I didn't get a chance to do the brake lines this past weekend as I couldn't get the lines to flare; brought the parts to a machine shop yesterday and they did it for $10. I found a bunch of rust on the seam between the front floor pan and the rear deck where the rear passenger line runs along, so I'm going to try to fix that tonight.
There seems to be a divide on the use of anti-seize. I think I'll assemble the fittings with some anti-seize before I put them on the car, take them apart and inspect for any intrusion into the brake line. I'm certainly not going to slop the stuff on like I would with a bolt.
Caerbannog wrote:
Remember that the line nut is still (plated-) steel, often going into steel or cast iron. Same for steel bleeders into calipers and cylinders: I anti-seize them religiously. Even stainless fasteners should be anti-seized to avoid galling.
After researching the copper-nickel tubing I found the same thing, they still use steel nuts which left me scratching my head.
Jason
1982 Rabbit Diesel (was an automatic with a 1.6 N.A. mechanical now its a manual with a 1.6 N.A. hydraulic)
1998 New Beetle TDI
1988 Ford F250 Diesel
Yea, I'd say the same thing. Use it but keep it 2-3 threads away from the end of the fitting and use a little of it and you should be fine, IMO. It doesn't take much anti-sieze to be effective.
Everybody else lists their cars here - but not me.
Monomer wrote:How tight are you guys going with these?
it's not how tight they are torqued, it's how they come apart the next time you need to change out a wheel cylinder etc. You don't list your location in your profile, but if you've never wrenched on a rust belt car that's much over 10 years old, you really don't know what rust is. If you saw the underside of my winter Jetta, you would (as I do) question how any of the brake lines are still holding pressure. Of course the next time I have to touch a rear line, I have a huge mess on my hands as there would be absolutely no way I will ever be able to splice a line, and will likely have to go all the way back to the master cylinder or a distribution block under that (not sure if there's one) and will probably be lucky if I don't destroy what I want to keep to get an old line off. It really is that bad around here.
Everybody else lists their cars here - but not me.
Monomer wrote:How tight are you guys going with these?
it's not how tight they are torqued, it's how they come apart the next time you need to change out a wheel cylinder etc. You don't list your location in your profile, but if you've never wrenched on a rust belt car that's much over 10 years old, you really don't know what rust is. If you saw the underside of my winter Jetta, you would (as I do) question how any of the brake lines are still holding pressure. Of course the next time I have to touch a rear line, I have a huge mess on my hands as there would be absolutely no way I will ever be able to splice a line, and will likely have to go all the way back to the master cylinder or a distribution block under that (not sure if there's one) and will probably be lucky if I don't destroy what I want to keep to get an old line off. It really is that bad around here.
Detroit, MI.
usually if its THAT hard to take off, it's time for complete replacement.
I just got done redoing the brakes on my Mercedes. Everything is brand new. Yes, the line nuts were hard to take off - and yes, the rest of the line was gone. My rabbits an 83 and I had NO problem replacing the wheel cylinders and calipers.
It's not necessarily that the nut won't come undone, it's that the nut is stuck to the line, twisting the brake line with the nut. This leaves no choice but to replace a portion of the line. I didn't have any problems on my 82, but it's not driven in the winter. My 83 Rabbit I twisted the lines, so I had to replace a section of line. My 86 Jetta, bad................
Everybody else lists their cars here - but not me.
82vdub wrote:It's not necessarily that the nut won't come undone, it's that the nut is stuck to the line, twisting the brake line with the nut. This leaves no choice but to replace a portion of the line. I didn't have any problems on my 82, but it's not driven in the winter. My 83 Rabbit I twisted the lines, so I had to replace a section of line. My 86 Jetta, bad................
pb blaster as soon as you see the tube turning.
do NOT us a blowtorch. this is spiral tubing and it will come apart. NOT safe.
a proper (cough....german) set of flare nut wrenches is also a must.
Love the anti-seize idea, if I had a nickle for every stinking brake bleeder that has twisted off for me I'd be at the bar buying beers.....
I will be putting the antiseize on the bleeder and tubing,
thanks,
Dave
1983 rabbit pickup, tdi conversion,o2a transmission, homemade two tank wvo kit
I spray some PB blaster down inside the bleeders and let it soak from the inside.
I also put a drill bit down inside the hole and hammer it if it's being stuborn, hammering on the top of the bleeder makes it weak where it meets the caliper,.. hollow and with threads there it starts out pretty weak area.
That might save some beer money
'91 Golf gasser converted to a 12mm pump, M-TDI.
'84 1.6TD Rabbit with a VNT-15 turbo, still setup to run on vegetable oil.
'84 GTI with 1.7TD pistons and intercooled.
2003 TDI wagon
2000 TDI Jetta.
Hi
Here in EU-Serbia we go to hidraulik shop they made it by Cu just give them distance and you can ask for brass nut 1 m = 4 Euro.Lines by time became green bat that is all ( yes you can paint them)15 min job for them.Every nut I put greese next time to deal mach easy.Best and sorrry for my english.
Welcome to the forum, your english is a little confusing but if I understand correctly,..
the lines are made from copper and turn green?
Copper coating right?
Not solid copper?
I think of solid copped as too brittle and might crack with pressure/vibration.
'91 Golf gasser converted to a 12mm pump, M-TDI.
'84 1.6TD Rabbit with a VNT-15 turbo, still setup to run on vegetable oil.
'84 GTI with 1.7TD pistons and intercooled.
2003 TDI wagon
2000 TDI Jetta.
I think of solid copped as too brittle and might crack with pressure/vibration.
Thanks I am old on this forum but same problem.It`s (I think -I`ll ask) just solid copper,make green by oxidation, did this on father car 12 years ago still OK
