bike ? RaY........no..

 

I don't know about your 900 XP but my 2015 570 FS requires DOT4 fluid.

 

It has to be DOT 4 brake fluid. Brand does not matter as much.
Since the calipers, master cylinder and lines have the Polaris brand already there, I would probably put the Polaris brand back in.
If you ever decide to flush the brake system, then use what ever brand you prefer as long as it is DOT 4.

 

Isnt the DOT 4 part in the owners manual ?

 

^^^ That is correct. The 2013 Ranger 900 owners manual specifies DOT 4 with a fluid change interval of 2 years.

 

oops I need to change mine 5 years lol T&S

^^^ That is correct. The 2013 Ranger 900 owners manual specifies DOT 4 with a fluid change interval of 2 years.

 

I follow a 2 year brake fluid change interval on all my vehicles. It's easy enough to do. I'll have to find some DOT 4.

FYI, it sounds like DOT 4 has a lower life span than DOT 3. Below is a comparison between DOT 3 and DOT 4 from the AMSOil web site.

 

If the brake fluid absorbs any water then your brake lines will rust from the inside out. That's the long term problem. Short term, your brakes won't work as well as they should.

 

That's why I use Castrol GT LMA fluid in all my machines (BMW, 4Runner, motorcycles, Tony Kart). It doesn't absorb moisture. In 20+ years of use, I have never had a failed brake component and have seen zero internal component corrosion.

If you are going to do the service on your vehicle, put a superior fluid in it to ensure you don't succumb to corrosion issues. Calipers are expensive and so are master cylinders. Castrol comes out of the bottle clear as water. After a few years here in AZ, it gets a little amber colored. That is my sign to swap the fluid out. I usually do a flush and fill every five years or so and have had great results. My first flush on the Ranger will be with Castrol LMA.

 

Dot 4 is also down compatible with DOT3. You can mix the two in a Dot 3 system with no issue. However if a system calls for 4 put 4 in it.
DO NOT put 3 in a 4 system under any circumstances even if you have all new components....
In the oil and chemical business.


Du

 

Its a good idea to do it, as HR said it absorbs water and then becomes acidic over time and will corrode/dissolve the components. If it looks like syrupy coca-cola it should be changed. If you don't want to do the whole line flush, at a minimum you could just change what's in the res, use a turkey baster to suck out the old fluid, top off with new. At least that would get the ph corrected. From there its pretty easy to crack the bleeder on each wheel (use a bleeder bottle) and bleed out the rest of the old fluid, while replenishing the res. I need to do my truck. :neglected: Ranger still looks good to me. --reo

 

In addition to rust and corrosion problems, since brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs water/moisture through the air), once the saturation point gets high enough the boiling point of the fluid is lowered and the fluid boils at lower temperatures. What this means to you is that when the brakes are used hard and the fluid heats up the fluid boils making gas pockets (bubbles). Fluid is non compressible (practically) but gases are compressible, the pressure at the brake pad/shoe is lowered regardless of how hard you push on the brake.....brake fade. More brake pedal pressure simply compresses the gases formed by boiling the fluid and that pressure isn't passed on to the brake pad/shoe.

If you are a conservative braker you may never experience the problem regardless of how long between fluid change; corrosion will be your main issue. However, if you live in hilly or mountainous country and use the brakes often and hard to slow your descent you may be affected. As these things usually go, for me anyway, the brake fade will occur at the worst possible time.