A Simple Brakeline Question, Oh Gurus

ScallyWagScallyWag Wagonist
in Suspension, Braking & Wheels
Replaced my RT4WD's alternator, and lemme tell ya, it's a toight (like a "toiger") squeeze... Searched HCW and debated pulling it out via top or bottom.... went top side and made space by removing my master cylinder from the booster (two nuts) but left brakelines attached to resevoir (no leaks, no bleed) then GENTLY pulled the resevoir outta the way... Removing the plastic shield from under the FL corner of the car is a must for access to the back end of the alternator mounting bolt... Took about 2hrs at a lazy pace and with the learning curve...

My only problem is the little white plastic "loom" which keeps the 3 brakelines seperate and paralell (located on the firewall) popped off, and now the lines are touching and all akimbo...

Question: Am I tempting Death leaving it as is? I've heard the old wives tales about rubbing lines, leaks and tragedy, but getting the lines back into the loom seems impossible without detaching one end of the brakelines to release the tension they're under... and then bleeding the brakes, yada yada yada, pain in the ass

I would like to come back from Deadman's Curve :lol:

Comments

  • bam-bambam-bam Council Member
    It would be nice to have them back in their little clips, but I wouldn't fret too much over it. I take that back- YOU shouldn't fret.
    I, on the other hand, would pull the engine out to fix some dumb shit like that, but I'm a freako sometimes
  • JakerJaker familEE
    Just put some bits of rubber tubing around the lines in the area where the clip was, and then secure them together around the rubber tubing with a couple zip ties.

    Did you go the new (rebuilt) alternator route, or just change the brushes?
  • ScallyWagScallyWag Wagonist
    bam-bam wrote:
    It would be nice to have them back in their little clips, but I wouldn't fret too much over it. I take that back- YOU shouldn't fret.
    I, on the other hand, would pull the engine out to fix some dumb shit like that, but I'm a freako sometimes

    :lol: I'm a bit of a grammar-nazi myself :oops: ... I'll re-edit some of my posts like 6 times as I notice little errors and correct them :oops:
    Jaker wrote:
    Just put some bits of rubber tubing around the lines in the area where the clip was, and then secure them together around the rubber tubing with a couple zip ties.

    Did you go the new (rebuilt) alternator route, or just change the brushes?

    Thanks for the tip! I'll try that...
    I got a rebuilt alternator for $150... My brushes were still within tolerance... Besides getting it in/out was such a pain I would hate to re-mount it with just a brush job and find out the problem lay elsewhere in another internal component...

    My " $mechanic$ " wanted $185 for the alternator + $70 for labour! Glad I did it myself. :D
  • BrakeExpertBrakeExpert New Wagonist
    If you are refering to the brake hardlines, they are fine. They are very solidly made, as they are metal with special paint on em so they don't rust.

    Here's a fun story. I intentionally wrapped the SOFTLINE (not hardline) around my axle because I was testing to see how much torture a honda brake hose could take. My axles were already nice and warm before I set out, this was a hot summer day. It took over 6 miles before the wearing made a hole in em.

    Moral of the story: Honda brake hoses are relatively durable. So no, hardlines aren't gonna die by minor vibration of rubbing on each other. If you want to be 100% sure, get a little electrical tape around each and tape em loosely together. Dampening issue solved. But make sure its good electrical tape, like the 3M stuff, not a 1$ generic brand. Whatever OEM electrical tape Honda uses like for door harnesses is good ass cheese!
Sign In or Register to comment.

© Vanilla Keystone Theme 2025