95.5-2004 Tacomas & 96-2002 4Runners 4th gen pickups and 3rd gen 4Runners

Brake line question

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Old 10-22-2010 | 02:45 PM
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JBurt's Avatar
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From: Imperial County CA
Brake line question

So my brakes were a little squishy like other people have had. Most people said that getting new brake lines fixed it. When I went out to check mine I saw they were cracked.

The picture is of the passenger side but the drivers is the same story. I've already order steel braded brake lines, but my question is are these unsafe? Should I park the truck and ride a bicycle until the new lines get here or would I be ok for a few more days? I'm sure they've been cracked for a while but you never know when they'll go bad. Thanks.
Old 10-22-2010 | 03:08 PM
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You'll be fine for the immediate future.

Question. When was the last time the brakes were FLUSHED?
Its recommended every 30K. When its old it basically causes the brakes to feel a tad bit weaker. Not to mention the brake fluid draws in moisture when old which can lead to rusted out brake lines.
I'd advise flushing the whole system while your changing the lines.


Old 10-22-2010 | 03:12 PM
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I personally wouldnt drive it. Those hoses have obviously been flexed in a bad way. That's just my 0.02...
Old 10-22-2010 | 03:21 PM
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I bought the truck in July so I have no idea when the last time the system was flushed. I plan on doing it when I get the new lines. Thanks guys.
Old 10-23-2010 | 01:09 AM
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Red face

Changing out brake lines unless your real good you pretty much flush out the system without trying real hard
Old 10-23-2010 | 05:56 AM
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The OEM brake lines are pretty stout, except for the occasional internal failure that can block the fluid.

I've seen worse, much worse.

Along with the new brake lines, buy some new hardlines that go from the line to the caliper. The part #'s are found on one of RockSlide's threads on installing his Tundra calipers. $12 per side give or take.....

Last edited by J2F42C; 10-23-2010 at 05:57 AM. Reason: bad grammer
Old 10-23-2010 | 08:50 AM
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JBurt- I just started a thread about wanting to paint my 4Runner Voodoo Blue. Yours looks great, got any more pics that you can PM me?

I don't think those lines are the prob but not a bad idea to change, and I also don't think they're a safety risk. They are not wet at all.

I just had this problem. It was a blown wheel cylinder in the rear. So I replaced both sides wheel cylinders and shoes. You may need to tighten the rears a tad. Is the parking brake nice and snug or does it have good amount of play? When you tighten the rears put the rear end on jack stands so that the wheels free spin. Using a flat screw driver turn the adjuster ccw on drivers side and cw on passenger. Adjust until you get a little resistance from the shoes then give the parking brake cable a few good yanks from right there under the truck. It will probably free it up a bit so you'll have to adjust some more. It's pretty easy.

Reason for sloppy pedal in that case is that it's wasting fluid on having to fully open the wheel cylinders before pressure is equalized and applied to front disks.

Good luck
Old 11-02-2010 | 12:18 PM
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Got my SS brake lines on yesterday. I had my 11 year old brother help me. It was really good for him but we got brake fluid all over the place. It went pretty easy. It firmed up the pedal response quite a bit. Next I'll adjust the rear drums like mentioned above.

Originally Posted by J2F42C
Along with the new brake lines, buy some new hardlines that go from the line to the caliper. The part #'s are found on one of RockSlide's threads on installing his Tundra calipers. $12 per side give or take.....
So those hard lines were really tight even after using penetrant and already fairly rounded. Wound up using vice grips because it was after the parts store closed and I needed the truck. I'll have to order those and put them on next time. Thanks guys.
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