performance.