How to: Brake lines
10-24-2003, 07:10 PM
#1
retired
Thread Starter
How to: Brake lines
I have had a number of people inquire how to install stainless steel brake lines on Acuras so I thought I might write up the method I use to help those inclined to work on their own cars .
We'll begin with the disclaimer and some advice ,This is the method I use every time without fail .I have posted these directions for informational purposes only nothing more If you choose to use these directions you do so at your own peril .
Steer and stop are the two most critical systems in your car ,failure in either can cause serious injury or death .If you have any doubt about your abilities to modify these systems then use your common sense and let a pro do the work for you .
Tools:
Floor jack
Jack stands
10 MM line wrench
12 MM combo wrench
14 MM combo wrench
17 MM combo wrench
19 MM combo wrench
10 MM socket extension and ratchet
12 MM socket
Brake bleeder ( at the end of this I will describe a cheap one man brake bleeder you can build and how it is used )
1 Quart brake fluid ( I use castrol LMA DOT 4 )
Needle nose Vise Grips
Spray brake cleaner (CRC is what I use)
Old toothbrush
Rags
Pan to catch the waste brake fluid
Turkey baster (one of those cheap ones from the grocery store is perfect )
Means to lift the car and remove the wheels .
Stainless Steel Brake line kit
The work required is essentially the same on all 4 calipers so I will describe the left front wheel .This work applies to 2nd generation CL and TL vehicles (type S and premium).First gen cars are essentially the same but the CL uses an extra brake line on the rear suspension.
The work :
1 Lift the car safely ,remove the wheel .
2 Locate the original brake line and THOROUGHLY clean the area where the brake line is attached to the steel line on the body and the banjo bolt where it is attached to the caliper.
3 Remove the bolts that attach the brake line to the strut .First gen. cars have two second gen. has one .Save the hardware .
4 Now use the 10 MM line wrench and crack loose the steel line from the rubber OEM line where it is attached to the car's inner fender .
5 using the needle nose vise grips you must now grab the small metal clip that attaches the OEM rubber line to the bracket on the inner fender where the steel line is.SAVE THE CLIP!!!
6 Finish unthreading the metal line from the rubber line at the bracket on the inner fender and pull it out of the bracket .At this point you will want that pan to catch the brake fluid that is dripping out of the line .
7 Using the 14 MM wrench crack loose and remove the banjo bolt from the caliper .The line can now be removed and discarded .
8 reclean the steel line and the small fitting on the inner fender THOROUGHLY ,also reclean and make certain no old gaskets remain on the caliper .The spray brake cleaner is used here liberally !!!
9 Using the old line as your guide match it up to the correct SS brake line .NOTE: left and right lines are the same ,front to rear are different .
10 Once you have the new line install it using the supplied banjo bolts and two crush washers to the caliper .Make certain the crush washers are one on each side of the brake line banjo fitting .Make certain this is good and tight but not too tight .
12 Locate the mounting point that is sliding around on the new line (it is black triangular shaped ) slide it to the position that most resembles the way the original line was set up and attach it to the strut using the original bolt removed in step 3
13 guide the line up to the bracket on the inner fender and start the steel body line into the new brake line .Make certain the the two brake lines are not cross threaded and assemble easily (this is why you cleaned this area earlier ) .
14 now reusing the clip from step 5 secure the new line to the bracket on the inner fender .
15 tighten up the steel body line to the new brake line .You will now need to use a wrench to hold the new line while you use the 10 MM line wrench to tighten the fitting .The OEM lines are designed to lock into the bracket on the inner fender the new lines most likely will not have this feature however this is normal .
16 This completes the work now go ahead and repeat the procedure for the other 3 corners of the car .The procedure is the same just the parts look a bit different .
El Cheapo brake bleeder parts list
1 quart see through plastic bottle .( I use an old windshield washer concentrate bottle and it's lid )
About 3 feet of rubber or clear hose with a Inner diameter of about 1/4 inch ( i use windshield washer tubing available at any parts store )
Take the lid of the bottle and drill 2 holes .One must be big enough to snuggle fit the hose the other is just a vent so it's size is I guess about 1/4 inch .Slide enough of the hose through the hole in the lid so that when the lid is screwed onto the bottle the hose touches the bottom of the bottle .That's it your done let's bleed some brakes .
before we bleed brakes a word of caution : Brake fluid eats paint so be careful not to spill any on your car's finish .If you do use rags to dry it off then use HOT water to clean up .Hot water get's rid of brake fluid fast .
This is the one man brake bleeding method I have used for years ,It flies in the face of what the service manual tells you to do but it works for me .
1 locate the master cylinder and by disconnecting the 2 electrical wires on it and the twisting it off ,set it aside .
2 Pull out the filter basket .
3 Now using that turkey baster suck out as much of the brake fluid as you can and put it in the brake bleeder .(trust me)
4 Refill the master cylinder with fresh fluid all the way to the top .
5 I start at the Left rear caliper for the next step
6 Add enough brake fluid to the brake bleeder you just built so that the end of the hose inside the bottle is completely covered .
7 using the 10 MM line wrench break loose the Left rear caliper bleeder screw about 1/8th to 1/4 of a turn (no more is needed)
8 attach the free end of the rubber hose to the brake bleeder nipple .
9 get in the car and slowly using good pressure pump the brake pedal 15 times .
10 close the brake bleeder on the caliper and remove the brake bleeder ,You will notice the level of the fluid has risen in the bottle .
11 Now refill the master cylinder again to the top with fresh fluid and repeat this procedure except this time go to the right rear caliper .
You will do each caliper 2 times using 15 pmps each time making absolutley certain that you refill the master cylinder each time .Once you have done each caliper 2 times refill the master cylinder to the correct level (indicated on the side of the plastic bottle you have been refilling all this time )
Get in the car now and pump the pedal a few times .If all the air is gone the pedal should be just about rock hard dropping about 1 maybe 2 inches at the most .Clean up any brake fluid spills and allow the brake celaner to dry .Now pump the pedal a few times and take a good look at all the joint and fitting you touched to make certain there are no suspect signs of leakage .Clean the brake master cylinder cap thoroughly and the basket as well then reassemble these two items to the master cylinder .If all looks good reinstall the wheels and go for a gentle road test .You will notice that with the engine running there will be a bit more slop in the pedal but this is normal .take a flashlight when you get back recheck all joint and fittings and reverify the brake fluid level in the master cylinder .
Jens
We'll begin with the disclaimer and some advice ,This is the method I use every time without fail .I have posted these directions for informational purposes only nothing more If you choose to use these directions you do so at your own peril .
Steer and stop are the two most critical systems in your car ,failure in either can cause serious injury or death .If you have any doubt about your abilities to modify these systems then use your common sense and let a pro do the work for you .
Tools:
Floor jack
Jack stands
10 MM line wrench
12 MM combo wrench
14 MM combo wrench
17 MM combo wrench
19 MM combo wrench
10 MM socket extension and ratchet
12 MM socket
Brake bleeder ( at the end of this I will describe a cheap one man brake bleeder you can build and how it is used )
1 Quart brake fluid ( I use castrol LMA DOT 4 )
Needle nose Vise Grips
Spray brake cleaner (CRC is what I use)
Old toothbrush
Rags
Pan to catch the waste brake fluid
Turkey baster (one of those cheap ones from the grocery store is perfect )
Means to lift the car and remove the wheels .
Stainless Steel Brake line kit
The work required is essentially the same on all 4 calipers so I will describe the left front wheel .This work applies to 2nd generation CL and TL vehicles (type S and premium).First gen cars are essentially the same but the CL uses an extra brake line on the rear suspension.
The work :
1 Lift the car safely ,remove the wheel .
2 Locate the original brake line and THOROUGHLY clean the area where the brake line is attached to the steel line on the body and the banjo bolt where it is attached to the caliper.
3 Remove the bolts that attach the brake line to the strut .First gen. cars have two second gen. has one .Save the hardware .
4 Now use the 10 MM line wrench and crack loose the steel line from the rubber OEM line where it is attached to the car's inner fender .
5 using the needle nose vise grips you must now grab the small metal clip that attaches the OEM rubber line to the bracket on the inner fender where the steel line is.SAVE THE CLIP!!!
