Wrenchin... Adventures under the hood... Put em here.

[Obstruction]

Vice grips -- the fat girl of the tool bag. You know you're going home with her so why dance around with all of those other bitches first.

At least that the story of my parallel struggle with a rotted brake line in an aged pick up today here on the opposite coast from Alpy.

Identified the leak in the 8 foot length of hard line from the front junction to the rear axle (where it splits to the right and left wheels. Its facked and had already been butchered with a couple of compression fittings by the previous owner. So I get it set up on jack stands and dose up the junction with a flex line on the axle end with PB blaster and wait while. I'm sort of desperate to get this apart because I'm envision having to change every line on the son of a bitch if I can't break this joint apart.

So Then I go at it with my flared wrenches for a while. That was a nice warm up. So then I cut the line and jam a six point socket on it (backing it with the flared wrench). Thanks for playing. On to plan V, the vise grips. Finally I get a little something going, making 1/32 turns and resetting. Half an hour later I get my nut off (so to speak). And I guiltily stuff the vise grips back in my tool bag before any of my friends can catch me with them.

[gravitylover]

Doesn't rust, easier to bend and to flare. Costs a little more than steel but seems like it's going to be worth it.

Good luck with the resuscitating the Outback. Our 07 still running pretty well at 140k. But get ready to do the timing belt after it's up and running. Going much past 100k is really pushing your luck.

The gas could be a little past it too. But I'd defer to someone with a little more knowledge on that issue. Norseman?

We actually did the timing belt last fall just before the brake lines crapped out so should be good there. Yeah this thing runs well but looks like it's been through the wringer, suburban parking lots and such...

Yeah.

Before you start it, check the oil level, then pull the fuse(s) for the ignition and crank it with a few 10 second bursts to get oil back into the heads and mains.

Likely that besides the flexible brake lines that you'll need to replace (+ full bleed), the rotors will have a lot of surface rust and will make a horrible sound (and might not stop that well). If they look bad, I'd just replace those and throw in some new pads to complete the brake job.

Coolant level, power steering fluid. Clean the mice out of the air filter and maybe the cabin filter, too.

Yup cranked it that way after it sat all last winter before starting it back up. I ran the gas down to when the light kicked on then put a fresh gallon in. I do pull it out occasionally and run it up and down the street at night (unregistered and the brakes don't work too well so I don't want to take it any further than on my dead end) and will drag the brakes down the hill to clean the rotors. Fluids appear ok but I can't imagine they're any good anymore so when I put it back on the road I'll change them out before imparting too much confidence in their ability to lubricate and cool things well. I didn't think of the filters, good idea.

[2FUNKY]

That rubber tube is the axle vent line. Notice how it is routed up towards the bed. That clamp will more than suffice. The other lines are brake main supply then caliper supply lines. Don’t need a friend to bleed. Fill a mason jar about 2” from the bottom. Route clear hose from bleed valve on wheel caliper. Open bleed valve a couple turns. Open main reservoir on master cylinder under hood. Fill it up. Pump brake. Check master reservoir, top off. When the wheel you are working on has clean fluid with no bubbles in the tube, tighten bleed valve. Go to next wheel and so on. Should take about an hour to complete.

Edit: see others already mentioned the axle vent. Also thought you found the source of the leak? If not that’s first then repair that then Bleed them.

Norsemans Seafoam suggestion on the fuel issue is spot on. Once you run that tank, put 5 gals of fresh to another full can of seafoam and run that tank down. Fill tank with new fuel.

[Djongo Unchained]

*** KROIL

*** SEAFOAM

Mechanical lifesavers.

I'm laughing at the wrenching plan of attack - ' this better work because this shits gonna get extra real if it doesn't '.

Avoid plan B.

I didn't think that was a brake line so 2Funky's got it dialed for ya.

Buncha damn mechanics over here, cool. Any TDI wrenchers?

[highangle]

Vice grips -- the fat girl of the tool bag. You know you're going home with her so why dance around with all of those other bitches first.

At least that the story of my parallel struggle with a rotted brake line in an aged pick up today here on the opposite coast from Alpy.

