Hi, there i just picked up an 94 corolla 1.6L and i recently notice a leakage of brake fluid. So i go check the master cylinder and the fluid is empty, then i looked underneath where the steel lines are running from the front to rear they are all roted out. How hard is it to replace those lines. Can someone guide me through and give me some tips on replacing brake lines.
I did that complete job two weeks ago and I suffered so much
all my lines were completely rotten by rust. I applied the brake hard at an intersection and one of my rear brake line burst.
I replace all 5 lines
2 for the rear brakes
one for fuel main supply
one for fuel return
one for the fuel tank to evap canister
I ordered the main fuel line, fuel return and evap line from the dealer, they were pre-bent and those 3 lines costed me $250 CAD
the dealer did not have the rear brake lines until a couple weeks so I ended up buying generic brake steel lines ($10 per roll of 25') with a flaring tool (buy the double flare tool, not the buble flare tool for about $20 at any auto parts store)
I have 2 advices to give you:
- it is a pain to do it without a lift. It was very hard to work under the car on jack stands because of space limitations. Find a garage where you can rent the lift (it costs something like $10 per hour). It took me about 3 complete evenings to do it crawling under the car to change those lines. With a lift, I am confident I could have done it in less than 3-4 hours
- buy the pre-bent lines if you can, you will save so much time. There are so many turns in those lines and it is almost impossible to bent all those lines to match the original turns if you are building them from the generic rolls
all lines except the main fuel are 3/16'' in size. The main fuel line is larger, I suggest you buy at least that one from the dealer because it uses a larger fitting that goes directly to the fuel filter on one end and to the gas tank on the other end.
if you decide to have it done at any garage, it is the labor that will kill you. The parts are not that expensive, it is the time. They will easily quote something like 5-7 hours of labor
oh yes, one more advice, before removing any lines, make sure you know which one is which and mark them carefully where they go.
one last thing, don't remove the main fuel line if you have a full tank of gas or have the replacement parts ready because fuel will keep siphoning out even if you relieve the fuel pressure (the connection fitting is located at an lower elevation than the fuel tank, hence the siphoning effect will keep the fuel flow)
and it goes without saying that you need to bleed the complete brake lines after you change them
I purchased the lines from the dealer, then took them to a brake shop and had then turn them into 3 pieces each.
The first piece is from the distribution block to the underneath of the car. I fished this down through the firewall from the top, it was a PITA, I cannot even imagine trying to do this as one long piece, even with a lift.
The second piece is the run under the body to the first bend up near the rear, then the third is from there to the wheel cylinder.
No leaks and I am back in business.
Obviously it would be better to have one long piece, but like I said I couldn't image getting them in place correctly. they must put these in well ahead of the engine/tranny/steering on the assembly line.
redlinerev. Where did you get the lines. MY local dealer in Morgantown WV that there were none at any dealer in the country for my 1996 Corolla? Thanks in advance. Harry
Same thing happened to me. My dealer said they don't have the pre bent pipes. so i'm just assuming they keep them reserved for there machines only because there a******. they wanted 1,900 to fix all five lines. crappy tire wanted 1000. So what did i do, me and my got coils of line and the fittings and already owned the flair too and did them our selves. No lift it took us about 2 nights. Probally costing use around 85 CAD. Although this is because we already had experience changing the lines on our 89 corolla.
redlinerev. Where did you get the lines. MY local dealer in Morgantown WV that there were none at any dealer in the country for my 1996 Corolla? Thanks in advance. Harry
It is harder to find the rear pre-bent line these days because the car is too old, they don't stock that much anymore because that pre-bent line come in a huge packaging and takes a lot of floor space
Don't give up, doing the bent yourself is definitely feasible, get yourself a bending tool, it helps.
The Following User Says Thank You to hungt1999 For This Useful Post:
yes the bender is a valuable tool i forgot to mention. Although as you will see towards the back there are some intricate bends around the gas tank and frame that are not impossible just challenging at times. It's great that once you angle the pipe in, and for instance it doesn't quite fit by a little bit. the final bend you can do in position with your hands. Just don't push too much and kink it. It's happened to me once.
I recommend to have these lines rust proofed yearly. Because this job if your not able to do yourself is an expensive one at the dealer or garage.
I know he still had 1 passenger side line when I picked mine up.
I also ordered my fuel line from them as well. I would try to call them, maybe your guy down there is looking in the wrong spot. I sort of remember the parts guy telling me it was a new part number or something, it took him a few minutes in the system to find them. I think there were 2 listed and 1 was discontinued, so he ordered the other and it was right.
Sorry, I just tossed that receipt last month when I was cleaning out my garage, or I could give you more info.
Ya, i'm sure salt is mainly the culprit. It happened with my 89 and now my 96 corolla. So now i rust proof them ever year because the job is the pain in the ass. my girlfriend just got a 2000 and the first thing i did was rust proof all the lines. They were looking like they are going to be on their way out in about 1 year. I hope i can prevent it for longer.
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