Especially the rubber ones!! I am in the process of changing out the front inserts and was going to do the rubber lines anyways, and boy am I glad I did.

Here is a picture of what it looked like in the car, not the best condition but certainly not too bad...or is it??

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And as soon as I moved it just a bit, I noticed the real condition

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The picture doesn't even show how bad it truly was, some of the cracks went all the way through...scary stuff.

Just a reminder to check those lines, we are talking about brakes here and its not a system you don't want running at 100%

Yes, check them, but rather change them every three years. They are cheep and easy enough to do. Why not?

That's actually a perfect example why rubber lines are better for a street car!
You can actually SEE that they have damage.


Try that with those SS lines ...
Andy

Rubber lines!

i just replaced mine - one had a buldged exterior and the other had a clogged ID.

if i can do it awake without any help - you can do it in your sleep.

and get a motive bleeder to make bleeding a one man job.

jim

I agree the motive bleeder makes life much easier.

The rear lines were more difficult just because more things got in the way of getting tools up there, but they are do-able and should be done regularly too.

I've noticed over the years on many cars the lines that get engine oil on them tend to not last as long.

This reminds me of when I brought my 914 home on the trailer after I bought it. The po had done a brake job so he said. He had. After I unloaded it my son and I took it through the neighborhood to see what all it needed. It had lots of valve noise and the steering wheel was really loose in it's bearing so the horn was honking on small bumps. Kinda funny to us. It had just been liscensed and inspected. About a 1/2 mile from the house I noticed the brakes were getting soft. My son said stop. We were already only going about 25 mph so it wasn't hard to stop. My son said he heard a funny noise and got out and was walking beside the car on the pass side and said there was a noise coming from the right rear. I let him drive and I listened and sure enough it was a clicking sound. I looked under the car in front of the rear wheel and the metal line was bubbing on the inside of the tire and was really hot. It already had a hole rubbed in it. It cooled pretty quick and I just finished breaking it in two and bent it sharply to kink it so it wouldn't keep leaking while we drove it home. I guess the po got the line too close to the tire and didn't drive it after he did the brake job. It did have brand new tires on it so maybe the new tires were wider? The po is a friend of a friend and we knew he wasn't a mechanic.

Anyone have any hints for getting these things off? Just wondering--the last time I did a project like this was on an old LandCruiser FJ40 and they were STUCK.

I had a braided stainless steel line blow out on me years ago.

So the original brake lines should be replaced?

Mine were pretty clean, however I doubt they were ever changed. I would suggest a little penetrating fluid overnight if you's are really stuck, otherwise all it took was a 14mm and 10mm wrench to get mine off and back on. The fronts took less than 15 minutes start to finish.

New to this world what vendors are best for simple things like replacement break lines?

Check out www.PMBPerformance.com for all your 914 brake (and many other) needs. You may end up needing brake pads, plenty of brake fluid for a flush, and may end up needing rebuilt calipers or caliper rebuild kits if none of that has been looked at for a long time.

but wait till tomorrow night to order, just in case he doesn't have enough stock. Gives me a chance to get my order in first

"Three years"? Why? Flush and replace the fluid every 2 years, using at least 1/2 liter per cylinder (that's 2.5L, total) and do a visual inspection. With proper servicing, the original type lines should be good for 15-20 years and up.


The Cap'n

Because it is easy and cheep . Why not? Sure they can last much longer but when they are the weak link in your barking system it doesn't hurt to change them out regularly. Oh, and I always use race quality braided lines. There is no reason not to use them if you service them regularly.

I agree with you about the braided lines [oh Lord, I can see Krusty's panties bunching right now and it's NOT a pretty sight!] but with Krusty about the intervals. Unless it's exposed to oil or sunlight there's no need to change a rubber line that often, and since braided teflon lines aren't susceptible to UV or oil there's even less need to change them. Change if you want, sure, but there's no need.