MOT failure - brake part help

[awesomechappie]

Hi

 

This may sound a bit daft and probably obvious.. but My fiesta 1.4tdci 2006 56 reg failed on a few bits, I was going to sort out most myself as the garage is now shut until New Year. 

The only problem I have is gettin the right part for a corroded brake pipe. The fail sheet says:

 

Brake pipe excessively corroded Nearside (front to rear) [1.1.11(c)]

Can anyone advise what part it is I need? 

 

Cheers

[isetta]

A garage would normally make the  brake pipe themselves. They would normally have a packet of tube nuts (the nuts on end of pipes) and a roll of copper pipe, they would cut off correct length, slide tube nuts on and use flaring tool to shape the pipe ends correctly. And bend into shape(easy as copper is soft)And being copper they won’t rust. I do not know if car spares places would make them up. They would need to know length and tube nut thread type.

[isetta]

How to make brake pipes on youtube. 

[Tizer]

Best to jack the car up and have a look to see what you are letting yourself in for because the pipe may run partially behind plastic trim or other components, so unless you have a ramp or pit it could be an awkward thing to do at this time of year. I have had to make one of the flares in situ before because the nut was too big to pass through some of the components that were fitted in the factory after the brake lines were fitted, but that was not on a Fiesta, so you may not have that problem.

If you do decide to make up your own pipes it can be done successfully with a cheap flaring kit, but whatever you decide to do you need to be careful with the bends so you do not kink the pipe.  

[EdGasket]

You are not obliged to use the original routing of the pipe which suits factory assembly before the car is finished. So if you look carefully for an easier route and make sure your new pipe is supported and safe; you can route it around so as not to have to remove fuel tanks, transmissions, trim or whatever to fit it. You can cut off the ends of the old pipe and leave it where it is. You can even tie-wrap the new pipe to the old pipe for some or all of its run if you want.

If the rust is not too bad, you can just sand it off the pipe and coat the pipe with something to protect it from further rust. The steel brake pipe walls are very thick.

 

[TomsFocus]

If it's failed for excessive corrosion, I would want it replaced rather than risk sanding and painting it personally.  It should only be an advisory if it's not so bad and a lot seem to be advised nowadays.  I've also seen some awful brake pipes on the Mk6 Fiestas even at a fairly young age..including my own ST150 at only 8 years old!

As Isetta says, indy motorfactors can usually make up brake pipes for you (not chains like ECP etc)...but you'd need to take your old one(s) in for them to copy which may or may not be easy depending on how much time you have and if you can get a lift there.

The alternative is making them yourself, or letting the garage make them for you.  The cost of that is mostly labour anyway, the parts cost very little.

[isetta]

brake pipes these days often last longer than on cars in 60s/70s as they now have a painted surface or plastic coating, years ago they did not and they would often be bad in a few years. but as said above if it has failed then disguising it by cleaning it up and painted it is not a good idea. brake pipes do sometimes burst under pressure due to rust. if it is actually pitted with rust it is hard to tell how thick the metal left is at the base of the pitting.  

although the bits you need (a roll of brake pipe tube, some tube nuts, flaring tool) do not cost a huge amount, particularly if you might get use out of them again next year and so on, this is important stuff that needs to be done right and I really think someone should not have a go for their first time without someone more skilled to be there to show them, check, supervise.

I have seen some horrendous replacement brake pipe jobs including one where the rear shock wore through the new brake pipe and one where the handbrake cable wore through the new brake pipe.  Routing and securing pipe is very important and it needs to take into account possible movement of all suspension parts, cables, exhaust, steering etc. 

 

[Bobr]

I certainly wouldn't clean it up.   I had a brake pipe burst many years ago which resulted in my running into a skip.

[nicam49]

This sort of job is one that garages excel at as they've got the expertise, the lift, the flare spanners, cutters, benders brake fluid, bleed kit, and the experience. I'm surprised they didn't offer to do it for you there and then.