Thread: Hydraulic oil as a replacment for clutch brake fluid.

Originally Posted by Johnno1969

A little bit of a digression here, but still on basically the same topic.... I remember once reading that if all the clutch or brake fluid was lost in the field, a mixture of vegetable oil and methylated spirits would work as a stop-gap. No idea if that's so. I do seem to remember using vegetable oil very briefly once in such a situation. Or am I imagining that.............?

Vegetable oil should not damage the seals, nor should methylated spirits - you can use it to clean brake parts. But for brake use, I don't think either has an adequate boiling point, and vegetable oils tend to oxidise and go sticky pretty quickly, so other than for very temporary use in a clutch system you would have a bit of a cleanup job.

John

Originally Posted by JDNSW

Vegetable oil should not damage the seals, nor should methylated spirits - you can use it to clean brake parts. But for brake use, I don't think either has an adequate boiling point, and vegetable oils tend to oxidise and go sticky pretty quickly, so other than for very temporary use in a clutch system you would have a bit of a cleanup job.

John

Mixing mineral and veg based oils results in the two forming a gum that will bind everything up.
Same thing as using Bean oil in a two stroke engine, if you change oil from one to the other, it requires a full stripdown and wash of the engine before you can change. You need to assemble again with the oil your going to use in it.
Man I love the smell of bean oil......

Cheers

Andrew

Originally Posted by rick130

[edit] did a quick google and it looks like the Pentosin CHF 11-S/Fuchs Titan ZH4300 B is the spec fluid for the Sprintshift, meets MB 345.0 spec. and appears to match your part #.

I'd contact Fuchs here and ask, might save the dealership and customers a few $.

[

Gives us an option! Might look further into it. Our main oil contract based on OEM requirements as a dealer is to stock and use Mobil for all MB vehicles or specified fluid i.e. Pentosin.
Castrol Tection is used as the alternative.

I've always been keen to try Fuchs, but while I get my Delvac synthetic at cost price, no real need to change!

Cheers

Andrew

Just remembered something relevant here...i bought a 2nd hand 2 tonne dump truck (those 4x4 centre articulated construction things). It was a Chinese import and the brake fluid used was some sort of oil base...not miscible with water at all! Don't know if it was mineral or synthetic...I'd guess it would have been a special synthetic, and presumably one that didn't expand with increased temperature.

I have an impression from a few other experiences that a lot of top end "specialty" synthetic oils are used in China.

Got any ideas on that Rick130?

Regards
Brid