08-27-2009, 02:10 AM
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You talkin’ to me?
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Columbia, MO
Posts: 907
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Quote:
Originally Posted by strelnik
The man who does substitute f-r brake fluid is mark Bardenwarper Sr, he has a couple websites.
Guys who have the oldest Citroens with hydropneumatic suspension use a mix of rapeseed oil and other stuff instead of Dot 3 because that mix more closely approximates the all vegetable hydraulic fluid used in the Citroens through 1968. It's a substitute for LHS, which was the Cit vegetable-based fluid before Citroen went to non-burning mineral based LHM in 1965-69.
Bardenwerper's website is free and named something like CanDo technology
He's a very froiendly guy
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Yeah, from what I read the LHV (vegetable oil) was replaced by the LHS (synthetic hydraulic fluid) for use in the Citroens, both of which were later replaced by the LHM (mineral hydraulic fluid) because the LHV and the LHS were both hygroscopic. The Citroens were innovative in their use of hydropneumatic systems throughout the car, but the problem still remains in brake systems today. Any hygroscopic fluid will eventually accumulate water, which can lead to internal deterioration but, more importantly, lower the boiling point of the fluid. Most brake fluids are glycol ethers which technically are organic compounds - so that would seem to somewhat counter my original argument against using an organic in your brake system. Also, (as you are probably aware) Canola oil is rapeseed oil - so using Canola oil as brake fluid would not actually be a novel approach. I guess the question is why did manufacturers move away from vegetable oil to synthetic fluids. Without knowing for sure, I would have to believe that it was because vegetable oils are less chemically stable and therefore deteriorate faster.
Nevertheless, the main point is that I don't see much use in going against the recommended brake fluid (and there are certainly more issues involved than have been touched on here) in an attempt to be eco-friendly. Sure, vegetal oils are more biodegradable, but brake fluid simply isn't a major source of contamination or pollution. Why risk it?
Incidentally, I suspect that nearly everyone here is using (per manufacturer’s recommendation) a brake fluid that is hygroscopic (DOT 3 and DOT 4). Therefore, flushing the brake fluid at least every other year or so is a good idea. See this link for more info on why:
http://www.aa1car.com/library/bfluid.htm
PS. Strelnik, did I mention that I am jealous of your collection?
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'95 E300D ("Tank") - 231,000 miles
'79 240D ("Biscuit") - 197,250 miles (Sold)
'83 240D ("Ding-Ding") - 217,000 miles (Death by deer)
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"Back off, man. I’m a scientist” ~ Peter Venkman
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