Brake Line Issues

[pwgus]

So...my new 89' LX. Its a nice car and everything...but it had its issues. And theyre really giving me a pickle!!! There is a leak in my break lines somewhere. It seems to be leaking from somewhere inside the break fluid distrobution block. You can see it really dripping out from the crossmember, just below the distribution block. Its really leaking from the crossmember. But I can't really seem to tell if its leaking from the distrobution block or maybe one of my rear brake lines inside the crossmember. To change those brake lines...will I have to remove the crossmember or what all do I have to get my breaks running again? I've been considering getting some brass FPT (flare pipe thread...what the break lines use) plugs and just plugging the rear ones...or maybe just one of the rear ones to see which one is the culprit and attempt to run on just 2 or 3 brakes . Its not Ideal...but...starting august 18th I wont be driving it anyway because I'm leaving it here when I go up to college in ames. But I reallly reallly want to fix it before I leave. So any help or advise will be appreciated.

[festivaWES]

The brake lines don't run under or anywhere near the crossmember. They run down the driver side of the floor pan along with the fuel lines.

Don't plug off the lines there is a reason there is a distribution block.... an equal ratio of braking power to every corner of the vehicle. Blocking the rear off will give your front end 100 percent braking duty.....not a very wise idea.

My advice is to go to college, and let your dad fix it.

[batstiva]

Clean the junction off. Get all the fluid off. Refill the reservoir, have someone press on the brake pedal and watch the junction. If you're losing fluid as badly as it sounds, it shouldn't take long to figure out which fitting is leaking. Plugging half the brake system is not a good idea at all. I am assuming that you have checked all the fittings at the junction and know they are all tight, and none are cross-threaded, correct? Find it and fix it. Plugging lines, I think, is just asking for more trouble than you want. Just my .02 tho.

Or, just do what Wes says. He's usually right.

[challe1]

You guys give great advice...This is good...

[festivaWES]

^^ being sarcastic?

You plug up the distribution block for one or two lines leading to the rear brakes... Report back with details ASAP. Maybe you'll lift the rear wheels from the pavement when someone pulls out in front of you.....maybe your 20 year old front soft brake lines will burst from the added pressure in the system.

Seems like perfectly good advice to me.

**EDIT** On a further note I have met the both of them at a meet in Lamberts in Ozark, MO. His father (by the discussions i had while eating dinner with him) seemed to be mechanically inclined in my opinion.

[batstiva]

All sarcasm aside, either fix the problem, or walk away from it. Plugging long enough to find the problem is one thing. Plugging with the idea of riding around on 2 or 3 brakes is suicide. Just my .02 tho.

[challe1]

I had the same problem with my project ..I just replaced them all for less than 50$...but like others said don't chance it..

[pwgus]

Yes when I ran the idea past my father
after a long days work...lol, well, I got a half hour lecture. Anyways, I think I will run new line. I already ran new front line. How long will I need for rears? Also, how do I change it. It runs under that thing along with the gas line... How do I remove that thing on the under body that covers the lines so I can run new
line?

[challe1]

I ran new lines along side the frame rail installing stainless clamps to hold the line in place...I used sections of line because at the time I had a bunch from another project...Rough guess 15ft for right rear,12.5ft left rear.. may not be totally exact on the measurements...

[festivaWES]

^^ i was gonna say. The car is eleven feet long but you subtract the distance from the front to the distribution block and add for passenger side cross over of 3.5 feet. 13 for RR and 10 for LR to be safe.

If you get 27 total feet it will leave you room for error, which would be a good idea.

I'm not near any of my festivas at the moment, but they shouldjust beheld up with lips and screws. You'll will probably have to drop the gas lines as well to get room to get them out without bending them all up. I have intentions of redoing all of mine. But mine ar not yet rusted to that point.

[pwgus]

Hmmm.... I really whisk I could afford to have it done right, lol, but unfort, this happened to formulastiva too and it cost me frickin $350 to fix

[pwgus]

What is the thing that the gas and fuel lines come out from under on the bottom of the car. You know, where the gas and rear brake lines all go up into the engine compartment, there's this big piece of metal covering them so you can't see it all the way up

[challe1]

I ended up running them along side...as pictured..I know its not pretty but I didn't want risk the fuel lines being damaged...

[GenevaDirt]

^^I just recently did the same thing....run it down and along the other lines...used plastic zip ties to hold them in place and tight. Came out very nice if I do say so myself. The lines are very easy to bend by hand.

Gus take the time and do it right....it won't take long once you get going.

[pwgus]

I just finished it. They work great...except one of them has a VEEERRRYYY VEEERRRRYYY SLOOOWWW drip from one of the lines at the distributor box from, guess which line, the one on the bottom. The only one you practicly cant mess with without taking the hole brake line distribution box out. But I was able to tighten it a little and I think it may have stopped it. But still, yea. It was a pain in the butt, but I eventually got it. For the rears I just bought a 25' coil of tubing and that was perfect. I even had like 3 or 4 feet left over. But after bleeding the breaks, its working great again, full pressure on the pedal and everything. What I'm still wondering is, would it be possible to make my own distrobution box thingy out of brass flare thread tees, or is there some sort of check valve in the distrobution box. Also why is there two tubes from the master cylinder?