6 Finish unthreading the metal line from the rubber line at the bracket on the inner fender and pull it out of the bracket .At this point you will want that pan to catch the brake fluid that is dripping out of the line .
7 Using the 14 MM wrench crack loose and remove the banjo bolt from the caliper .The line can now be removed and discarded .
8 reclean the steel line and the small fitting on the inner fender THOROUGHLY ,also reclean and make certain no old gaskets remain on the caliper .The spray brake cleaner is used here liberally !!!
9 Using the old line as your guide match it up to the correct SS brake line .NOTE: left and right lines are the same ,front to rear are different .
10 Once you have the new line install it using the supplied banjo bolts and two crush washers to the caliper .Make certain the crush washers are one on each side of the brake line banjo fitting .Make certain this is good and tight but not too tight .
12 Locate the mounting point that is sliding around on the new line (it is black triangular shaped ) slide it to the position that most resembles the way the original line was set up and attach it to the strut using the original bolt removed in step 3
13 guide the line up to the bracket on the inner fender and start the steel body line into the new brake line .Make certain the the two brake lines are not cross threaded and assemble easily (this is why you cleaned this area earlier ) .
14 now reusing the clip from step 5 secure the new line to the bracket on the inner fender .
15 tighten up the steel body line to the new brake line .You will now need to use a wrench to hold the new line while you use the 10 MM line wrench to tighten the fitting .The OEM lines are designed to lock into the bracket on the inner fender the new lines most likely will not have this feature however this is normal .
16 This completes the work now go ahead and repeat the procedure for the other 3 corners of the car .The procedure is the same just the parts look a bit different .
El Cheapo brake bleeder parts list
1 quart see through plastic bottle .( I use an old windshield washer concentrate bottle and it's lid )
About 3 feet of rubber or clear hose with a Inner diameter of about 1/4 inch ( i use windshield washer tubing available at any parts store )
Take the lid of the bottle and drill 2 holes .One must be big enough to snuggle fit the hose the other is just a vent so it's size is I guess about 1/4 inch .Slide enough of the hose through the hole in the lid so that when the lid is screwed onto the bottle the hose touches the bottom of the bottle .That's it your done let's bleed some brakes .
before we bleed brakes a word of caution : Brake fluid eats paint so be careful not to spill any on your car's finish .If you do use rags to dry it off then use HOT water to clean up .Hot water get's rid of brake fluid fast .
This is the one man brake bleeding method I have used for years ,It flies in the face of what the service manual tells you to do but it works for me .
1 locate the master cylinder and by disconnecting the 2 electrical wires on it and the twisting it off ,set it aside .
2 Pull out the filter basket .
3 Now using that turkey baster suck out as much of the brake fluid as you can and put it in the brake bleeder .(trust me)
4 Refill the master cylinder with fresh fluid all the way to the top .
5 I start at the Left rear caliper for the next step
6 Add enough brake fluid to the brake bleeder you just built so that the end of the hose inside the bottle is completely covered .
7 using the 10 MM line wrench break loose the Left rear caliper bleeder screw about 1/8th to 1/4 of a turn (no more is needed)
8 attach the free end of the rubber hose to the brake bleeder nipple .
9 get in the car and slowly using good pressure pump the brake pedal 15 times .
10 close the brake bleeder on the caliper and remove the brake bleeder ,You will notice the level of the fluid has risen in the bottle .
11 Now refill the master cylinder again to the top with fresh fluid and repeat this procedure except this time go to the right rear caliper .
You will do each caliper 2 times using 15 pmps each time making absolutley certain that you refill the master cylinder each time .Once you have done each caliper 2 times refill the master cylinder to the correct level (indicated on the side of the plastic bottle you have been refilling all this time )
Get in the car now and pump the pedal a few times .If all the air is gone the pedal should be just about rock hard dropping about 1 maybe 2 inches at the most .Clean up any brake fluid spills and allow the brake celaner to dry .Now pump the pedal a few times and take a good look at all the joint and fitting you touched to make certain there are no suspect signs of leakage .Clean the brake master cylinder cap thoroughly and the basket as well then reassemble these two items to the master cylinder .If all looks good reinstall the wheels and go for a gentle road test .You will notice that with the engine running there will be a bit more slop in the pedal but this is normal .take a flashlight when you get back recheck all joint and fittings and reverify the brake fluid level in the master cylinder .
