Ford Heavy Duty DOT 3 brake fluid still avaialble?

[Hrant]

I know Ford used to make a Heavy Duty DOT 3 brake fluid that many racers used as an cheap option of changing their brake fluid for each session or track event. Do they still make it? If so does anyone know the wet/dry boiling points and where it can be purchased?

I stopped at the Ford dealer and all they had was a Motorcraft brand that was just meeting the minimum DOT 3; they also had a DOT 5 but I believe it was the silicone type.

I am looking to flush the brake fluid on all the cars in the household and thought the Ford Heavy Duty might be a good option. My next choice is the Valvoline SynPower DOT 3 and DOT 4 as it offers the best bang in terms of wet/dry boiling points for the for daily driving; one liter cost is $5.99. TIA.

 

[nsxtasy]

does anyone know the set/dry boiling points

The wet and dry boiling points for most popular fluids can be found in this previous post.

I like the Motul RBF 600 fluid, because its boiling points (593F/420F dry/wet) are substantially higher than the other fluids you mention (550F/284F for Ford and 527F/347F for Valvoline), yet is still very reasonably priced (typically around $12 per half liter) and can be purchased at many speed shops (including on-line vendors like Pegasus and Racer Parts Wholesale), as well as brake specialists such as Cobalt Friction.

As I mentioned in another post, for just a few bucks more than those other fluids, you can get much better protection against boilover on the track. And on an NSX, that's worth every penny. However, for other vehicles (family cars/vans) that are not being tracked or otherwise seeing heavy duty, any DOT 3 or higher fluid should be okay...

 

[fangtl]

Supposedly the Motorcraft stuff is the same as the HD, but who's to say? You can also opt for the DOT4 Focus fluid in the blue bottle for $10-12.

 

[Dave Hardy]

I use ATE Super Blue. It has higher boiling points than the Ford stuff, and is cheaper. $12 / liter - http://www.discoveryparts.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=bfluid

 

[Jay444]

Found this while searching for details on the Ford fluid:


http://www.corvettefever.com/tipstricks/153_0401_corvettes_tech_tips/index3.html

"71. FLUID FOLLIES
Question any seasoned racer about brake fluid and one of the first things that will come out of his mouth is "Ford High Performance Brake Fluid" (sometimes referred as "Ford Heavy Duty Brake Fluid"). Let's back up for a minute: The really good racing brake fluid available today is called "Castrol SRF." It is a somewhat rare super-fluid designed primarily for racing, but most people don't buy it because of the high cost. The reality is, Ford Motor Company purchases this fluid by the barrel, repackages it, and sells it as Ford Heavy Duty Fluid to owners of heavy-duty trucks. Anyone may buy it from a Ford dealer under PN C6AZ-19542-AA. The packaging states: "High Performance Dot 3," and the cost is considerably less than the Castrol-packaged fluid"

Interesting...but I'm not sure how true it is. The Ford bottle says that it is "Designed, engineered and recommended by Ford Motor Company"
The Ford fluid ($3.91/355mL) is rated at minimum dry/wet boiling points of 550F/284F, and the Castrol SRF ($62.95/L) is rated at 590F/518F.

 

[Hrant]

Hah! The local Ford dealer couldn't even acknowledge they had such a product.

But as I said, the Valvoline SynPower (for daily driving, even for moderate track use) is the best value in the bunch, and Autozone had the 1 liter on sale at $3.99 last week. The wet/dry boiling points are 330F and 480F and they are DOT 3 and DOT 4 approved. I bought 3 bottles and a few more locals stocked their garage as well. At $3.99 with those boiling points you can't go wrong for your other daily cars.

For the NSX, I still use Motul 600 with 421F wet and 594F dry, at $12 for only 500ml (16.9 fl oz) ........ so you do the math ;-)

Brakleen brake cleaning was also on sale at Autozone for $2.99. So stock up.

 

[92 white 0650]

Re: Hrant, for the bargain hunter, you're the equivalent

of the Nordstrom personal shopper. :biggrin:

Good thing you don't charge your normal consulting rates for this info.

 

[nsxtasy]

Interesting...but I'm not sure how true it is.

I doubt it.

Many dealers (such as Acura of Brookfield) have devices that test the boiling point of brake fluid, so you can check it and see.

Also, I disagree with their characterization of Castrol SRF as designed for racers. Its dry boiling point is similar to other racing fluids (Motul, etc) but its wet boiling point is considerably higher - thus making it ideal for cars which do not have the brake fluid changed all that often. Most racers flush their brake fluid frequently enough that what matters is primarily the dry boiling point, not the wet one.

 

[pach]

Just ask the Ford dealer for the brake fluid used on the F-350 and F-550 trucks
, they should give you the right one. its going to be the one with the 550 dry boiling point.