Ok guys I have a 1986 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 305 four wheel disc. I just put on a LS1 front wheel disc brake upgrade from BigBrakeUpgrade.com with new Earls Custom Stainless Lines from BigBrakeUpgrade.com. I also upgraded the rear factory discs brakes to PBR calipers and the whole works...This package took 3 months to get from FLYNBYE.com... but thats another issue. I am in Iraq, my old man took my ride to the shop; they installed all the new components including new prop valve and master cylinder, and now all the stainless steel lines leak at the caliper end. At every corner of the car. The brass crush washers are new and have not been reused...The even stripped a front caliper out trying to tighten it... any suggestions..hints... comments... check this or do that's would be greatly appreciated I have had it up to here this brake upgrade BullS**(^....

 

Really 30 views and not one suggestion? Come on guys surely some one else has had a similar problem... Hundreds if not 1,000's of you have done these upgrades, a little love please!

 

I'd say take it back to the shop but if they screwed it up in the first place you may want to try a different place. Are the fittings different in some way? Flare? Thread?

 

The car has never left the shop.. I received a email from my pops early tonight stating the current issues... is it possible there is to much pressure with the new stainless lines at all 4 corners? Since they don't flex like the stock ones? The banjo bolts and threads are all good and screwed in as they should be! I believe the fittings are all matched up correctly. The banjo bolts are new as are the lines and crush washers, and there are crush washers on each side of the line against the caliper and the banjo bolt itself.

 

Offhand, you'd think that the lines, the banjos, or the crush washers are somehow at fault. If the banjos, for example, were too long and were bottoming out before they were tight....

Nothing more frustrating than working on a car from a distance.

JamesC

 

The guys who installed these lines are at fault, even if the parts do not match as suggested, they should of checked these things and realised that there was/is a problem. If it's leaking at all connections, either all the lines are wrong, or the person who installed them is clueless.
I would suggest getting the car over to another shop and getting a second opinion...

 

For whatever reason, alot of those lines have blocks at the end that are kind of square, where the OE ones were kind of rounded; and the place on the caliper they fit to is milled out big enough for the stock shape but not the other. If you look closely, you'll see that the block just barely catches on the remaining un-milled material.

Adding a 2nd crush washer (for a total of 3 per block instead of the normal 2) between the block and the caliper usually spaces it up far enough to where the block is pressing on the washers, not on the little "ear" of material left on the caliper.

 

The banjo bolts being used are stock LS1 banjo bolts, so I don't think thats the problem, could be the line is hitting the caliper issue going on here... I don't have much choice as to what shop its at, since its un-driveable as is and I am not even there.... your right trying to get this squared away from a distance is terrible!!

 

Very common problem, SS brake hard lines like to leak. [not SS braided lines]never heard a good reason why, cept the SS is so hard the parts don't seat into each other like the cheap steel lines.

crank em down again and try.........

 

From Fine Lines FAQ:

Q. Will my new Stainless Steel lines leak? I've heard they are harder to seal.

A. Stainless Steel lines ARE harder to seal, particularly when they are being installed in a used component. Stainless material is harder than the original material, and lacks the soft lead/tin coating. The seat in a used valve, or other used part usually has an impression left by the original flare. The harder Stainless material does not conform as easily to the old impression. By following a few simple extra steps this problem can be virtually eliminated. We recommend the use of "Permatex #14a Thread Sealant with Teflon". This product comes in a small tube, and is available at most hardware stores. A dab placed on the tube under the fitting, plus a dab on the threads will usually eliminate any sealing problems.

JamesC

 

So its confirmed that its the hardness of the SS not sealing correct all the time?