[Front Brake fluid help?????????] - ATV Riders Forums - Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Polaris, CanAm, Arctic Cat, Kymco ATVs

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Front Brake fluid help?????????
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Posted by: OutlawEX

Ok i got new front pads on my brakes and i used some brake fluid here that is dot 4 i think and the manual says use dot 3 i beleive. But i used the the dot 4 do u think thats why my front breaks dont lock up and stop me the way they are suppost to? Or doesnt it matter really what fluid u use

Posted by: RiPPiNiTuP7

http://www.exriders.com/vbb/showthr...highlight=fluid

Posted by: 400exBro

i use 4 and haven't had a problem...

they also recomend to use 4, for some reason 3 and 4 are so close that it doesn't make a difference...

Posted by: muff

uhh you gotta bleed your brakes

Posted by: OutlawEX

quote:
Originally posted by muff
uhh you gotta bleed your brakes

uhhh duh. I did bleed them alot

Posted by: muff

quote:
Originally posted by OutlawEX
uhhh duh. I did bleed them alot

oh ok, you didnt say that

so do you have both dot 3 and 4 in the lines?

when i put stainless front lines on i put in dot 4 and its workin awesome, but it may make a difference when their mixed

Posted by: cheetah

I'm running 4 right now with no problems either. That's what Honda recommends.

Posted by: nacsracer27

i am also having front break problems..i crashed pretty bad about 2 months ago....my quads front breaks havent been right since then...they feel spongy....they wont lock up on pavement any more....i bleeded them...took the top off and tapped my lines..trying to get all the air possible out..it didnt make it any better...i am also runniong DOT4 with OEM front lines...

Posted by: AndrewRRR

The DOT rating shouldn't affect your brakes for the most part. The higher the DOT rating the hotter your brake fluid can get before it will boil (and cause significant fade) but in an ATV you won't reach those temps (if you were driving a 3000lb car on a road racing course for 2 hours at a time it might become a factor). Dont' get DOT 5 because it's hydroscopic (absorbs water). Race teams can use it because they flush the system after every race. DOT 3 or 4 should be fine.
Make sure you bleed your brakes properly, start with the furthest from the master cylinder, etc). Also, if the fluid level in the resivoir drops below the pickup and into the lines when you are bleeding... cuss a lot and start over, you just sucked a bunch of air into the lines. It takes 2 people to bleed the brakes unless you have a mini-vac. If you have them bled properly, good brake pads, etc. and your brakes still suck you probably have a bad master cylinder. I think they make rebuild kits (I need to rebuild the rear one on my R).

Posted by: OutlawEX

Thanks for info. Ill try bleading it more and see what happens. Whats Nacsracer said is the same problem i have

Posted by: mcmike

Your brake lines could be expanding, not allowing enough pressure to press your brake pads together. The fronts split the pressure so it would be more noticeable, to wear than the rear.