Non-silicone brake fluid removes paint beautifully. Ask me how I know!
For the past few months Gumby has had a leaking brake light switch where it attaches to the brake line union on the passenger side under the bonnet. You can see where the brake fluid collected on the little shelf underneath it, and proceeded to munch my beautiful new paint in that area. Arghh!
The solution was to remove the brake light switch from the union and wrap the threads with some Teflon tape to improve the seal and then re-tighten the brake switch. That should stop future leaks.
It’s not so easy to remove the brake light switch, which is why we have a custom tool available to help you do so should you have a similar malady. You can see and purchase that tool below by clicking on the photo.
All classic car owners need to regularly check their hydraulic fluid. This is a very important diagnostic action. The first clue that my switch was leaking was the low fluid level in the master cylinder. It was low enough that I soon would have lost my brakes…so please check your hydraulic fluid reservoir frequently.
In fact, people often over-check their engine oil and insufficiently check their hydraulic fluid. Engine oil burns and leaks, but unless you’re down multiple quarts, the car will still run just fine. Brake fluid, however, dramatically impacts stopping and also eats up your paint. So make sure you check your fluid regularly. If your clutch side is low, your slave cylinder is likely leaking, and if your brake side is low, then chances are good your rear wheel cylinders are leaking and simply checking the level is your first diagnostic steps to help you keep your car in tiptop shape. Brake fluid doesn’t evaporate, so if the level drops, you have a leak that needs to be addressed immediately.
Before I leave this subject, silicone DOT 5 fluid is a nice solution if you are concerned about paint loss from leaks. The challenge is that you can’t mix it with DOT 3 or 4, so the entire system has to be completely flushed to make that changeover. You have to get rid of every last bit of DOT 3/4 residue or you will get contamination. A DOT 5 switch is really only practical if you are re-doing all your lines and cylinders.
If you find a leak in your hydraulic system, you will need some new hydraulic parts to fix the issue. We have a complete line of brake and clutch hydraulic parts in our catalog! Click the photos below for some examples of parts we have available, or view our full line of brake hydraulic parts here!
