Terrence

Larry . . . The Blue Magic Silicone fluid that i installed but have now flushed out in favor of Cartel, was DOT 5. You had me worried and wondering how i could have mistaken a 3 for a five so I just went down to the shop to look at the Blue Magic bottle. Here's a photo. That Dot 3 Blue Magic you linked to wasn't silicone.

Hi, While searching the forums about my 1951 brake pressure switch not being compatible with silicone brake fluid I came upon this forum and now a week or so later would like to add my experience with Silicone fluid . Here's a letter I wrote to Vincent Castillo of Cartel Products: I first used Cartel 34 years ago in 1987 when I restored my 1951 Chevrolet aluminum step van and decided to try Silicone. I had read the pamphlets on your product at Island Muffler in Victoria B.C. and decided to see if it was as good as the write up said. the pamphlet said it was perfect for classic vehicles that can sit out of service for extended periods. I finished restoring the truck and drove it around steadily for 15 years, then I retired it for twenty years out in the endless rain and some snow and just re-restored it in 2019. Believe it or not I have not touched the two front wheel brake cylinders since I honed them out in 1987! I'm using it daily again and the brakes are still functioning. while I was RE-restoring it I decided I should put a new kit in the master and in the the two rear wheel cylinders even though they weren't leaking and still worked. To my amazement all I had to do was a little clean-up with fine steel wool to remove the slight stains where the rubber cups stop. All the bores were perfect and needed no honing and a former service station owner was amazed as was I. I took close up photos of the bores. But now two years later my old hydraulic brake light switch has failed and i had have installed a different brand of silicone fluid. "Blue Magic" it is called . . . which I had a not-so-good feeling about from the start. On your web site I see yours is the only silicone fluid that advertises, "compatible with synthetic and natural brake rubbers" That old pressure switch of mine didn't fail using Cartel until 34 years later and I think it is because I changed the brand of Silicone fluid. I should have gone searching for Cartel. After two years years WITHOUT Cartel the switch has failed . So I've come to the conclusion that not all Silicone Brake fluids are created equaland that Cartel is compatible with the sealing material in the old fluid brake switches! My master cylinder is weeping as well even though the bore was perfect and I installed a new Raybestos master kit MK 33. I'm worried about my wheel cylinder rubbers as well. I want to purge my system and go back to CARTEL. ______________________________________________ So . . . Vince at Cartel sent me two 32 oz bottles of Cartel within 6 days and I converted the brake system back to Cartel. Three days later, no more weeping from the master and the pedal, the pedal is rock hard and no more "blue Magic" dripping out when I pull the master dust cover back. Interestingly, the "blue Magic" is a golden color but the Cartel is a nice purple/blue . . . which helped when pushing the old fluid out with the Cartel into my bleed bottle. Two distinct colors remaining as two layers in the bottle with the Cartel staying on bottom of the two. the Cartel also has 100 degrees higher boiling point and I suspect a heavier viscosity. It wouldn't surprise me if my the "swelling' in the pressure switch subsided and allowed that to work again as well. while I was waiting for the Cartel from Indiana I installed a lever type brake switch under the floorboards. Like someone here said, no pedal pressure at all is required to light up the brake lights which is good. Anyway that's my saga so if anyone is dealing with older style rubbers in brake kits . . . for myself after 37 years of Cartel in my 3.4 ton front wheel cylinders and never having touched those two cylinders . . . what more could a guy want. Vince was very happy to hear that history. By the way, Cartel is a Union Carbide company. Here's a photo of the two fluids but the Cartel on the bottom doesn't look blue in the photo. Other photo is my master without cleaning up the bore at all after 37 years and the kit that came out of it. Remember the truck sat out in the weather for 20 years as well. Terrence