Rep Power: 0

The long short of this post: I’ve spent a lot of time and money trying to replace my brake lines and keep running into problems. Looking for advice to make the repair easier or if I should cut my losses and sell as-is. See below for details.

I am hoping someone will be able to steer me in the right direction with replacing the brake lines on my '02 Civic. I am also new to working on cars.

I recently bought this car as a project, knowing that at least one brake line had to be replaced. I found that all of the lines had to be replaced as they were all very corroded in some spots. I went through an ordeal of figuring out line flares/length/bends but eventually got all lines installed.

Rundown of the process I used: I bought pre-flared bubble flare lines from the parts store but ended up cutting off one end and re-flaring it using a metric bubble flare tool I bought on Amazon (I did this because the lines were only sold in certain increments). Because the flare tool was metric, it didn't fit the 3/16 pipe perfect so I had to file down some metal where there was a gap in the die so the bolt would sit flat on the flare. I installed the new rear lines using a union underneath the car.

Before installing the lines, I removed the master cylinder and thoroughly washed it out with water/bled it with water (there was a large amount of buildup in the reservoir). I let the master cylinder dry by letting it sit in the sun for a few hours turned over in a few different positions. I reinstalled the master cylinder and bled it with brake fluid by bending some lines up into the reservoir.

I immediately noticed a substantial leak on one of my unions under the car. I cut off the existing flare and re-flared it. After doing so there did not appear to be a leak.

Thinking that I was good to go, I began the bleeding process for each wheel. I opened the right rear bleeder valve and had someone pump the brakes for me: I was surprised when I saw only one or two air bubbles come out and a very slow flow of fluid. When I moved to the rear left, the flaring wrench I had was too large to fit in the working area so I moved to the front right. There was much more rust on the front bleeder valves so I shot them with some penetrant but still ended up breaking the cheap flaring wrench I was using. I used a better wrench and ended up snapping the top of the bleeder valve off.

After this, I noticed another leak on the same line as before, only not as severe. Depressing the brake pedal also did not give any resistance, only the resistance from the springs in the master cylinder.

Pain points:

1. I am using a jack and stands that only give me about 4" to work on the unions while I'm under the car. I also have ramps that give me a few more inches of clearance but it is still very difficult to work.
2. Leak at one of the unions.
3. Flaring underneath the vehicle is less than ideal.
4. Flares don't seem to come out perfect with the tool I'm using (hence the filing).
5. Snapped bleeder valve.
6. I frequently have an issue starting the threading of bolts into the proportioning valve.

Is there any way I can make this easier on myself? I've already put a lot of time and money into this project and would ultimately like to get it working (without spending a lot more). I would appreciate any help/advice, even if that advice is to cut my losses and sell it to someone who is more abled to repair it.

Thanks!

 
Rep Power: 221

Buy a roll of the correct size copper/nickel tubing and redo at least that line, you may find more leakers. Every connection you add is a another failure point. You shouldn't have to file the lines to use the flare tool. If you break the bleeder you can bleed where the line connection is, however wheel cylinders are cheap and the calipers are pretty cheap as well. New hoses are a good idea as well

Gravity bleeding is also your friend when doing an entire line replacement, just make sure you keep the master topped up