Identified the leak in the 8 foot length of hard line from the front junction to the rear axle (where it splits to the right and left wheels. Its facked and had already been butchered with a couple of compression fittings by the previous owner. So I get it set up on jack stands and dose up the junction with a flex line on the axle end with PB blaster and wait while. I'm sort of desperate to get this apart because I'm envision having to change every line on the son of a bitch if I can't break this joint apart.

So Then I go at it with my flared wrenches for a while. That was a nice warm up. So then I cut the line and jam a six point socket on it (backing it with the flared wrench). Thanks for playing. On to plan V, the vise grips. Finally I get a little something going, making 1/32 turns and resetting. Half an hour later I get my nut off (so to speak). And I guiltily stuff the vise grips back in my tool bag before any of my friends can catch me with them.

POTD!

[highangle]

*** KROIL

*** SEAFOAM

Mechanical lifesavers.

I'm laughing at the wrenching plan of attack - ' this better work because this shits gonna get extra real if it doesn't '.

Avoid plan B.

I didn't think that was a brake line so 2Funky's got it dialed for ya.

Buncha damn mechanics over here, cool. Any TDI wrenchers?

TDI guys abound in the 7.3 thread. YeahIknow, but it stinks like diesel in there and there's some decent info and some real motorheads and BITOG-style discussions of TDI lube spex and greases 'nshit.
There might even be a TDI thread too.

[wooley12]

Spray the shit out of it with brake cleaner. When you see where the leak is, take the truck and $5k to an auto restorer and tell them to make it ready to go another 300K.

[2FUNKY]

I’m as serious as his ^ heart attack, jeebus forbid.

[uglymoney]

Nickel copper because it doesn't rust, right?

For the general crew to answer: My 06 Outback (with 93k miles) has been sitting in the corner of the driveway since November because the rubber brake lines in the rear rotted and are seeping fluid and the pedal got mushy but some of the hard lines started to rust since it's been sitting for so long. All else around the car appears to be ok but is there anything I should look at before I resurrect it and put it back on the road? We're going to need it for the winter because I don't trust the 200k Durango anymore to not strand me somewhere.

There was a recall for that generation (gen3) of Outback for the rear brake lines rotting out above the gas tank. Subaru replaced a lot of brake lines for free. Access is mostly from inside the car under the rear seat and any shop can handle the repair if needed. My 02 (which is gen 2 and not part of that recall) had a leaker at one of the rear fittings on one side while I was on vacation a few years ago. I had a tire shop change the line all the way over the tank while I was skiing and it was only a couple three hundy.

I would check with a dealer to see if your car was recalled/repaired maybe?

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[gravitylover]

There was a recall for that generation (gen3) of Outback for the rear brake lines rotting out above the gas tank. Subaru replaced a lot of brake lines for free. Access is mostly from inside the car under the rear seat and any shop can handle the repair if needed. My 02 (which is gen 2 and not part of that recall) had a leaker at one of the rear fittings on one side while I was on vacation a few years ago. I had a tire shop change the line all the way over the tank while I was skiing and it was only a couple three hundy.

I would check with a dealer to see if your car was recalled/repaired maybe?

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

The fix for this year was they slathered Vaseline on it to help keep the rubber lines moist so the salt wouldn't get to them and cause them to dry rot. This was done to this car twice and the recall is no longer active so the fix now is nearly $1k. They say they have to drop the tank to replace the lines above it and very few local shops want to touch the soft lines without doing the hard lines too.

[The Tortoise]

Good timing on the brake info.

I think my master cylinder went following a panic stop yesterday. '01 F-150 with 300k km.

Never bled brakes before, I guess it's time to learn.

[uglymoney]

The fix for this year was they slathered Vaseline on it to help keep the rubber lines moist so the salt wouldn't get to them and cause them to dry rot. This was done to this car twice and the recall is no longer active so the fix now is nearly $1k. They say they have to drop the tank to replace the lines above it and very few local shops want to touch the soft lines without doing the hard lines too.

Bummer. Probably worth 1000 bucks if you want to keep the car. I put a new shortblock in mine 55k miles ago and am now going to hand it down to my stepson with everything still working great at 229000.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[highangle]

Good timing on the brake info.

I think my master cylinder went following a panic stop yesterday. '01 F-150 with 300k km.

Never bled brakes before, I guess it's time to learn.

You want to "bench bleed" a new master cylinder. If you have a vise, it's easy. If you don't have a vise, it's still easy.

