brake lines & pipes

[MrWobbel]

Hi all,
after all the welding i've done to get her on the road i now have to check out her break's question is, as she's been layed up for 5 years what do i look for ?
if theres surface rust but no leaks do i replace them all ?
any pointers would be of great help... she's a R 4 van...

thanks. doug.

 

[Andy Sherlock]

If it was me,
I would check all the pads, and check that the brakes all work okay, returning properly and not binding.
If they do, check the pipes for any massive corrosion before coating them with waxoyle or something. Surface rust would be acceptable I guess, deep corrosion would not be okay.
Then I would replace the brake fluid, especially after 5 years or so of standing.
Brakes are critical, if in doubt repair or replace.

 

[MrWobbel]

seems so obvious realy, thanks for the advice.
thats another job for the list.
doug

 

[R4L]

Rust on brake pipes

Dear R4 Enthousiasts,
if in doubt: clean brake pipes with sand paper. If ther are rust spots which can't removed ( because they are deep ) -> replace the pipes. Grease or wax on the pipes afterwards are good protection. The brake hoses i would replace if they are easiliy reachable and over 15 years old.
so long Ingo

 

[Steve Hennessey]

Sorry R4L - I have to disagree with you. Brakes are the difference between life and death.

If there is any evidence of pitting then replace the pipe with copper variety. If there is any indication of cracking in the rubber of the hose then replace immediately. If there are cracks on the outside of a hose then this is indicative that the rubber is beginning to deteriorate inside.

These parts are not expensive - why put yourself and others at risk?

 

[Cornish4]

Yes Steve I must echo your comments, it's just not worth the risk to simply clean-up old pipes. I think rubber flexies are best as you can visually check for deteriation, as can the MOT man. On the same subject, I had a TVR with stainless braided hoses and one failed on the MOT brake test, it just blow apart. No visual warning, it looked perfectly ok. Now if that had happened on the road in an emergency.......:eek: