a Question: What exactly *is* brake fluid made of? I know there are 'alcohols' etc. but i'd like a specific formulation. What i want to know, actually, is if a small quantitiy of brake fluid -say 2 ounces, would be detrimental to the engine if mixed in with the oil. Brake fluid is the only stuff i've found so far that allows florescene, a chemical used in UV leak detection, to dissolve in the brake fluid as a carrier, yet also is miscible in engine oil. I have used this in the past for leak detection and it works well but i'd like to know one way or the other if i'm doing something nasty to the oil. Companies eg Spectronics, make a line of UV tracers for engine oil, tranny fluid, antifreeze, and freon but there are expensive and not available locally. The Spectronics formulation looked and felt like brake fluid but that's a pretty encompassing generalization. and i don't *think* they'll tell me the carrier if i just give 'em a friendly call... maybe there MSDS sheets would be revealing. BTW, the florescene + brake fluid composition DID work well. Just mix an excess (keep adding 'til it doesn't dissolve anymore) of florescene with 2 ounces brake fluid and voila! a $8 vial of tracer for about $0.25. course your engine might sieze in 8 minutes.... -dan ps. my engine didn't sieze but i did change oil soon after.
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