I'm at work, dont have access to my manual and will be stopping by at the dealer soon to get some lug nuts...want to know what type of fluid our 04 newbody requires. I remember last night when I was replacing pads, it was bluish in color???? It can't be DOT3???? If so, can DOT3 and DOT4 be interchanged/mixed???

 

go with dot 3. i think dot 4 is for more heavy duty applications. dont want to mess up brake fluids. i pretty sure they have dofferent boiling points etc...

 

my ? is does 04 newbody use DOT3 or some other????

 

99.9% of vehicles use dot 3. why would ford do any different? 2003 uses 3

 

Just did a brake flush on my 04 last week. The new bodies use DOT 3 as well. I tested the fluid prior to replacing it, showed as being 85% effective at 60K miles. I was flushing/replacing all the other fluids though, so I figured what the hell.

 

Dot 4 can stand more heat. The big drawback to dot 4 though is that it draws moisture much worse than dot 3. Use dot 3 if that's what it calls for.

 

I didnt notice this before but I had my pads replace this weekend and was checking my fluid and it was bluish color. Now I know it requires DOT3 fluid (amber color) but I was puzzled by the fact that my brake fluid is bluish tint. I'm wondering if a dealer put a dye in it during my last visit (1.5 yrs ago) because of brake noise???? Does anyone know if I have any issue with this odd color???? I dont have any brake problems....I'm lost....

 

go with the DOT 3.. I know that my BMW and my MB take DOT 4, so I upgraded both of those to DOT 5.1

 

DOT 3 & 4 are the commonly used specifications for automotive brake fluid; DOT 3 is generally required for disc brakes. DOT 3 was previously identified as SAE 7OR2 and more recently as SAE J1703. DOT 4 is also identified as SAE J1704. DOT 5 brake fluid is generally a silicone product and is not recommended unless the system is specifically designed for it. DOT 3 & 4 fluids are identified by their clear to amber color: DOT 5 is colored purple.

DOT 3 & 4 are interchangable and can be mixed. DOT 5 cannot.

 

sounds like you really know ur brake fuilds

 

In the future, when you are stuck without a manual, or lose it, here's a link-

https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenan...ls/default.asp

 

On all my vehicles, whenever I have to open the system to replace a part, I flush it with DOT 4 because of the higher boiling point. It cost a little more, but I like the peace of mind.

 

I copied the first paragraph from a brake fluid MFR web site. I knew that 3 & 4 were similar and not to mix w/ 5, but the info I found better explained it.

 

im sure we are all glad you did its good to know for sure