You can get a kit for $8.
Or if the MC comes with threaded plugs, you can use them instead.

Key is keep the MC level so you get all the air, protect the internal seals from first dry stroke, and don't scratch the bore when you push the piston [go slow]:

[The Tortoise]

Great tip! Thanks.

[Norseman]

If you have a decent hydraulic shop near by they should be able to make you a hose based line that will be much easier to put back in compared to trying to bend a new line.

Great suggestion.

[fatnslow]

Great suggestion.

Also, depending on how many turns that original line has in it you might attach a mechanic's wire or line to the old line when removing . Nothing worse that laying on the ground pissed off because your trying to work blind on threading through undercarriage.

[Norseman]

A hesitation...

I don't think the original line will be that difficult to remove and replace with a replica hard line. It's about 4 feet long and has a couple short bends on one end.

Either style of line will likely outlive many other systems on the truck, so longevity isn't a factor... but a rigid line might give slightly better brake feel. Long lengths of flexible hose could give a squishier feel... probably one reason they're not used as OEM on body routing (along with cost and compactness). Mr. Alpy might not notice or care...

[Djongo Unchained]

"Either style of line will likely outlive many other systems on the truck, so longevity isn't a factor... Mr. Alpy might not notice or care..."

hehehe

[gravitylover]

That bench bleed video is good stuff.

Bummer. Probably worth 1000 bucks if you want to keep the car. I put a new shortblock in mine 55k miles ago and am now going to hand it down to my stepson with everything still working great at 229000.

I'm going to try changing out the soft lines and then see if there are any leaks before I think of dropping the $$ on the others. I have a couple of other things that have to come first on other cars in the driveway but need to do it before the winter. I think it's worth saving with less than 100k on it, heck it would be tough to sell it for anything reasonable if the work doesn't get done.

[bodywhomper]

Land crusher started running like poo and thru a code for cylinder 8 misfire. I replaced the ignition coil (like last time this happened) and it’s still running poorly with CEL still on. Haven’t hooked it up to a code reader since replacing the coil. If it’s the same cylinder misfiring, next step is the spark plug, right? (Unless the new OEM coil is bad)

[fatnslow]

Land crusher started running like poo and thru a code for cylinder 8 misfire. I replaced the ignition coil (like last time this happened) and it’s still running poorly with CEL still on. Haven’t hooked it up to a code reader since replacing the coil. If it’s the same cylinder misfiring, next step is the spark plug, right? (Unless the new OEM coil is bad)

Switch with another coil in the engine and see if the misfire moves with it.

[basinbeater]

could be a fuel injector too.

[El Chupacabra]

Mrs C's Xterra triggered a "service engine soon" light - pulled codes, it shows P0133, which is the O2 sensor for the passenger side, upstream. Cleared the code, we'll see what happens as she drives around today.

2010 Xterra, 4.0 V6, 145K miles, owned since 2013 and 33k miles, full synthetic oil since we bought it. Googling for possible causes. Most likely is the sensor itself, other possibilities seem to be dirty MAF (will pull and spray tonight), faulty PCV (haven't touched that ever), air leak somewhere, or issues with the PCM (hopefully not this).

The troubleshooting begins.

[bodywhomper]

Thanks.

[highangle]

If Aerokroil didn't get it in 15, it was stuck.

Work it back & forth, try to tighten a hair before you loosen. May have a brass fittings on a steel line. Dissimilar metals, electrolysis, oxidation, 24 years. Do you have 1 end of the old line loose?

Last resort before cutting back to some place you can unscrew is to use heat, but that's a delicate proposition near fuel lines, and a delicate job to heat one side of the fitting before the other (if it's a union). Object being to expand the threads to break the corrosion that's glued them together, without setting anything else on fire or even melting it. Heat and cool cycle. Wet towels can guard against flame and keep metal cool, sometimes a large soldering iron is enough on a small fitting.

Heat is the easiest way to loosen old stripped bleed valves, but "cherry red then a fast quench" may be out of hand with a 3/16 brake line union. Ping Norseman before you go that route...

Post pics. Taking flash pics before and during wrenching is a good way to 1. see stuff you can only reach and, 2. remember exactly how things fit together and 3. share with the tribe. It takes a village.