"David Lesher" wrote in message
...
"Dave Stadt" writes:

Wow; I'm surprised.... I'd think oil would absorb air far too easily.
That's SURE to cause spongy brakes...

I've never seen or heard of oil absorbing air.

Well, overfill a crankcase and watch the oil get whipped into a
froth, and rapidly lose its lubrication qualities...

That's not exactly what could happen in a brake circuit. We are talking
brake circuits not crankcase. Leave oil exposed to the atmosphere and it
does not absorb air.

Automotive brake fluid was, ISTM, the very first federal
automotive safety standard. It must have:

Traditional automotive brake fluid is alcohol based and is hydroscopic. A
can will become useless in a matter of hours if not tightly capped. It is
not oil based.

High boiling point
low air absorbation
compatability with rubber lines and seals

There were a few cars, but VERY few, that needed non-standard brake
fluid. One was a friend's Hillman Minx (Mynx?) that Goodyear or
Firestone or such had put DOT-3 in; every seal was gone. The other
was the Citroen DS with master hydraulic pump that ran brakes,
steering, suspension and transmission. It used exotic "green blood"
and every owner carried a spare 10 litres or so...just in case...

Anybody that drove or drives a Citroen needs more than 10 litres of green
blood. A Priest, a tow truck and a credit card with no limit is a good
place to start.

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