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Anyone know how the rear brake lines are routed?


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friends 1996 Legacy wagon has a leaking brake line on the passegers rear.

 

How is it routed and where are the pieces/fittings between the seat and rear brakes? I can't tell where the lines go once they disappear into the crossmember.

 

Where's the "other side"?

 

Are there any valves or anything or just metal lines?

 

It appears online at opposedforces that there's one line which splits to two for the left right in the back somewhere.

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Lines go through the grommet under the rear seat and down to a junction block, then from the junction block they run up over the gas tank and out to each wheel. To replace them properly you need to drop the tank, which if the brake lines rusted out means a hellfest of broken bolts, fuel lines, the pipes breaking off the senders, and the nuts on the tank being too rusty to be able to get the senders out of the tanks. Don't bother to open that can of tin worms.

 

Bend up your own line, there's enough space to sneak it through between the tank and the body and over the crossmember, then round to the wheel. If you can't get the line apart at the junction block (it's mounting will bend while your strugling with it and crack the rusted line for the left rear too) then just put a flare union in under the back seat.

 

The rear brake lines are a flaming pain in the rump roast to do, expect to spend all day bending, fitting, flaring, swearing, securing the lines so they don't vibrate and chafe, bleeding (if you can get the bleeders to break loose), and probably bleeding yourself because of all the sharp rusty edges under there.

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okay found them, that was easy, i was looking on the wrong side.

 

i'm pretty sure i'm just buying brake hose custom made to the length i need so i can just install it easily. i'm not messing with bending my own metal lines, particularly considering those 180 degrees of awesomeness bends. i hate cutting and flaring, i did it once on an old ford or something and it sucked.

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  • 3 months later...
re route them under the back seat.

Cut line inside car>add junction> drill hole and add grommet on opposite side>run metal lines to rear rubber lines> be happy

 

Any pictures of how this can be done?

 

I have attached my picture and looking at this the picture shows the rear junction block right?

 

BreaklinesReplaced.jpg

 

RearendRustyFasteners.jpg

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If you can remove the old lines, or have a good look at them, you should be able to buy lengths of brake lines that are a close enough match to fit them to all the original fittings without splicing or compression fittings.

 

I agree but it looks like I will have the fitting destroyed by the time I get them out and I also might need to take out the fuel tank and I am really trying to avoid that since there is some rust issues.

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I just purchased a 98' Legacy 2.5 GT and the problem I am having is that there is a leak on the brake line right before the junction block. Now If I were to replace the hard line from the block to the rear brakes hoses. I would need to remove the gas tank and the rear differential this is according to the manual.

 

Another issues is that basically the bolts on the rear of this car have rusted because of exposure to road salt and I was trying to avoid removing these bolts and be opening more can of worms.

 

I hope there is somebody out there that had to do the same thing and was able to find a solution.

 

RearendRustyFasteners.jpg

 

BreaklinesReplaced.jpg

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  • 8 years later...
On 12/15/2010 at 6:18 PM, GuamSTI said:

I just purchased a 98' Legacy 2.5 GT and the problem I am having is that there is a leak on the brake line right before the junction block. Now If I were to replace the hard line from the block to the rear brakes hoses. I would need to remove the gas tank and the rear differential this is according to the manual.

Another issues is that basically the bolts on the rear of this car have rusted because of exposure to road salt and I was trying to avoid removing these bolts and be opening more can of worms.

I hope there is somebody out there that had to do the same thing and was able to find a solution.

the fix is pretty simple. Cut the lines under the rear seat, before they go thru the grommet.

replace with new line long enough to route to each wheel, but tucked up out of harms way. Use some rubber tubing to cushion them and simply zip-tie them to other things under there to secure them. Don't even bother with trying to drop the tank, or trying to reuse that junction block..

Had a line go on my 2002 Forester near that block. Shop made a valiant effort (without getting too crazy cost wise) to try to fix using the block, but the lines were in just too bad of condition. We opted to go up under the seat, splice in new line, and everything is hunky dory now.

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