it appears not to affect performance
but i would prefer not to change em only to find out differently
brand new shoes
i see no reason to throw them away unless they are in fact trash now

Yes, you can. Running them without cleaning them will glaze the drums, and lead to squeaky brakes. The boiling temperture of DOT 3 fluid is about 230 degrees F, Dot 4 is about 265, so it would take a lot of heat to get the fluid out of them. However, both types are water soluble. So wash them down with water, then gently heat them with a torch. The heat will draw the brake fluid to the surface so it can be washed away. Do this 4-5 times, you should be ok. Then lightly sand them. If you are using DOT 5 fluid, replace the shoes. It has a very high boiling point, and is silicone based, so is not water soluble.

Just in case anyone disputes this info, it came from Motor magazine, an industry publication, in an article titled "silver bullets", a compilation of tips sent in by professional who use these methods.

GENTLY heat em with a torch ???
<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cyclops.gif" alt="" />

so much for gettin it dun today

sumthin musta come loose in one o my brakes
cuz it makes a clank every time i take off and shift in lower gears
and it dun appear to be the driveshaft/pinion torques
duzn't do it in reverse

hose em with brake cleaner if it's not too much in there.

i thought dot 3 boils at something like 450*? 230 isn't much higher than water, which is the big reason you never want water in your brakes -- it'll boil and they won't work.

A bit of brake fluid triva

Lets look at what the DOT ratings mean. The table below shows the MINIMUM wet and dry boiling points for DOT 2, 3, 4, and 5 brake fluid in degrees fahrenheit.

DOT 2-Dry Boiling point 374

DOT 3-Dry Boiling point 401 Wet boiling point 284

DOT 4-Dry Boiling point 446 Wet boiling point 311

DOT 5-Dry Boiling point 500 Wet boiling point 356

The DOT 2 spec is for drum brakes and is obsolete. If you have any DOT 2 in your garage, throw it away! DOT 5 is for silicone brake fluid. Silicone brake fluid (DOT 5) should be avoided because it is not compatible with regular brake fluid, it is hard to pour without introducing bubbles and thus results in soft pedal feel, and moisture still gets into your system and will pool in low areas like your calipers and encourage rapid corrosion. STAY AWAY!

That leaves DOT 3 and DOT 4 fluids. These fluids are compatible with each other and may be interchanged or mixed with no ill effects.

Good stuff. I knew that first posted info was abit off.

Anyways, just get some new shoes. Cheap, will last forever, easy to install and there's no dicking around with torches.

hosed em good with brakeleen
no way of telling if they still got brake fluid in em tho
linings are black
looks like they're made of
uhm,
asphalt ???
<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rodent.gif" alt="" />

hope there are no deadly fumes involved in torchin em
inhaling that brakeleen is bad enuf

Is this really all worth not having to pay $15 for a new set of shoes? Torching your brake pads? It's not to me.

no kidding. I don't understand how some people will spend lots of time doing some insane fix that will cost more in time, when you conld just go buy a new part for much cheaper....REMEMBER: time=money

and I'm much too lazy to do something stupid like that.

i recycle my toxic chemicals too

glad u are so rich

b4 autozone there wuz a store down the street...
but the sane days are gone forever
traffic, rush hour, wait in line behind dorkasaurus trying to find bling for his scooter

i'm gonna try it just to see wut happens
unless i'm outta propane

i wanna see brake fluid bleed
or ooze
or wutever it duz