1 small and 1 long line has rusted through. can anyone who has access to the search function do a serach for this? shops want 120-180 for a line installed. has anyone did this themselves? there seem to be 5 lines running along under the driver side. i was told that 2 of them are brake lines and the rest 3 are fuel line is this true? can anyone who done this share their expirience.

 

from working on my mustangs brakes.... bending new lines and such, I'd say for 2 lines that almost seems worth it. I dont want to mess with hard lines ever again (unless its small).

you'll need a tubing bender that should cost less than $10. you will probably also need a double flare tool, again not that expensive.

 

what he said...

they're NOT fun, and I only recommend attempting it if you're well-versed in tubing bending/cutting and brake repairs. One of those deals that if you have to ask questions about it, it would probably be best to take it to a shop and let them deal with the liability issues.

for what's invovled, just remove the old lines, bend up new ones, install. it's not terribly difficult on the brain end of things, but it is a pain to get everything to fit right.

 

thanks for the suggestions guess i will take to the shop.

 

You'll never be able to just bend up some brake lines and have them come close to fitting like the originals. These lines run from the front of the firewall to the rear of the car in one piece - no sections.

These five lines will corrode right under the drivers seat underneath the plastic stone/mud guard. During the winter months, this is where allot of salt gathers. It's just a matter of time before they corrode through.

Mine went under braking pressure as I was stopping. Not a good feeling! I was able to pump them and still stop. Had to temporarily disconnect the rear brakes until I bought new NISSAN lines and had them installed by NISSAN. Only one had actually corroded through, but the rest did not look very good.

Parts cost about $120 for all five lines (2 brake / 3 fuel). They have many bends to them - up/down/sideways, you name it.

Repair shops cannot by law just cut out the corroded section (which is probably just the area under the mud guard, about 3 feet) and put in a piece using compression type fittings. This doesn't mean the owner can't, but I wouldn't recommend it.

You really need a lift to get under the car. Parts of the left front suspension needs to be removed (lower arm, etc.). These parts are hard to fit even using OEM parts.

My local dealer charged me 3 hours labor to install even though he said that it actually took longer. I talked to him before bringing it in and he had to do this recently for another customer and using his bill (pipes plus some other stuff) he said three hours. He kept his word. I gladly paid him $180 or so. I couldn't have done this one myself.

Bottom line, buy the parts from NISSAN and talk to your dealer. It is not an easy job.

I also left the mud guard off afterwards. I did spray some high quality undercoating on the pipes, right over whatever the dealer sprayed on.

By the way, I did post about this quite some time ago, but it didn't seem to attract much attention. Either there are not allot of snow country drivers who still drive an older Max or all the southern drivers never expierence this problem.

Good luck,
Tim

 

It's definitely not a fun job, I'll agree with you there. As for making them yourself and getting them to fit, it's something a skilled person can do. (I've done 4 years of work with high pressure 1/4" stainless line. I'm very adept at bending, coupling, and sealing that stuff.)

would I recommend this as a garage DIY job? HECK NO!
If it were my car in my garage? Sure. (I don't take anything to a mechanic unless it requires expensive equipment I don't have. )

 

I had the same problem with rusted brake lines. Mostly likely gas lines (other 3 lines) are rusty too. If you replace just 2 lines - shop's warranty wouldn't cover the other ones. And it is impossible to do job without moving them.

From my experience: I had 2 lines replaced and 1-2 month later gas lines started to leak too ...

Tip: replace all lines together and ask for a discount or something

 

I just dont like doing it because it sucks, but if it has to be done on my car, it has to be done.

Besides the maxima appears to be easier than the Mustang was because you dont have to install then uninstall to tweak it, over and over and over again (threw a small hole), and yes I lined it up to the one I took off, but still.

 

yes i have the same story as you klymkow. i lost pressure as i was entering the highway of the speed ramp luckly there was traffic and i was moving aroung 10mph. after adding fluid and pumping i got some pressure and drove home. yup i have the same spot under the plastic guard all 4 line seem completly rusted the last 1 seem almost new. i guess that 1 has fuel fumes and not fluid running through. and how do you "temporarily disconnect the rear brakes" as this would save the towing fee as front brakes seem fine. can you explain how this can be done?

 

since the rear lines are going to be thrown away anyway, you can just cut them before the messed up parts and crimp the ends shut.
smash it down, fold it over, smash it down again. shouldn't leak after that.

 

"since the rear lines are going to be thrown away anyway, you can just cut them before the messed up parts and crimp the ends shut.
smash it down, fold it over, smash it down again. shouldn't leak after that."

could i just plug the holes at the actuator i think thats what its called right? in the shop manual diagram shows lines from master cylinder going to the actuator?

 

I havent really looked at the maximas brakes, but thats probably a distrobution block, that or the abs your talking about.

you could disconnect it and plug it there, but it would probably be easier (and safer for the paint) to just use Matts method.

 

I did this at the small distribution block that is located just to the side of the brake cylinder and slightly below. I believe the output is on the right side as you face it. Either buy a piece of brake line with the proper fitting - 2 pieces, or try to cut what is already there about 2" from the fitting (difficult to get at). I believe I actually put a golf tee into the flared end and cut it off flush along with cripping the hose over a few times and flattening it. The tee actually provides a good seal as it wedges itself into the fitting and stays there under pressure.

WARNING: The car will NOT stop the same with only the front brakes! Drive much more carefully and slower as a quick stop may be difficult. I only have to drive back and forth to work which for me is only about 6 miles total.

Tim

 

[QUOTE=Matt93SE]It's definitely not a fun job, I'll agree with you there. As for making them yourself and getting them to fit, it's something a skilled person can do. (I've done 4 years of work with high pressure 1/4" stainless line. I'm very adept at bending, coupling, and sealing that stuff.)

With your experience, yeah, you probably could make them up properly. However, how much is your time worth? It would take a fair about of time to bend up 5 pipes correctly plus material cost. You can buy all five for about $120 (that was 3 yrs ago).

I'm with you, I never bring my car in to a garage unless I absolutely cannot do it myself for some reason. In this case, after I bought the pipes and started to lay out the plan of attack I realized that I could not accomplish this task in my driveway without having a lift to get under the car in order to handle/move the pipes in different angles.

To me it was worth the $180 to have them installed.

Tim

 

i see that you have 1990 maxima i guess it doesnt have the abs. i got 92 and i think the distribution block is on the passanger side. would a 10mm bolt screw in place of the fitting, or the they have unique thread? also should i disconect the abs connectors or it doesnt matter.

 

No ABS on my Max. A screw might damage the beveled edge inside the block and the new brake line fitting may not seal correctly because of it.

Can't answer your question regarding the ABS connectors since I'm not familiar with the ABS system.

Tim

 

ok thank for the answers.