ASK THE MXPERTS: (02/26/10)
Dear MXA,
I don’t know whether the bike I just bought has DOT 3, DOT 4 or DOT 5 brake fluid in it. I don’t want to add the wrong kind of fluid. Are they different colors?
Yes. Since you can’t just look at the label on the bottle, you can tell by two methods:
(1) DOT 3 and 4 are yellow/amber and DOT 5 is purple. DOT 3 and DOT 4 are compatible.
(2) According to Bel-Ray there is another easy way to tell DOT 3/4 from DOT 5. Water will mix with DOT 3/4, but will not mix with DOT 5. Put a few drops of the brake fluid in a small container and add a few drops of water to it. If the water does not mix with the brake fluid it is DOT 5.
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