The brakes are driving me nuts!!! Help!

[dat240zg]

This has me pulling out the last 2 hairs on my head!!! All of the brake parts on the car are brand new - the power booster, the M/C, the brake distribution block, the lines, the hoses and the calipers.

 

The M/C has been bench bled, the lines are all tight, and I've been working at bleeding the calipers. Problem is, I have leaks at one of the front calipers and at the brake distribution block on the side of the engine bay. I have taken the lines off and checked the threads and there is no sign of damage.

 

Also, I should mention that the power booster is not hooked up to the motor, so no vacuum. When bleeding, at first I get no pedal, and then after a good while, the pedal begins to not return the whole way(!?).

 

What in the wide wide world of sports is going on? Anyone have any thoughts????

 

Until then, I'll go back to banging my head!!!!

 

Bryan

[blueovalz]

Did you flare the new lines or were they OEM replacements? I ask because sometimes when one flares a tube, the end will split and cause a leak. At the caliper...Did you make sure the copper washers were inserted between the hose and the caliper? That's all I could come up with for the leaks.

[dat240zg]

Terry: The lines were OEM replacement, (although I'm beginning to wonder if they're the problem). I'm heading back out to the garage to check for the copper washers - I guess that it's possible that I could have overlooked them.

 

Thanks.

 

Bryan

[JMortensen]

At the caliper...Did you make sure the copper washers were inserted between the hose and the caliper?

Copper washers??? I haven't seen stock brake lines in a long time, but I was pretty sure that its just a bubble flare and uses no copper washers. I think you would see copper washers with a banjo type fitting.

 

If the lines are leaking at the fittings and they're tight it's probably a bad flare. You might have to get a flare tool and learn how to use it. The trick for me was figuring out to chamfer the inside of the tube before you flare it. You can use a chamfer tool in a drill. I used a very large drill bit last time I had to flare some lines because I didn't have a chamfer bit on hand.

[dat240zg]

Thanks guys. I'm kind of baffled on this one. I was careful when installing the lines, the fittings are tight, but not so tight that they would damage threads. I believe that I've covered all the bases, but still the leaks?

 

One thing that is weird is that the booster is new, but the hose is not connected to the LT1 or the check valve. Still after pumping the brakes (to bleed) the pedal responds like there is a buildup of vacuum that is not allowing the pedal to return the whole way.

 

Does this sound weird to anyone else?

 

Bryan

[z-ya]

Sounds like something might be binding in the pedal mechanism, booster or the MC. Disconnect the pedal from the booster and see if it moves freely.

[280Z Turbo]

Yeah, there are no copper washers at the brake lines on an S30.

 

They have inverted flare fittings (not bubble flare). You can pick up some Japanese metric replacement brake line at any local auto parts store in various lengths and bend it yourself.

[blueovalz]

I may be confused with all of the brake work I've done. I was thinking that there was a copper washer between the caliper and the fitting that screws into it, but now I remember that the rubber hose does not connect directly to the caliper on the S30. My bad.

[jonnymrp]

double flare in bubble flare will leak. and vise versa????

 

jon...

[bjhines]

Ahhh HAAAAA!!!!

 

American: double flare, 45 degree, with SAE 3/8"-24 threads.

German: Bubble flare, with metric 10mm-1.25 threads.

Japanese: double flare, 45degree, with metric 10mm-1.0 threads.

Brittish: Bubble flare, SAE 3/8"-24 threads.

 

I am picking up a really nice flaring tool TODAY, to do my brake plumbing.

I am using a combination of Japanese and American fittings all with DOUBLE FLARE 45degree on 3/16" tubing. There are even some AN-3 sized 37degree fittings involved in my brake system(flexible hoses).

 

OK. This is where I have been highly dissapointed with some of the major name-brand suppliers.

NAPA, Carquest, Parts-Plus all carry a limited selection of American-SAE(double flare) type brake fittings. They also carry a few pieces of German, metric, Bubble-flare fittings. You can forget about Japanese double flare fittings from these suppliers. I could care less about the Brittish bubble flares but they are not available either.

Autozone carries the whole selection with very nice teflon coated tubing for wear and corrosion resistance. Autozone has ALL the different types and sizes of brake fittings. I LOVE Autozone!!!!

 

What the 4uck are the other parts stores thinking. There are enough Japanese cars on the roads to warrant carrying that fitting size. I am done with local suppliers after this experience. Autozone is the only place I will ever step foot in again. It is either Autozone or Mail-order from now on.

 

I have not set foot in a Nissan dealer in 5 years. I don't even bother looking them up online either. Screw the Nissan dealers and their overpriced crap too.

[MrFancypants]

double flare in bubble flare will leak. and vise versa????

 

Absolutely. There are no bubble flares on an S30. It's very easy to tell just by looking at the female side (e.g. caliper, mc). If there's a "hump" in the middle of the mating surface, it's not a bubble flare.

 

 

- Greg -