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Hi all. So, I went to drive my '87 4Runner yesterday and found I had almost no brakes at all. Turn's out somebody apparently decided they needed one of my front brake lines more than I did, so they took it... I'm having trouble finding a replacement, and was wondering if anyone could offer any advice.
It's on the front right (or rather, it isn't anymore...) The connectors where it would attach are both female, threaded connectors, which appear to be identical to each other. I can thread a #10 metric bolt into either of them for two or three turns by hand, but then it stops.
Here's where the part ought to be:
Here's one of the connectors:
and here's an image I found on the internet, which I *think* shows what the part ought to look like:
Can anyone point me to where I can buy the part or a suitable replacement, or even just give me some pointers on what to call it when I'm searching for it? Thanks!
Or, if you pull into an auto parts store, a brake hardline, metric, M10x1.0, about 10" long. It can be bent (gently) by hand, or a standard pipe/tube bender.
My condolances.
Hard to believe someone would take the time, and bring the wrench, to steal ONE brake line. Usually crooks just rip out the part and run.
You won't get a regular bolt to screw into the fittings. They use tapered fittings, both sides, on brake lines. In fact, I know engineers that design hydraulic systems use the same kind of fittings on almost every hydraulic system. Even aircraft hydraulic systems use them. I used to work on F-4 Phantoms.
Heck, we had a ton of hydraulic systems at my last work, and I saw fittings like those everywhere. Even on the big, heavy duty, hyd lines.
Tube nuts are different than sealing threads (NPT). These are tube nuts, so the mating surface is the tube flare, not the threads. The threads don't need to taper because there would be the chance that they bottom out before the tube is fully seated and sealed. Because metric stuff tends to be the same across fasteners, an m10x1.0 bolt should (and did) thread into the female end.
A very strange thing for someone to steal, and I'm sorry it happened to you.
Irab is correct on all accounts. The auto parts store option is probably your best bet for a cheap and fast replacement.
A "regular" M10 bolt for our trucks will be a M10x1.25 bolt. It will only go in a turn or two until it stops because the pitch is wrong. The brake fittings are all M10x1.0, a straight thread, not tapered. The seal interface is at the flare. The threads have nothing to do with the seal besides applying the clamping force. The driveshaft bolts are also M10x1.0 and will thread into brake fittings perfectly fine.
Thanks everyone, very helpful advice! I wasted way too much time looking for the actual part but apparently it's been discontinued, and I couldn't get it anywhere. (I even managed to order one from a place in Florida, but then it turned out they didn't really have it after all. Still waiting for them to send my money back...) So I went with a 12" brake hardline, metric, M10x1.0, from an auto parts store, and bent it to shape myself. Turned out to be much easier to do than I expected, actually.
Nice bend job! Did you use a soda can to get the right diameter? Just curious.
It doesn't rub up at the top there, does it? It looks like it might rub right where it starts the first coil...
Thanks! I used a tube bender that I picked up at a local auto parts place for about $17, and just my hands. Actually, I think using a can of some kind probably would have worked just as well though, maybe even better. The tube bender was of limited help, given the short length and the tightness of the bends. It doesn't rub, but it is pretty close...
My lovely wife just missed out on the final test to become a licensed A&P (Airframes and Powerplants) mechanic before we met. It helped that her father was the teacher of the class
Anywho, part of the whole course was making hydraulic lines like that one. She says that soda cans, full to give them strength, are just the right size for making curves, coils, and so forth in lines around that size. No kinks, no crimps, etc. Yeah, there are jigs out for that sort of thing, but heck, a soda is a lot cheaper than a jig Or than a pipe bender, even LOL!
AND, you can drink it when you get done! Note that beer cans are a suitable substitute for soda
Still, looks good! I would keep an eye where it runs close to the frame, or whatever it is. Just to be safe. Take it out bumping and bouncing off road for a few miles, just to be sure. Trucks can flex in odd ways off road. Just me, though.
Apr 23, 2021 | 01:15 PM
