brake hoses

kevmif · Post by **kevmif** » Sun Nov 16, 2008 3:48 pm

Where can I get a new brake hose from?

One of the front ones on my Brumby is badly cracked and well I kind of like the car to stop when I press the brake so I would like to replace the hose to ensure no nasty surprises one day!

Does anyone sell aftermarket ones?

Thanks!

kevmif · Post by **kevmif** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 9:12 am

Well I haven't got around to replacing these yet - but I think one of the hoses has developed a slight leak so no more driving the Brumby til I do replace them.

I called Mr Brakes and they wanted $55 a hose. Thats not right surely? Any other suggestions as to where I can look for replacements? Tempted to just go find some from the wreckers that are less cracked then mine. $55 a hose.... thats $220 (as there are two hoses per front caliper) for a few inches of brake hose. I think I would rather risk brake failure

Point · Post by **Point** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 11:40 am

are you sure there are two per side? you're not confusing the flange for the strut clip as another join are you? It's not the sort of part I'd be skimping on.

also it may be worth getting a price genuine...I have been pleasantly surprised before...

tex · Post by **tex** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 11:57 am

Ive was quoted 45 each for mine But they normally make them on the spot but im getting aus standard approved ones for my brumby for $75 a piece, But maybe if you tried aus hose or a hydraulic hose specialist they might do them!

kevmif · Post by **kevmif** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 5:30 pm

Luskys in Ballarat. $55 per side. They class it as one hose even though it has a fitting in the middle. Still looks like two hoses to me! Great blokes, very helpful and highly recommended.

Trying to think of the easiest way to do this. I guess jack up the front, fit both hoses lower the front and start bleeding the brakes in the specific order that it says in the book!

Anything I should take note of or be careful with considering that I am mechanically inept?

justincase41 · Post by **justincase41** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 5:50 pm

Its a pretty easy job swapping the brake hoses over. Are the banjo's on the new hoses identical to the old ones? You may find that when your try and feed the banjo through the strut clip bracket thingy on the strut, it may be to big. I had to cut the strut clip with a hacksaw so I could feed the banjo through. Brake shop advised that they could no longer get the original factory size. You may want to replace the rear brake hose as well. There is only one.
And good luck getting all the air out of the system when bleeding, It is a pain in the butt! I ended buying a vacuum bleed & test kit to do the job. I could not get a decent brake pedal. After bleeding with the vacuum kit, brake pedal was awesome! Whilst it is all apart, its the perfect time to flush all the lines to get rid of the old brake fluid out and replace with new stuff.

kevmif · Post by **kevmif** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 5:54 pm

justincase41 wrote:Its a pretty easy job swapping the brake hoses over. Are the banjo's on the new hoses identical to the old ones? You may find that when your try and feed the banjo through the strut clip bracket thingy on the strut, it may be to big. I had to cut the strut clip with a hacksaw so I could feed the banjo through. Brake shop advised that they could no longer get the original factory size. You may want to replace the rear brake hose as well. There is only one.
And good luck getting all the air out of the system when bleeding, It is a pain in the butt! I ended buying a vacuum bleed & test kit to do the job. I could not get a decent brake pedal. After bleeding with the vacuum kit, brake pedal was awesome!

Rear hoses? I have not had a rear wheel off in a while but I thought they were just metal pipes going directly into the cylinder?

If I can not get all the air out it will be straight to the mechanics to get them to vacuum bleed them for me.

Thanks for the advice!

kevmif · Post by **kevmif** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 5:51 pm

ok.... so maybe there are rear brake hoses.

They look good so not going to worry about them too much. The aftermarket fittings didn't fit the old clips properly so some modification was required there but all good.

Bled the brakes, haven't fully tested them yet but they don't quite seem 100% despite the bleeding being done in the correct order and going seemingly well. We'll see how it goes when I test it properly.

kevmif · Post by **kevmif** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:46 am

Well the peddle doesn't feel great but they do stop ok. Perhaps I should bleed them again? There are two bleeder valves on the filler part itself, do I need to do anything with those?

justincase41 · Post by **justincase41** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:19 pm

You need to bleed the air out of the master cylinder as well as the rest of the system. The theory is air gets stuck in the master cylinder asnd in the bends in the brake pipes, and is difficult to get it out. Thats why I went the vacuum bleeder.

kevmif · Post by **kevmif** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 6:23 pm

ah..... the book doesn't mention anything about that at all.

What is the process for getting the air out of the master cylinder? How does a vacuum bleeder work exactly and are they expensive?

justincase41 · Post by **justincase41** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:13 pm

I bought mine from the US about 4 weeks ago. Mine also allows me to test vacuum or pressure related systems.
You can also make one, here is a link
http://www.bmw-m.net/TechProc/bleeder.htm

Firstly make sure your rear brakes have been adjusted correctly.

