just replaced the rear brake lines on my EK
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Joined: Jun 2011
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just replaced the rear brake lines on my EK
Just thought I'd share a few things I learned along the way that would make it easier on the next guy...
first off I did NOT buy oe lines and figure out how to route them without disassembling the car. I'm talkin parts store hard line sections.
Here's what I used: 4 40" lines, a 30" line, and a 72" line. hard tubing bender, 10mm wrench and sockets, brake bleeder, 2 big things of brake fluid, and 5 line unions
Here's what I did: First I carefully pulled down the plastic channel that covered the lines going back. Be careful as the lines are clipped in and there are three fuel lines as well as the brake lines.
Next I removed the brake lines from the proportioning valve and from the soft lines in back. Now is a great time to replace the soft lines as well. I tried to keep the lines as intact as possible thinking I'd use them to bend the new stuff but don't bother.
For the new lines, I used (from prop. valve back) on the driver's side 40", 30", 72" and for the passenger side 40", 40",40" I know that doesn't sound right but I think the passenger side is has fewer bends.
Start with thick gauge wire cut into the same lengths as the brake lines. Bend it into place starting with the proportioning valve, then bend tubing once you have it figured out. You can always fine tune the brake line on the fly later. I found that leaving the end I was trying to thread through the car straight until I could bend it from the other side was usually best.
The bend I put at the prop. valve goes towards the front of the car and I didn't try to thread it through the tiny twisted opening the OE lines went through. I passed them through the larger opening a few inches towards the passenger side then bent them over to the channel where its protected by the body of the car.
The rear drivers side run is very similar to OE except I didn't try to route above the fuel lines. The rear passenger side run passes just underneath the lip of the fuel tank, not as high as OE. Leave everything hangin until its all connected, then you can tuck it as high as possible and bracket it in place. I'm about to look for oe line brackets without the plastic tray thing. I think that trapped dirt and salt and did more to rust the lines than anything else. I'll update with part numbers if I don't have to fabricate something.
After you have everything together bleed the lines. I love my pneumatic brake bleeder kit btw.
This is NOT a crazy hard project. most of my time was spent removing the old lines and figuring out the lengths of the new lines. It took about 3 hours to run the new stuff and that's only because I don't have a lift so I was crawling on my shoulders.
total cost: $72
..now I have to figure out what to do with the fuel lines.. they're gonna go sooner than later too.
first off I did NOT buy oe lines and figure out how to route them without disassembling the car. I'm talkin parts store hard line sections.
Here's what I used: 4 40" lines, a 30" line, and a 72" line. hard tubing bender, 10mm wrench and sockets, brake bleeder, 2 big things of brake fluid, and 5 line unions
Here's what I did: First I carefully pulled down the plastic channel that covered the lines going back. Be careful as the lines are clipped in and there are three fuel lines as well as the brake lines.
Next I removed the brake lines from the proportioning valve and from the soft lines in back. Now is a great time to replace the soft lines as well. I tried to keep the lines as intact as possible thinking I'd use them to bend the new stuff but don't bother.
For the new lines, I used (from prop. valve back) on the driver's side 40", 30", 72" and for the passenger side 40", 40",40" I know that doesn't sound right but I think the passenger side is has fewer bends.
Start with thick gauge wire cut into the same lengths as the brake lines. Bend it into place starting with the proportioning valve, then bend tubing once you have it figured out. You can always fine tune the brake line on the fly later. I found that leaving the end I was trying to thread through the car straight until I could bend it from the other side was usually best.
The bend I put at the prop. valve goes towards the front of the car and I didn't try to thread it through the tiny twisted opening the OE lines went through. I passed them through the larger opening a few inches towards the passenger side then bent them over to the channel where its protected by the body of the car.
The rear drivers side run is very similar to OE except I didn't try to route above the fuel lines. The rear passenger side run passes just underneath the lip of the fuel tank, not as high as OE. Leave everything hangin until its all connected, then you can tuck it as high as possible and bracket it in place. I'm about to look for oe line brackets without the plastic tray thing. I think that trapped dirt and salt and did more to rust the lines than anything else. I'll update with part numbers if I don't have to fabricate something.
After you have everything together bleed the lines. I love my pneumatic brake bleeder kit btw.
This is NOT a crazy hard project. most of my time was spent removing the old lines and figuring out the lengths of the new lines. It took about 3 hours to run the new stuff and that's only because I don't have a lift so I was crawling on my shoulders.
total cost: $72
..now I have to figure out what to do with the fuel lines.. they're gonna go sooner than later too.
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