Rusted and leaking metal brake lines under the car

[91 2VZ]

Car is a 1991 Camry LE V6 w/4 wheel disc brakes. So I noticed a couple drips coming from right under the rear passenger door on the drivers side. I touched the drips and it smelled like brake fluid. Upon further inspection, I looked through the plastic shield that covers the metal brake lines under the car to see where the leak is coming from and it is from the bends in the metal brake lines that go to the rear calipers, they are completely rusted and slowly leaking. Although where the metal lines are straight, there is no rust or leaks.

Now, it's a slow leak like a couple drips per day but when I press on the brakes, fluid does not come out. Brake pedal pressure is also normal.

My question is should I take it to a shop to get it fixed? Or is this job "doable" by myself? I'm quite busy with work and school so time is an issue. I am also contemplating driving the car but I kind of need to since my other car is having engine problems. I also don't want to lose my brakes while I'm driving cause that would suck. Any opinions, I appreciate it.

Thanks,
Chris

[zythr]

Originally Posted by 91 2VZ

Car is a 1991 Camry LE V6 w/4 wheel disc brakes. So I noticed a couple drips coming from right under the rear passenger door on the drivers side. I touched the drips and it smelled like brake fluid. Upon further inspection, I looked through the plastic shield that covers the metal brake lines under the car to see where the leak is coming from and it is from the bends in the metal brake lines that go to the rear calipers, they are completely rusted and slowly leaking. Although where the metal lines are straight, there is no rust or leaks.

Now, it's a slow leak like a couple drips per day but when I press on the brakes, fluid does not come out. Brake pedal pressure is also normal.

My question is should I take it to a shop to get it fixed? Or is this job "doable" by myself? I'm quite busy with work and school so time is an issue. I am also contemplating driving the car but I kind of need to since my other car is having engine problems. I also don't want to lose my brakes while I'm driving cause that would suck. Any opinions, I appreciate it.

Thanks,
Chris

[zythr]

Take it to the shop and get it fixed. DON'T DRIVE THE CAR!!!!! A small leak can turn into a big one in a hurry, I should know, it happened to a car we used to own.

[TBayToyotaBoy]

Chris, it's extremely dangerous to drive the car like this...the leak may be microscopic now, but the first time you have to hop on the brakes to avoid that kid in the road...well, jail time would be in your future for negligence causing death. Unfortunately, those black plastic "guards" under the lines tend to trap moisture and they promote corrosion.

If you're extremely short on time, and if you promise to replace the whole line as soon as you do have time, then you can "patch" that small section of line with brake hose. You will want to use new hose, and make sure that it overlaps the end of the metal line by about three inches. This way you can use three clamps to ensure no loss of fluid...

Again, this is NOT a fix, but an extremely temporary stop-gap measure to get you through for a week or two. Your car would be pulled off the road if a safety check cop saw it.

--Tim

[91 2VZ]

Thanks for the replies.

Can it be possible to cut the rusted section out, flare the ends and then put in a new metal line to replace the rusted section with new fittings?

I found kits online that go for reasonable prices that include 25 ft of metal lines and AN fittings.

[yuke]

I just had the same problem with my 91 with both fuel and brake lines.I went to A.Z. and bought 25' of 1/4" for the fuel and 25' of 3'16" for the brake lines I wound up not using the 1/4" and instead used hose and clamps I did use the 3/16" and just compression fittings for the brake line just replaced the bad sections and am keeping my fingers crossed that it last awhile.Probably be pretty expensive to replace all 5 lines from front to back more then the cars worth.

[white90dx]

How much is your life worth?
(these are the P/Ns for a '90DX sedan, prices are from 1st Toyota Parts)

TUBE, REAR BRAKE, NO.1: 47321-32050 $43.67
TUBE, REAR BRAKE, NO.2: 47322-32040 $32.93
TUBE, FUEL RETURN, NO.1: 77255-32080 $26.24
TUBE, FUEL MAIN, NO.1: 77251-32110 $36.80
TUBE, FUEL EMISSION, NO.1: 77019-32070 $41.17

Those lines aren't expensive at all... Get your local dealer to match the price.

-Charlie

[91 2VZ]

Originally Posted by white90dx

How much is your life worth?
(these are the P/Ns for a '90DX sedan, prices are from 1st Toyota Parts)

TUBE, REAR BRAKE, NO.1: 47321-32050 $43.67
TUBE, REAR BRAKE, NO.2: 47322-32040 $32.93
TUBE, FUEL RETURN, NO.1: 77255-32080 $26.24
TUBE, FUEL MAIN, NO.1: 77251-32110 $36.80
TUBE, FUEL EMISSION, NO.1: 77019-32070 $41.17

Those lines aren't expensive at all... Get your local dealer to match the price.

-Charlie

Thanks for the info!...I didn't think Toyota would still produce these. If I buy these, it would make the job a lot easier. One question, are the lines different between DX and LE models? 4 cyl and 6 cyl? 1990 and 1991?

[white90dx]

Originally Posted by 91 2VZ

Thanks for the info!...I didn't think Toyota would still produce these. If I buy these, it would make the job a lot easier. One question, are the lines different between DX and LE models? 4 cyl and 6 cyl? 1990 and 1991?

Check out the P/N's on http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/ for you yourself and get initial price quotes on https://www.1sttoyotaparts.com/partscat.html

My local dealer normally gets very close to the discounted prices from 1st Toyota Parts - the added tax cancels out the lack of shipping, pretty much - and you get to support your local dealer.

They should be the same P/Ns... the only reason they should be different is for the FWD vs. Alltrac.

-Charlie

[91 2VZ]

Originally Posted by white90dx

Check out the P/N's on http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/ for you yourself and get initial price quotes on https://www.1sttoyotaparts.com/partscat.html

My local dealer normally gets very close to the discounted prices from 1st Toyota Parts - the added tax cancels out the lack of shipping, pretty much - and you get to support your local dealer.

They should be the same P/Ns... the only reason they should be different is for the FWD vs. Alltrac.

-Charlie

I'll print that out and bring it to my nearest Toyota parts dealer. I assume that you can only search for the brake lines based on P/N's? Cause I tried doing the search under "Brakes" in the catalog and the lines did not show up.

[white90dx]

Originally Posted by 91 2VZ

I'll print that out and bring it to my nearest Toyota parts dealer. I assume that you can only search for the brake lines based on P/N's? Cause I tried doing the search under "Brakes" in the catalog and the lines did not show up.

Yeah, to find anything but the most popular parts you need the part number. The toyodiy site is awesome for that...

-Charlie

[ninja771]

i had the same issue about a year ago. car had 135K i believe. i had all the lines redone for about 800-900 bucks at a brake shop. i also had them take off the plastic cover and leave it off because with that cover the lines just sit in water, making them rust faster.

[91 2VZ]

Originally Posted by ninja771

i had the same issue about a year ago. car had 135K i believe. i had all the lines redone for about 800-900 bucks at a brake shop. i also had them take off the plastic cover and leave it off because with that cover the lines just sit in water, making them rust faster.

Wow, that's a lot of money for that repair!

[ninja771]

Originally Posted by 91 2VZ

Wow, that's a lot of money for that repair!

yea, i went to the yota dealer near me and they didnt want to just cut out the part that the leak was in because the lines were in bad shape anyway. i had all the brake lines, and the fuel line replaced. they had to drop the tank to get up in where the fuel line connected. most of the $ was in the labor. parts were about 150-200 i think for all the lines and hardware