The best way to bleed the master cylinder is bench bleeding. Bleeding the master cylinder in the vehicle sometimes doesn't remove all the air in the master cylinder system so you still get a low spongy pedal. Remove master cylinder from vehicle and place the master cylinder level in a vice and secure it properly. If the cylinder isn't level, not all the air will be able to be removed from the master cylinder. Remove the master cylinder top and fill with fresh brake fluid to the appropriate level as indicated in the master cylinder-- generally about 1/2 to 1 inch from the top of the reservoir.

Be sure the reservoir is filled before you begin bleeding. You'll be using your wooden or plastic rod to push the cylinder in (the same way your brake pedal pushes it in while driving).

If you're using a bleeding kit, you're ready to start pumping. The trick is that you have to pinch the tubes closed every time you let the cylinder come back out. So, you'll push in, pinch the lines, let it out, let go of the lines, push in, pinch the lines ... and so on. You'll see lots of air bubbles coming out of the tubes with the brake fluid, and you'll see bubbles in the reservoir floating to the top.

Be sure to keep the brake fluid topped off in the reservoir. If it runs dry during pumping, you'll have to start over.

If you aren't using a bleeding kit the process is the same, only instead of pinching a rubber tube, you'll cover the holes tightly with your fingers when you release the cylinder. Keep pumping until there are no more bubbles floating to the top of the reservoir.

Secure the master cylinder top, install the master cylinder and leave enough room on the mounting nuts to allow for some movement of the master. This will allow you some breathing room while screwing in the hydraulic lines to help prevent cross-threading the fittings.

kevmif · Post by **kevmif** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 10:11 pm

Not keen on removing it..... that would mean bleeding the entire system again wouldn't it?

To do it in the vehicle, do I just follow the same process as for bleeding the brakes normally?? (pump a few times, hold pedal, open both valves, close valves, release pedal repeat)? Can the fluid just go right back into the reservoir without any issues? Normally your not meant to reuse brake fluid!

Will have to look at how to adjust the rear brakes... from what I have seen its pretty straightforward.

Thanks for all the advice.

justincase41 · Post by **justincase41** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:08 pm

There is no problem re-using the brake fluid as if you have already drained the reservoir and re-filled it with new fluid, your just going to be re-curculating the new fluid. Its better to run the tubing into the reservoir as you dont need to keep topping it up and you have a better closed hydralic system

When you apply pressure to the brake pedal, the tubing are going to want to dance around while purging, so keep in mind that you're going to have to hold them in place or secure them somehow to the master cylinder so they do not become exposed to the air.

When bleeding brakes, it's important not to force the brake pedal down more than halfway. This runs the risk of driving the master cylinder's secondary piston through debris collected on the piston cylinder walls and damaging the seals. In other words, you could end up shopping for a new master cylinder shortly after you're done bleeding the brakes.

When bleeding the master cylinder, do both of the bleeders together. So run your tubing from both of the bleeders into your reservoir, jar, container or whatever you decide to use. Just make sure the end of the tubing is submersed in brake fluid to avoid air being drawn in.

Open both bleeders and pump the brake pedal to move the fluid through the unit and into the hoses. Watch for air bubbles coming out of the hoses and into the reservoir . Keep pumping until all the air is out of the cylinder and you don't see any more bubbles. Then close the bleeders.

You will now have to bleed the entire brake system again.

In relation to the rear brakes, I installed L-series backing plates so I have auto adjusters rather than the manual ones. It is so much easier keeping the rear shoes adjusted now. I kept the brumby specific wheel cylinders, shoes and drums.

kevmif · Post by **kevmif** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:19 pm

Thanks mate. Really appreciate all of the advice.

First I have heard about not pushing it down more than half. I've always applied as much force as possible to it. It doesn't say otherwise in the workshop manual....

Do you have to close the valve when you release the pedal? I guess you wouldn't need to if the hose ran from the bleeder valve to the fluid reservoir right? Just keep pumping until the air is gone?

justincase41 · Post by **justincase41** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:39 pm

you don't need to close the bleeders. Thats the advantage of running the tubes straight into the reservoir. Once those air bubbles disappear, close the bleeders. After re-bleeding everything and you find your brake pedal is still low and spongy, you may need to make a trip to a brake shop or borrow a vacuum brake bleeder. You can get air bubbles in the brake lines, especially where there are connections and bends and are a pain to clear. How is the weather down in Brat, lived there for 20 years!!!

kevmif · Post by **kevmif** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:52 pm

Interesting suggestion about fitting L series backing plates to the rear drums. Will look into that.

Will bleed the master cylinder as per the method you have described. Not looking forward to bleeding everything else again though but I guess its important to have a nice brake pedal with no sponginess.

Nothing has changed here as far as Ballarat weather goes - still as cold and as temperamental as anything hehe! Thanks again for the advice!

kevmif · Post by **kevmif** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 9:39 pm

Ever since I bled the brakes fluid has been leaking from the bit that you put the fluid in where it bolts on to that black thing. Did I somehow cause that or is it just a case of shit happens?

How do I fix it? Can it be repaired or do I need to find a new one from the wreckers that doesn't appear to be leaking?