Tuning Seicento brake lines

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Tuning Seicento brake lines

EdwardHooper

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Last night I was changing my discs and pads in my sei sx I pushed the piston back and it started to drip out brake fluid from the brake line

So I was just wondering if they are easy to change and bleed?

Cheers
 
Actually from the brake line, or dribbling from above i.e. the reservoir.

Pushing the fluid back means it has to go somewhere.

If it is a failure of the flexi...

Get a penetrating fluid and start applying it at hourly intervals to the nipple and the hardline join for a couple of days. You might then get them off without breaking them.

D
 
Actually from the brake line, or dribbling from above i.e. the reservoir.



Pushing the fluid back means it has to go somewhere.



If it is a failure of the flexi...



Get a penetrating fluid and start applying it at hourly intervals to the nipple and the hardline join for a couple of days. You might then get them off without breaking them.



D[/QUOTE

No it’s the actual brake line that goes up the back of the wheel well
 
Where is the fluid coming from?

If you pushed the piston back, that would push fluid back into the master cylinder (on the bulkhead above the gearbox) which, if you had the lid off the reservoir, could overflow the reservoir and run down the outside of the master cylinder and follow the metal brake line so that it dripped inside the wheel arch.

Make sure it's a leak and not a "spill".

If it's a split pipe somehow (though I'm not sure why it didn't leak when you pressed the brake pedal, rather than just pushing back the piston, which is a much less powerful force) then you need a new pipe.

New pipes are impossible to get hold of, so you will need to remove the old one and bring it somewhere to get made.

The old one will also be impossible to separate from the flexible hose (despite however much penetrating oil you use) since as you turn the nut, the metal hose will twist and collapse - there's no way back - so you will need a new flexi' hose too.

If the flexi-hose is split, then "as above" for the very same reasons.

The good news is that even if you fit a new pipe and flexi' hose, the brakes are dead simple to bleed (no ABS) or "slightly tedious" (ABS). Use a pressure bleeder to avoid pumping the pedal too much, since the master cylinder isn't used to a long brake pedal travel and occasionally the seals go walkabout and there's no easy way to fix it. If you have to pump the pedal, then use short strokes or slow strokes so that the master cylinder seals don't twist.


Ralf S.
 
Last edited:
Where is the fluid coming from?

If you pushed the piston back, that would push fluid back into the master cylinder (on the bulkhead above the gearbox) which, if you had the lid off the reservoir, could overflow the reservoir and run down the outside of the master cylinder and follow the metal brake line so that it dripped inside the wheel arch.

Make sure it's a leak and not a "spill".

If it's a split pipe somehow (though I'm not sure why it didn't leak when you pressed the brake pedal, rather than just pushing back the piston, which is a much less powerful force) then you need a new pipe.

New pipes are impossible to get hold of, so you will need to remove the old one and bring it somewhere to get made.

The old one will also be impossible to separate from the flexible hose (despite however much penetrating oil you use) since as you turn the nut, the metal hose will twist and collapse - there's no way back - so you will need a new flexi' hose too.

If the flexi-hose is split, then "as above" for the very same reasons.

The good news is that even if you fit a new pipe and flexi' hose, the brakes are dead simple to bleed (no ABS) or "slightly tedious" (ABS). Use a pressure bleeder to avoid pumping the pedal too much, since the master cylinder isn't used to a long brake pedal travel and occasionally the seals go walkabout and there's no easy way to fix it. If you have to pump the pedal, then use short strokes or slow strokes so that the master cylinder seals don't twist.


Ralf S.



Thank you very much this is very very helpful, after further inspection the brake lines have actually corroded to the point it was splitting in various places so I will need to get new brake lines bent to shape which is no problem as my friend (a mechanic) has a machine that can do it for me so that isn’t a problem, going about sourcing a flexi hose is it easy to find? Or will I be able to get the pipe out of it?

Many thanks
 
Flexi hoses are easy to find on eBay or from Eurocarparts etc. You should have change from £20.

If your metal hose is wrecked and you can take it off the car then that might make it easier to detach the old flexi hose from it but from experience it’ll be so rusted that even if you can separate it, the metal fitting on the end will be chewed up and nasty.

For the extra few quid I would fit a new one... you won’t then have to change it ever again.

Ralf S.
 
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