[gzank6]

I ended up putting Dot 4 fluid in my slx brakes. I'll skip the long story but I was doing a quick burp on my rear brake before leaving for a ride and didn't realize the only bottle of fluid I had on hand was an old Dot 4 and not mineral oil. I've read the other threads about it ruining your seals. Is it at all possible to flush the brakes and be ok? Also seem to be unable to find any rebuild kits for slx brakes.
Any help is appreciated and go ahead, blast my stupid mistake.

 

[scottzg]

I ended up putting Dot 4 fluid in my slx brakes. I'll skip the long story but I was doing a quick burp on my rear brake before leaving for a ride and didn't realize the only bottle of fluid I had on hand was an old Dot 4 and not mineral oil. I've read the other threads about it ruining your seals. Is it at all possible to flush the brakes and be ok? Also seem to be unable to find any rebuild kits for slx brakes.
Any help is appreciated and go ahead, blast my stupid mistake.

Personally, i would drain the fluid from the brakes, run some water through just the lever (disconnect the hose), and do a great job purging it. DOT fluid makes seals swell that aren't intended for DOT. It doesn't happen instantly, so you should be fine in the long run. Just get it out of there.

In the future, mineral oil from a drug store works alright for a lever bleed in a pinch.

 

[gzank6]

yeah i'm guessing the dot 4 never made it to the caliber since it was just a burb and i put some in a reservoir to top off the lever. In my defense, i didn't knowingly use the Dot 4. I grabbed the one bottle of fluid i had on hand thinking it was mineral oil. I noticed later when i was putting stuff away. ugh!
thanks for the reply.

 

[PuddleDuck]

Life happens, don't be hard on yourself.

I'd do what scottzg said, and I'd start via draining from the master cylinder, so that the DOT fluid has even less chance of getting thru the system. I'd then flush from the caliper to the master cylinder.

 

[Mudguard]

Sometimes you have to use whatever you have on hand. I was on a ride where chainlube had to be used. It was a big DH ride and the only other option was a very long walk.
Corotown near Queenstown for reference.

 

[PuddleDuck]

Sometimes you have to use whatever you have on hand. I was on a ride where chainlube had to be used. It was a big DH ride and the only other option was a very long walk.
Corotown near Queenstown for reference.

Queenstown, now THAT is a great place to ride. Also a great place to hang out. I love NZ :yesnod: :cornut:

 

[gzank6]

I did just that, flushed it from caliber to lever. crazy how dirty my fluid was. Guess i was in need of a good bleed anyway. thanks again for the help.

 

[Forest Rider]

Caliper, not caliber -just so you know.

 

[127.0.0.1]

I would not trust the entire brake assembly if you mistakenly put dot fluid in a mineral oil brake. totally incompatible. sudden brake failure or lockup risk. it cannot just be flushed out and be back to 100%. but that's me being careful and reducing risk. you do whacha want ...but maybe update your dental insurance

 

[Harold]

also, Shimano brakes cannot be rebuilt. only replaced. Shimano didn't make them rebuildable. there are a few bits here and there that can be repaired/replaced, but not really any of the internal bits.

 

[LyNx]

OP, I think if you only did a lever bleed and then flushed the system from caliper to lever, you should be good, but I think just disconnecting the lever from the hose and flushing the entire lever with water to neutralise the DOT fluid is a very good idea. Remove the top cap and reservoir bladder and clean all that good with water, then wipe dry/apply some heat to help dry and reassemble.

They can, it's just cheaper to just do complete new levers and calipers than pay mechanics to service them, sad state of this throw away, make the most money, fvck the environment society. I say this as someone who only owns and rides Shimano brakes and drivetrains and I have rebuilt Shimano brakes using parts from broken levers, lot of parts can be easily swapped out, all that cause issues at least.

also, Shimano brakes cannot be rebuilt. only replaced. Shimano didn't make them rebuildable. there are a few bits here and there that can be repaired/replaced, but not really any of the internal bits.