Installing brake lines

[Bailes1992]

Anyone got any experience in installing brake lines?
The master cylinder flipped it's seals in the KA and one of the unions was siezed in there. No amount of mole grips, heat, plus gas or WD40 would free it so I had to cut it off.

I'm going to get a new line made but worried about getting them in and bending them neatly.

Just after a bit of advice really.

Bailes.

[steve_earwig]

I have some advice, it's a bit late for it though: Someone had this on AS a while back on a Vauxhall (they're good at it apparently), someone else suggested to press the brake pedal down hard with something and leave it overnight. It worked too.

Brake lines, umm, I've not done anything modern but I can't think of anything to get wrong, use a brake pipe spanner if you're not as an ordinary open can round the unions off. New pipe will probably be copper/nickel, they bend quite easily.

[Bailes1992]

My biggest worry is kinking the pipe work.
I had a play with the pipes that came off the KA and it was near impossible but they are steel.

[jasper5]

Take the old pipe and follow the line/bend of the old pipe with the new one side by side....they will be copper or cunifer...copper is easiest to bend....you can bend it with your fingers or gently with pliers.
When you screw pipes into the master cylinder don't force anything just gently screw the nut in by using fingers.
When you bleed a master cylinder leave all the pipes on the cylinder undone and get someone to press the pedal...when you get fluid coming out tighten all pipes then bleed them at the master cylinder one by one by pressing the pedal and holding down then undoing the pipe, lock it and repeat until only fluid comes out....then you can bleed the rest of the system.

[Welly]

In the Plumbing industry you can get some Microbore bend 'formers' which'll do the bends without kinks. Screwfix have a set of 6mm to 10mm benders/formers starting at £15.00 but I don't know the bore size of brake pipes.

[Bailes1992]

In the Plumbing industry you can get some Microbore bend 'formers' which'll do the bends without kinks. Screwfix have a set of 6mm to 10mm benders/formers starting at £15.00 but I don't know the bore size of brake pipes.

You can get them for brake pipes but the pipe has to be bent in situ and you can't get the tool in.


Cheers for the advice Jasper. I'd have just started bleeding at the brakes.

[jasper5]

Cheers for the advice Jasper. I'd have just started bleeding at the brakes.

Good job you didn't...you would get air all through the system and struggle to get it out again....always bleed a master cylinder at the pipes that come out of it.....same with an ABS control unit.

[Bailes1992]

So do up all the pipes, pump the pedal then undo them gently one at a time and repeat until fluid starts to dribble out?
Seems common sense really now i think about it.



I may have picked up the old master cylinder and pushed the piston which resulted in a nice stream of brake fluid straight into my fecking eye.

Anyone got any recommendations on bleeding tools? Can you get them that suck the fluid through rather than pumping the pedal or am I imagining things?

[lozz]

Halfords... Gunson easi-bleed kit,

[jasper5]

So do up all the pipes, pump the pedal then undo them gently one at a time and repeat until fluid starts to dribble out?
Seems common sense really now i think about it.



I may have picked up the old master cylinder and pushed the piston which resulted in a nice stream of brake fluid straight into my fecking eye.

Anyone got any recommendations on bleeding tools? Can you get them that suck the fluid through rather than pumping the pedal or am I imagining things?

Fit all the pipes then leave them all loose then get someone to pump the brake pedal slowly until fluid pours out then tighten up the pipes and slacken each one in turn....get someone to press the pedal until fluid comes out then lock the pipe...do it for all of the pipes.
Once you have done this you can bleed the new one you fit at the bleed screw....you shouldn't need to bleed all of them.

[Rolebama]

Yes, you could vacuum them out. I have a vacuum fuel drainer, and by adding 'step-down' pipes, we tried it out on the last bleed we did, and it worked fine. This is the type I bought. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6L-Syphon-Han ... 5d4cb36d8b

[steve_earwig]

Eezybleed should be fine. I also have one of those Mityvac things but I've not used it in anger yet.

[dirtydirtydiesel]

I have both a Eezyblead & a Mityvac the Eezyblead will not work on all set ups
I find it best to use the mityvac to draw the clean fluid through, then I finish off with the old press the pedal lock off the nipple process
Just coz I'm old school & I like to feel the pedal getting firmer whist making sure that there's no air bubbles coming out .
I know I don't need to but just for piece of mind you know