Which Brake Fluid?

[Eddie.]

As above really, I want to do a full fluid change, as the existing stuff is minging.

What grade do I need? Dot 3, 4, or 5.1?

I'm presuming 2 litres should cover it?

Car is a 1977 316.

Cheers.

[polov8]

Manual says SAE J1703, but that standard is met by DOT 4 so easy enough to get cheaply.

[nas80]

dot 4 will do it I think I used 1.5 litres last time.

usually this will be when you will find the rubber seals in your masters will die. like they did on both my spare master cylinders.

I think you actually have two on your car as well.

[Eddie.]

Oh really? Okay, anything to look out for then?

[nas80]

Im only going on my experience with e21's - where I had a perfectly functioning master then after pumping new fluid though I had a master with knackered seals all of a sudden.

mate of mine said its because I "over stroked" them - meaning I put the seals way past where they usually are and it rubs the seal so its not effective. when I took the master apart you could tell that they were imminently going to knacker anyway.

e21 masters are stupid expensive relatively.

[Jeroen]

That's a known issue. By pumping the master all the way to the end you'll find some rust build up as the piston usually doesn't reach that far. That means it's up for a rebuild anyway but I'd rather choose myself when to do that haha. That's why I always use a pressure bleeder like eezibleed. Updated the brake FAQ section with this info btw.

[problemchild75]

got an ezzibleed here if you need it also got a tacho you can have.