Jens
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shamal (03-08-2015)
10-24-2003, 08:26 PM
#2
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Join Date: May 2003
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Re: How to: Brake lines
Excellent write up!! Cool bleeding method. Somebody stick this in the Extremley Usefull Topics section. I made a couple adjustments below for realism. 
I hate doing brakes
Originally posted by Jens H.
4 Now use the 10 MM line wrench and crack loose the steel line from the rubber OEM line where it is attached to the car's inner fender .
5 After rounding the nut with the wrench round it off some more with some Vise Grips. Keep pinching it with the Vice Grips until it doesn't look anything like a nut anymore.
6 Go to parts store right before they close and get one of those Taiwanese brake flaring tools.
7 Start sawing on deformed line nut with dull hacksaw blade. (good thing it's dull because you were too cheap to buy a hacksaw when you were at the store and your holding it with your bare hands.)
8 Rub some brake fluid in your hair.
9 Put brake flaring tool on line. Put a piece of pipe on the flaring tool to get more leverage on it. Wipe the brake fluid off of your face because when the flaring tool broke it made a big splash in the coffee can full of fluid you had there.
10 Using a C-clamp and some sockets rig the flaring tool and finally get a flare on the line. If you remembered to put a new nut on the line go to step 11 if not go back to step 7.
11 Rub some more brake fluid in your hair.
4 Now use the 10 MM line wrench and crack loose the steel line from the rubber OEM line where it is attached to the car's inner fender .
5 After rounding the nut with the wrench round it off some more with some Vise Grips. Keep pinching it with the Vice Grips until it doesn't look anything like a nut anymore.
6 Go to parts store right before they close and get one of those Taiwanese brake flaring tools.
7 Start sawing on deformed line nut with dull hacksaw blade. (good thing it's dull because you were too cheap to buy a hacksaw when you were at the store and your holding it with your bare hands.)
8 Rub some brake fluid in your hair.
9 Put brake flaring tool on line. Put a piece of pipe on the flaring tool to get more leverage on it. Wipe the brake fluid off of your face because when the flaring tool broke it made a big splash in the coffee can full of fluid you had there.
10 Using a C-clamp and some sockets rig the flaring tool and finally get a flare on the line. If you remembered to put a new nut on the line go to step 11 if not go back to step 7.
11 Rub some more brake fluid in your hair.
10-25-2003, 07:35 AM
#3
retired
Thread Starter
Sounds to me like you have had some "experience" in the fine art of how to fix a car 
.Overall though the real secret here is to clean the hell out of all of this stuff before you go and try to unscrew any of the lines .Once they are clean the wrenches will do the work better .And ofcourse it pays to invest in a few quality tools .
Jens
.Overall though the real secret here is to clean the hell out of all of this stuff before you go and try to unscrew any of the lines .Once they are clean the wrenches will do the work better .And ofcourse it pays to invest in a few quality tools .Jens
10-25-2003, 08:28 AM
#4
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Originally posted by Jens H.
Sounds to me like you have had some "experience" in the fine art of how to fix a car
Jens
Sounds to me like you have had some "experience" in the fine art of how to fix a car
Jens
Trending Topics
12-27-2005, 12:37 AM
#11
Racer
Originally Posted by Nashua_Night_Hawk
FAQ this ASAP.
Thanks Jens.
Now how about adding how to replace rotors and pads!
Thanks Jens.
Now how about adding how to replace rotors and pads!
Nice writeup.I also used your tranny fluid 3Xs drain n fill writeup.
2nd the motion that you now do a rotors/break pads writeup. The price of success.
12-28-2005, 07:14 PM
#13
I know someone else did a rotor/pad writeup before as I used it to change mine. As far as I know Jens is in Germany but still comes to the site on occassion under a different name. I'm not so certain he'll be able to fill the request.
12-28-2005, 07:21 PM
#14
Here's what I could find.
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143104
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143104
04-07-2013, 09:12 PM
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