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'95 brake line routing?

7K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  scar13 
#1 ·
My '95 Legacy Brighton MT (i.e. no ABS) suddenly lost all braking - pedal fell to the floor, fluid lost. Now that I've had a brief look underneath, the culprit is the right rear (hard) brake line where it routes up over the gas tank. But I can't see up there to get a detailed look.

So far I haven't been able to see a routing diagram for these lines in the TSM. Can anyone direct me to it so I can see what I'm up against? I'm beginning to assume I'll be going to the dealer for a replacement line.
 
#2 ·
Your post but it peaked my interest. My buddy has a 1995 "Legacy L" which the rear brake lines rusted clear thru. Fluid leaks all over the ground when the brake-pedal is pushed.

If you fold up the rear seat and peel away the rubber cover on the the passenger side, you will see where the brake-lines go down thru a rubber grommet.

As a temporary repair, we put a short nail inside the brakeline-connector where it leaves the proportioning-valve. This blocks all fluid to the rear leaving the FRONT brakes to still work.

Unfortunately, this is not a simple fix.... the hard brake-lines to rear need to be replaced but it appears that the car was built around the brake-lines. To fix it requires a pipe-bending tool and lots of time to custom-bend new pipes.
 
#4 ·
To fix it requires a pipe-bending tool and lots of time to custom-bend new pipes.
it does seem like it but it's not that bad and doesn't take long. it's mostly a difference of approach/skill sets/experience. only takes 30 minutes...maybe an hour for a first timer to bend the pipe in place but it looks challenging because it's not like most car work.

most car work is easy - remove bolt from hole - reinstall bolt from hole. simple and easy.

this is more art and would drive the by-the-book oil change obsessing tear jerkers to an insane asylum - but it's not hard or long.

for those of us like me, who don't like to do this kind of work - it does *feel* like a big job because that's not my strong suit. but it's the unfamliarity and skill set that make it that way - it's not hard when I get in there and do it.
 
#3 ·
yeah, that's common in rust areas.

buy straight brake line from the auto parts store and the couplings. stores in the US let you borrow the tools for free - the tube bender and flaring tool.

remove rear seat bottom (it's only like 2 12mm bolts, super easy) and you can access the brake lines there.

run the straight pipe up under the vehicle to that rear seat access hole and bend it so it fits and then ends just behind the brake caliper. cut to length.
then you flare the ends to couple them together.

another cheap option is to just buy the pipe section for a couple bucks - route the pipe yourself - pull the rear seat and have the lines exposed - then drive the car to a mechanic with the handbrake and have them finish but only doing the flaring/couplings. i've done that before too.
 
#7 ·
Just getting back to this thing - got distracted by having to do a brake job on the '99.

I don't think the under-the-seat access is going to help here. Looks like (as indicated above) I'm dealing with the nightmare routing above the gas tank - the lines the car was clearly built around. From what I can see, dropping the tank means pulling apart the rear drivetrain as well, and I'm just not going to do that. So I won't be following the original routing, and opting instead for the least-exposed path I can come up with.

Of course, what I optimistically guessed was the right line actually appears to be the left, which now means I have to replace both, since the right line came out in many corroded pieces and after plugging its port in the junction block just in front of the gas tank there's still a leak in the left. When I called the dealer the price they quoted for the right line wasn't outrageous - $30 or so - but there's no way a pre-shaped tube is going to get snaked in there with the tank in place. Besides, no local or national stock, so it'd have to come from Japan. So I think I'll have to come up with best estimates of the lengths and see if I can buy stock tubes w/fittings. If not, I like the idea of getting flexible (braided) lines made, but I'm afraid of what kind of cost I might be up against there.
 
#8 ·
You could try using the copper alloy newer material brake line to prevent it from rusting away again, and slide a vacuum hose over the new line to protect it from rubbing, snake it across the top and secure it with elec. zip ties at the accessible sides. this new copper/nickel alloy brake line is more costly but much easier to bend and make the double flares which is the hardest part in my opinion. S.
 
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