Re: Dot 3 or Dot 4 for 69' spider Hydraulics ?

[Scott Fisher <sefisher@domain.elided>]

Robert Watson asks, "Can someone help me by telling me what type of
brake fluid (dot 3 or 4) I want to put in the clutch MC  for my '69
spider."

Use DOT 4 for clutch and brakes alike.  It's got superior heat
resistance characteristics, leading to a reduction in brake fade
compared with DOT 3 fluid.

Additionally, I've always used Castrol GT LMA brake fluid (which while
rated DOT 4 actually exceeds the DOT 4 temperature specifications, if I
remember the label correctly).  It is designed to be less hygroscopic
(that is, to attract less moisture) than either DOT 3 or other DOT 4
brand fluids.  This, of course, shouldn't be an issue for Alfas, which
recommend annual replacement of the brake fluid, a recommendation I
heartily second.  Castrol GT LMA makes a good choice for occasional
track use, as well as everyday street use, and is available virtually
everywhere.

Flushing the brakes was the subject of a little discussion a few weeks
ago.  I'll repeat my advice on the matter, and I'm an unrelenting snob
on brake work: don't bother with vacuum bleeders, they always seem to
introduce a little air around the threads of the bleed nipples.  For a
solid pedal with no sponginess, do it the old-fashioned way:
pump-open-close-release.  When you cross a blind hill and find that the
road suddenly makes a hard, off-camber left-hand turn and you find
yourself needing to slow from 60 to 30 mph in 11 feet to keep from
sliding into the pasture at the side of the road... you'll thank me. :-)

 --Scott Fisher
   Sunnyvale, California (hi Fred! you back home yet?)

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