ZT Brake Pipes
 

Dear All
Having spent 40 minutes under my car while Tony Banks kindly fixed my cat, I had a good look at the underside of my car. The brake pipes running the length of the car look pretty grotty to me. Does anyone make a brake pipe kit for our cars. I understand that one of the brake pipes goes over the top of the fuel tank!!!
Has anyone used the services of a good garage and has them replaced??
I look forward of hearing from you and very best wishes,
Bob Walker

Hi Bob, the brake pipes are easy enough for a garage, just drop the tank down and rest it on the exhaust (always good to have minimal fuel in)

This will allow enough room for the mechanic to get in to replace the pipes that go over the tank.

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Hi Bob,

When mine failed it was where they were held in a supporting clip. My guess is that the inability of rainwater to drain away was responsible. Also a grotty appearance can be superficial so I'd recommend that you carefully pop the pipes out of their clips (which are likely to break but they're replaceable) and rub down with abrasive paper. You'll then be able to assess their condition properly, paying particular attention to the sections which were held in the clips. It may well be that some anti-rust primer and a coat of stonechip paint will give them a new lease of life. :}

The pipes over the fuel tank are protected from rainwater, salt, dirt and impact so they're never going to corrode. I left mine alone and joined the new pipes to them. Having helped another member last week to lower his fuel tank I'm glad that I did!

Simon

Hi Bob

If they are looking a bit corroded it is far more sensible to have them replaced which is quite a simple job that most garages could do for you but as Trikey said better if fuel tank is low

To rub them down not knowing how deep the corrosion is and covering up is not a good idea

Dave

Not only that Dave but they can corrode around the fuel tank area even if Simon's didn't.
Easy enough to replace yourself if you are handy with the spanners. I bought a Sykes Pickavant flaring kit years ago and it has paid for itself time and again. Use Kunifer pipe and the repair will outlast the car.














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One thing to be aware of is bleeding the brakes after a pipe change and using the opportunity for a total fluid change.


Bleeding them conventionally, the old ' pedal up, down, hold ' should not cause any problems if done correctly, nor should using such as an ' eazybleed ' system, as long as the advisory pressure is adhered to, likewise vacuum bleeding.


A word of caution when using a garage to do brake work, any good garage should be able to do a 100% job, however, there have been a few horror stories, the most recent being where a garage power-bled a system with pressure far in excess of that required, resulting, from memory, several unsuccessful attempts at bleeding due to damage caused to the master cyl and a new one was required.


As Mike Noc says, Kunifer, though slightly more expensive than steel, is well worth using for reasons other than its excellent corrosion resistance.


It is so malleable that forming flares is so easy, not only that, it is so easy to bend by hand, though one of the many brake pipe bending tools / pliers make really professional bends, meaning that, in the case of pipes going over tanks or other obscure places, it is in many cases simplicity itself to re-route pipework, as long as there is no chance of it being subject to chafing anywhere, and that it be secured throughout its new route with sufficient pipe clips to prevent vibration of any section, to prevent work hardening.

Thank you!
 

Thank you for the advice, it will give me something to do in my holidays!!
Best wishes to all,
Bob

As others have said renew with Kunifer , If tackling the job yourself Make up some plugs to cap the ends of the pipe that leads back to the abs unit to stop fluid leaking out while you have the brake pipe removed . This will stop you draining the the master cylinder and entraining air into the system and abs unit, which can then lead to problems and possibly needing the use of T4 to bleed the air from the abs unit