Brake line replacement '97 Legacy EJ22

[igammie]

I just spent an hour clearing rust from the two rear brake bleed screws....

I have 241K miles and live in northern Wisconsin where we have a LOT of salt.

I am thinking of starting to replace and dodgy brake lines?  Does anyone know which diameter line I need?

Considering rust proof powder coated or galvanized lines.  Anyone have any idea which of these will last longer or work better?  I could do stainless but that is a factor more expensive.

As always, thanks for your input.

Should anyone know how much brake line I'll need or think I should use copper instead please correct me

[igammie]

I think I found part of my answer, clearly I should avoid copper and hydrolic line;-)

(I do not know how to quote from one thread to this...)

 

"porcupine73

 

Posted 22 January 2008 - 04:12 PM

                    
                

                
                

                    Interesting article on brake lines and corrosion at http://www.copper.or...brake_tube.html

What do you guys think of the products at www.fedhillusa.com

Their three questions are...and my answer in green.

1. What size and how long is your brake line. 3/16"/4.75mm od

2. What kind of flares are on each end of line. 45 deg. SAE double flare

3. What kind of brake line nut is on each end. 10mmx1.0 SAE nut

So based on that info I need a double flare tool kit
and supplies:
The tube nuts will all be either
10mm x 1.0 male fully threaded steel nut, 16mm overall. SAE (double) flare. standard Asian style nut.

or the longer:
10mm x 1.0 male fully threaded steel nut, 21mm overall. SAE (double) flare. standard Asian, long style nut.

and then where I tap into the existing lines under the seat will be:
10mm
x 1.0, SAE (double) flare, Asian, metric, female steel union, 26mm
overall. Use with 10mmx1.0 male SAE nut and 3/16"/4.7mm SAE (double)
flared brake line.
                    
                   

[i am storing this comment here]

 

Not too sure about other line options?

[idosubaru]

good job researching and getting your info.

 

this is how i did it, but i've only done it once.  cut out and remove as much of the old brake line as you can in one piece so you can mimic all the bends/fitment.  once you get it close, snake it through where it goes and tweak the bends as needed once it's in place.

 

some auto parts stores like autozone was the last one i used for brake line/flaring tools - rent the tools for bending and flaring.

 

are aftermarket brake lines lesser material than the original? the original line lasted over 15 years and almost a quarter million miles.

 

i've always wanted to look into flexible stainless steel the whole way just to avoid all the bending and making fittings and try to get one piece from under the seat all the way to the caliper to avoid additional fittings, but i don't know the feasibility of that.

[Fairtax4me]

You'll want to avoid copper for high pressure hydraulic lines.

 

The coated type seems to work best, but you have to be careful not to damage the coating.

 

 

Any flexible line is going to expand under pressure. Which will cause a softer pedal feel and decreased pedal sensitivity. You will also end up with uneven pressure from front to rear because of the length of the hoses.

They also take up a lot more space. Much better off to plumb hard lines and use the shortest flexible hose possible only to allow flex at the wheel.

[igammie]

Does anyone have an idea about galvanized vs powder coated, vs Stainless.

Is stainless worth the money?

Obviously stainless  would mean the job only needs doing one; but as always with age of car and miles it might just not be an issue?

[matt167]

I have always used the polymer coated lines, which can be gotten from any parts store since it came available. It's green in color

Edited September 22, 2013 by matt167

[luko]

Use Ni-Cad brake lines. It only comes in 25ft rolls and is a little more than conventional brake line bust it doesn't rust or corrode and bends easily by hand and flares easy too. The best stuff ever!!! it is a combination of copper and nickel 

[matt167]

Nicad is Nickle Cadium. Copper is not DOT approved so any brake line should never have copper in it but I doubt it does... I searched but can not find any reference to nicad brake lines

[WoodsWagon]

Cupro-nickle alloy brake tubing is indeed the best thing ever. It's DOT-legal, some European cars have been using it since the 80's. Ever seen a Volvo with a rusted brake line? It's easy to bend, easy to flare, and never rusts. http://ribetautoparts.com/cupro-nickel-brake-line-coil---3-16---25---lifetime-guaranteed.aspx

 

Straight copper plumbing tubing is not legal. What you use for propane and water will not hold up under the pressures that brake hydraulic systems see. It also fatigues from vibration and will crack. Same thing with people using plumbing compression unions to splice brake line. Flare unions are what are needed for the pressures involved.

 

The problem with coated brake lines (poly or galvi) is that the coating breaks when you bend the line. So it's failed from the get go on installation and rusts out quickly. Stainless is a pain to work with, hard to flare, and hard to get to seal at the flare fittings.

[matt167]

Interesting, looks pretty cool. Appears that Jegs is selling a brand in straight sticks. I personally do not deal with rolled brake line. http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS-Performance-Products/JEGS-NiCopp-Nickel-Copper-Brake-Lines/2111534/10002/-1

 

I have poly lines that I put on my truck 3 years ago, ran over calcium cloride covered roads after the floods 2 years ago  and thru the salt each winter and the frame is starting to get bad, but the lines look brand new, just dusty.

[Fairtax4me]

$1 a foot isn't bad. I figured that stuff would cost more, but I suppose you do save a bit buying in bulk.

[igammie]

Poly-armour brake lines it is

Thank you all!

You (rock) \m/