New PowerStop Z36 Rotors and Pads

[CarbonSteel]

Did some maintenance recently. Removed the RCV front axle shafts and went back to stock. At the same time, I installed new bearing hubs, rotor shields, replaced all bolts, boots, and nuts and installed PowerStop rotors and pads. I can already tell the difference in braking power with just the fronts installed. Rears are next.

 

[Deleted member 89374]

If you decide to flush the brake lines, I recommend this:

Probably the best brake fluid for street use.

Also, your braking power comes from the pads. Keep an eye on the PowerStop pads, because the slots in the rotors will wear them out faster than regular rotors.

When the time comes to replace them, if you want to upgrade to something even better, I recommend Akebono Performance Series. I put those with the stock rotors on a RAM 1500 and it made a huge difference in braking power. I also flushed the braking system with Motul DOT 5.1 fluid.

Looks good!

 

[CarbonSteel]

If you decide to flush the brake lines, I recommend this:

View attachment 100639

Probably the best brake fluid for street use.

Also, your braking power comes from the pads. Keep an eye on the PowerStop pads, because the slots in the rotors will wear them out faster than regular rotors.

When the time comes to replace them, if you want to upgrade to something even better, I recommend Akebono Performance Series. I put those with the stock rotors on a RAM 1500 and it made a huge difference in braking power. I also flushed the braking system with Motul DOT 5.1 fluid.

Looks good!

It came with DOT3; I thought there was a compatibility issue with DOT 3/4 and DOT 5.x?

 

[tyman]

It came with DOT3; I thought there was a compatibility issue with DOT 3/4 and DOT 5.x?

no. those are the ones that are compatible. dot 5 is the non-compatible one. dot 5.1 is g2g

 

[Deleted member 89374]

It came with DOT3; I thought there was a compatibility issue with DOT 3/4 and DOT 5.x?

Don't use DOT 5 in your vehicle. It's made from silicon, I believe. Sorry, I didn't invent the naming scheme, it's stupid, I know.

DOT 5.1 is backward compatible with DOT 3 and 4.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Don't use DOT 5 in your vehicle. It's made from silicon, I believe. Sorry, I didn't invent the naming scheme, it's stupid, I know.

DOT 5.1 is backward compatible with DOT 3 and 4.

Yep; I checked; 5.1 is good to go. Does the Motul have a different color or just standard "brake fluid" clear?

 

[Deleted member 89374]

Yep; I checked; 5.1 is good to go. Does the Motul have a different color or just standard "brake fluid" clear?

It's almost clear. It's made from esters IIRC. What got me was the low viscosoty when bellow zero and high heat resistance.

 

[CarbonSteel]

It's almost clear. It's made from esters IIRC. What got me was the low viscosoty when bellow zero and high heat resistance.

Just ordered 4 bottles and a bleeding kit to do it myself. Every shop around here said it was incompatible with DOT3/4, which is what I initially thought, but 2 seconds on Google as well as feedback from you guys clarified it. The shops around here want to use DOT4 which is better than the DOT 3 I currently have, but if I am going to flush it, I may as well go to the highest boiling that I can.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[bdcardinal]

Looks good!! Any reason for changing the axles back to stock?

 

[Deleted member 89374]

Just ordered 4 bottles and a bleeding kit to do it myself.

Awesome! Glad I could help. This is the bleeding tool I used: https://www.amazon.com/Allstar-Performance-ALL11017-Bleeder-Bottle/dp/B00F9XHVKA.

I don't know how much good the check valve does because my wife helped me by pumping the brake pedal and keeping it depressed while I tightened the bleeder screw back. It worked very well for what it is, and the 5-year-old DOT 3 fluid that came out was nasty and black.

 

[CarbonSteel]

I bought the one below, but I intend to do exactly what you did, have my son pump the pedal while I loosen/tighten each bleeder. My DOT3 is only 3 years old, but I expect it will be similar. It spent most of its life in super high humidity in Houston.

I completed the back brakes last night including new emergency brake pads and the ebrake was where the most time was spent. I had to re-use the springs which I did not want to do, but like everything else, they were on national back order. Only the small spring over the "star" wheel was lightly rusty so I just wire-brushed them and added a bit of ceramic brake grease to slow further rusting (though here in CO the humidity it typically very low.

Now to remove all of the skid plates so that I can tackle the transmission filter/fluid and transfer case fluid--glad this isn't a monthly task LOL.

 

[The Critic]

It's almost clear. It's made from esters IIRC. What got me was the low viscosoty when bellow zero and high heat resistance.

Lots of good info in this thread:

Brake Fluid Military Testing - DOT 3 v DOT 4 vs DOT 5.1

I have been researching brake fluid for a bit now to determine if a switch from DOT 3 to DOT 5.1 makes any sense for our vehicles. The one I'm most concerned about is our 2018 LEAF EV which calls for yearly fluid flushes, and has a very expensive integrated electronic braking system. We also see...

bobistheoilguy.com

In summary, stick with a quality DOT3 like the ACDelco product in that thread.

 

[Deleted member 89374]

In summary, stick with a quality DOT3 like the ACDelco product in that thread.

For me Motul DOT 5.1 worked well. I also have two quarts of Castrol DOT 4 and when I did the brake fluid on the RAM 1500 I almost went out and got Valvoline from AAP. Brake fluid is not difficult to flush and change.

[Edit]
Motul spec sheet: https://azupim01.motul.com/media/motulData/DO/base/DOT_5.1_en_FR_motul_27400_20220113.pdf

 

[CarbonSteel]

@Rod Knock - ran out of time after the transmission filter and fluid change and transfer case fluid change, but I did manage to change the fluid in the master cylinder before quitting for the day.

It was a burnt orange color and has a slight film on it in the container. I will complete the brake fluid flush today and report back.

 

[Deleted member 89374]

It was a burnt orange color and has a slight film on it in the container. I will complete the brake fluid flush today and report back.

You're, it looks orange when it's in a transparent container. When poiring it, it looks different though. Good luck with the brake job!

 

[CarbonSteel]

You're, it looks orange when it's in a transparent container. When poiring it, it looks different though. Good luck with the brake job!

Sorry, I was not clear--I meant the old fluid. The new 5.1 is crystal clear.

 

[CarbonSteel]

@Rod Knock - all done. I am about to take it out for a test drive to see how it does. It took 3 500ml bottles leaving me with 1 full and unopened bottle for future. A few pics of the fluid:

First dump:

Intermediate Dump:

Final Dump:

Thanks again for the tip on the Motul!

 

[Deleted member 89374]

@Rod Knock - all done. I am about to take it out for a test drive to see how it does. It took 3 500ml bottles leaving me with 1 full and unopened bottle for future. A few pics of the fluid:

First dump:

View attachment 100993

Intermediate Dump:

View attachment 100994

Final Dump:

View attachment 100995

Thanks again for the tip on the Motul!

That looks nice and clean. The Motul looks clear when you pour it and yellow in a container. That's what I was trying to say earlier. Sorry, it's been a busy few days over here.

I hope it will serve you well

 

[The Critic]

For me Motul DOT 5.1 worked well. I also have two quarts of Castrol DOT 4 and when I did the brake fluid on the RAM 1500 I almost went out and got Valvoline from AAP. Brake fluid is not difficult to flush and change.

[Edit]
Motul spec sheet: https://azupim01.motul.com/media/motulData/DO/base/DOT_5.1_en_FR_motul_27400_20220113.pdf

Any brake fluid will work under most climate conditions as long as the fluid was replaced correctly, but there are some fluids with a superior low-temp viscosity that is beneficial under certain conditions. The MIL study in the other thread outlined some differences that was news to me.