brakes failed: LEAKING FROM SUBFRAME :( ?

[Smelser]

When you buy your flare wrenchs ( use on all brake and fuel lines, anywhere a nut is seceruring a line. found in any type of hydraulics as well. also some coolant lines may be like that as well)

make sure you buy QUALITY!!!! I had a set of craftsman, and the f*ckers will spread and round the nut. I traded them in on a set of Snap-ons (I really wanted to throw the f*cking things in Lake Erie) go with Snap-on, Mac, even the Mastercraft Maxximums are decent (get those at Canadian Tire)

spend a little more, get a flaring kit, both bubble and regular double flare, spend some time, practice making them, it may take a bit to get the hang of it. but there is nothing better then braking something like that at the track and being able to repair it within 30 minutes and keep going.

[lolcantturn]

Ghetto.. not too proud of it. Should've gotten a shorter hard line (they come pre-flared which is awesome). Will be redoing it (along with all the lines) once I get access to a lift ;)

[Click]

Year flare nut wrenches are absolutely essential for brake line work. You need to get a grip on all six sides to tighten them down enough properly without rounding them and also for taking said super tight fittings off.

[lolcantturn]

Are you using one of these?

I've actually never seen that tool before...thinking about it now, I have about 3 7/16ths and I could have used the trusty old dremel to make something that looked like that.
I guess there's always (but hopefully not) a next time :(

Since you stripped the old nut just cut the line and get a pair of small vise grips on it. Replace both flare nuts with a new hard line and call it a day.

I do this crap unfortunately alot more often than id like, i'll have cars (old shit boxes) come into the shop just for service and all of a sudden a line will just blow just my luck I guess lol

Jared

Yeah I'm just going to screw the hard line and its fitting to a new SS line and just leave it hanging somewhere there. I'll eventually find a place to mount it once I replace all the lines.
And godspeed..I honestly can't imagine this getting any simplier or easier the 2nd, or even 5th time.

[IveGotIssues666]

Since you stripped the old nut just cut the line and get a pair of small vise grips on it. Replace both flare nuts with a new hard line and call it a day.

I do this crap unfortunately alot more often than id like, i'll have cars (old shit boxes) come into the shop just for service and all of a sudden a line will just blow just my luck I guess lol

Jared

[Click]

I tried loosening the line on the T-fitting, but it seemed damn near impossible. I kind of stripped it

Are you using one of these?

[lolcantturn]

Use a set of brake line cutters to cut it, you don't want sparks flying and possibly igniting the brake fluid (it has a high flash point but it's possible) or run the risk of cutting something else.

And honestly, as much as it sucks and you don't want to do it, that line that comes from the front needs to be changed too. Judging by how it looks in that picture above it only has a few months of life left before it too blows. I'm sure the line running to the right side caliper isn't too pretty either.

So true. You will be beyond pissed when you have to go back in a few weeks/months to do this all over again.

I called up a friend with a lift. I'm doing the necessary brake line now, but in probably 2 weeks before my first track session starts, I'm going to get all copper lines all around. I'm definately not going to do this without a lift as I'll drive myself mad.

pic if it helps

Thanks man!


I didn't get much done today. I took the line off of the T with it's fitting, which I thought would be the most difficult part. But it wasn't. I struggled for a good 2 hours trying to take out the other hard line fitting to no avail. It stripped because the subframe doesn't allow you to really get your wrench against it "flat." Tried vice grips to no avail.
So I ended up cutting the hard line and rubber line and placing an order with Blunt for a new SS line. I'm just going to reroute it and secure it in place some how.

[KVF]

Use a set of brake line cutters to cut it, you don't want sparks flying and possibly igniting the brake fluid (it has a high flash point but it's possible) or run the risk of cutting something else.

And honestly, as much as it sucks and you don't want to do it, that line that comes from the front needs to be changed too. Judging by how it looks in that picture above it only has a few months of life left before it too blows. I'm sure the line running to the right side caliper isn't too pretty either.

So true. You will be beyond pissed when you have to go back in a few weeks/months to do this all over again.

[samiam3356]

pic if it helps

[E30SPDFRK]

Use a set of brake line cutters to cut it, you don't want sparks flying and possibly igniting the brake fluid (it has a high flash point but it's possible) or run the risk of cutting something else.

And honestly, as much as it sucks and you don't want to do it, that line that comes from the front needs to be changed too. Judging by how it looks in that picture above it only has a few months of life left before it too blows. I'm sure the line running to the right side caliper isn't too pretty either.

[LJ851]

Does anyone know if this is wise to do?

if you are going to replace the line anyway it shouldnt hurt much.

[lolcantturn]

Or should I just cut the hard line with a dremel and use a 10mm socket and remove it?

Does anyone know if this is wise to do?

[lolcantturn]

Glad to hear it is the easier line, but I still advocate dropping the sub and replacing all that crap. Its just too easy to tweak one of the other lines while your trying to free one line from that old fitting. Either way good luck. Also, 11mm is the same as 7/16, which is why you'll never find an 11mm brake line wrench. Grab a 7/16th if you don't already have one and have at it. Again, good luck!

I'll drop the subframe if I really have to, but for now, everything seems to be going fine.
I got the hardline off the mount that's all the way in the back, the really hard to reach mount. I tried loosening the line on the T-fitting, but it seemed damn near impossible. I kind of stripped it, and resorted to vice grips, but it's hard to reach in there. I'm going to try and get a BFP (big fucking plier) in there to loosen it. Or should I just cut the hard line with a dremel and use a 10mm socket and remove it?

[KVF]

Glad to hear it is the easier line, but I still advocate dropping the sub and replacing all that crap. Its just too easy to tweak one of the other lines while your trying to free one line from that old fitting. Either way good luck. Also, 11mm is the same as 7/16, which is why you'll never find an 11mm brake line wrench. Grab a 7/16th if you don't already have one and have at it. Again, good luck!

[lolcantturn]

Unfortunately, that does appear to be the long line that comes from the front of the car. Getting it off the t fitting is the easy part. That line appears heavily rusted, and once you start tracing it, you'll find it does not section off; it runs all the way up the ds fender into the bottom off some sort of plunger type connection. Replacing that line separates the men from the boys! Hopefully I'm wrong and the line in question just leads to you trailing arm rubber lines, but I'm pretty sure I'm correct. Good luck!

Its actually the line that goes to the trailing arm. It honestly beats me why BMW would put the mount so far back from the T fitting, where the hard meets the rubber line. I don't know how I'm going to reach that. The worst part is is that these fittings are ELEVEN millimeters! They couldn't make it 10 or 12? wahhh. I'm also a tad claustrophobic so this is even worse haha