Brake Line Burst in '99 LC (1 Viewer)

[VijayW]

Hi All,

I had a break line bursting in my ’99 LC 100 at 265k miles. Very fortunately, it happened in the driveway at home, as I was warming up. The vehicle had not been driven off-road in years, so I believe this is the old age manifesting in brake line corrosion.

Ironically, brakes were on my preventive maintenance list for this year, and I had ordered a parking brake lever kit to fix the “frozen” parking brake bell cranks. The kit was supposed to come 2 days prior to this brakes loss (on which I had no warning), but was lost in shipping. So I couldn’t get the parking brake repair done, and I was about to head out to visit a friend almost 300 miles away.

Seconds after I started the engine, I heard the infamous buzzer with the ABS and BRAKE dashboard lights on, and realized that there is a problem with brake pressure. I thought it could be low brake fluid in the reservoir (although it wasn’t unusually low), so topped it a little bit. But the buzzer continued, and the brake pedals felt very soft. I got out again, and noticed the brake reservoir level was lower now than in the beginning, and observed the spray of fluid on the driver side ground, midway between the front and rear wheels. (See photos below). I couldn’t be thankful enough that the brake line burst right at home!

I have seen several threads here, such as
Rusty lines: Rusty lines
but couldn’t find one (yet) giving details on brake line replacement. I have replaced the starter and the alternator myself, and believe I can do this too, unless it requires a lift too high off the ground.

In this regard, I have some questions, to which I am kindly seeking answers from the experienced folks here:
- Is the thin metal tube shown towards the right hand in the second underside photo the brake line?
- Can replacing the brake line (the busted one first), be done by lifting one side (the driver side - with jacks and jack stands)? (as long as I can get under the vehicle comfortably)
- Sources for parts (I would like to get lines and hoses for a complete overhaul, but will only probably fix the busted one at home)
- Can just the part of the brake line containing the leak be replaced as an emergency repair to make it driveable to a mechanic? (this will probably require flaring tools?)
- How can the ABS pump be disabled until the leak is repaired (otherwise the ABS pump will run every time the key is in, even to change gears to tow should that need to be done, and more fluid will leak + air gets sucked in) ?
- What could be a typical (US NorthEast) price tag for this repair at a local (gas station) repair shop? (replacing this line vs. all the brake lines and hoses)

Many thanks in advance.
-Vijay

 

[Skidoo]

Toyota has replacement lines, did one of the rears on diff, it was pre-bent and flared along with fittings on it.
Look at a parts list to see which one you need to order, may have to go to a dealer.

 

[kz195688]

I had the same issue where the rear brake line ruptured due to a rusted area. The ruptured occurred where the brake line had been in a clip/holder that held the line against the frame. I had previously taken the line out of the clip and had cleaned the rusted area about three years prior to the brake line failure. Fourtunately, we were in a drive through line at a hamburger joint, but unfortunately we were about 1000 miles from home. The abs/brake tone and lights in the dash came on and the smell of the brake fluid burning on the hot muffler was disconcerting. We had to stay at a hotel in the area. The next morning (Saturday) I tried to locate parts to fix or replace the rear line which runs from the rear brake terminal to a front terminal tee that also routes another line to the front abs/brake unit. No such luck finding metric sized brake lines for the long line run or the tee terminals. I went to Napa, oriellys, auto zone and advanced auto. There was a brake line repair joint but it did not come in a metric sized and it would only repair a 1" area. I bought a bunch of different parts included a brake line flange tool, line cutter and brake fluid. When looking under the land cruiser and looking at the damaged line I determined that the entire line would have to be replaced and since I did not have the metric sized line or tees, I decided to take to a local shop.

I was able to drive a mile to the shop on Sunday and left it for the Monday repair. Well, the shop (which was recommend by the auto store personnel and which had great Yelp reviews) owner recommended the entire line and tees be replaced. They had tried to take the rear brake line off the front tee and the line just turned in the tee. They said they would have to order OEM parts which I readily agreed too. Long story, but the tee and the front/ rear brake line was located in Los Angeles Toyota and that is where the parts could only be found and would be at the shop on Thursday or Friday. I tried to locate the parts myself, through IH8MUD parts vendors, but they had the same probably and could not get the parts to my mechanic until Friday or Monday of the following week. No real good choice other than waiting for the parts and the repair. My spouse and I made the best of it and had to stay at different hotels but we got to see areas of Mobile, AL and Biloxi, MS and the surrounding areas.

Sorry for the long story, it cost with parts and the repair, $465.00. The 99 Land Cruiser stops very well. The hotel cost us almost $1000. I normally do most of my own repairs and maintenance on my vehicles but did not see the brake line coming. Word to the wise, if you have rust on the brake lines, change them out in your driveway at your leisure rather than getting stuck somewhere. It could have been worse if we were driving in traffic or on the freeway. Also, if stuff happens, make the best of it. Be safe.

 

[bigredmachine]

you are best off getting new factory lines, they will run the length of the frame rail front to back by the axle. if you plan on doing it yourself the hardest part will be dropping the gas tank, I replaced mine while the tank was out getting repaired.

now if your not looking to do the whole line and just want to cut out the rusted out section that would be a quicker fix. you could get a 1 ft section of brake line with fittings, get some unions and replace a small section

 

[2001LC]

You can unplug wire blocks from the side of ABS unit on master. This will cut power to booster pump so key can be turned on.

 

[Roosevelt T]

you are best off getting new factory lines, they will run the length of the frame rail front to back by the axle. if you plan on doing it yourself the hardest part will be dropping the gas tank, I replaced mine while the tank was out getting repaired.

now if your not looking to do the whole line and just want to cut out the rusted out section that would be a quicker fix. you could get a 1 ft section of brake line with fittings, get some unions and replace a small section

Ouch, dropping the gas tank doesn't seem fun.

 

[bigredmachine]

Ouch, dropping the gas tank doesn't seem fun.

its not that bad if the tank isn't full, there should be an access hole to get to the sender plug and fuel lines firm in the truck and the rest you can get to from underneath. dropping the spare tire down gives you a lot of room to work.

you might be able to sneak the lines in with the tank in the truck but I cant confirm that

 

[VijayW]

Thanks, folks, for your very helpful hints!!!

My gas tank is full! Less than half a mile was driven since it was filled-up 2 days prior to the mishap. So a full line replacement involving gas-tank-drop is out of the question - unless I run the engine, and burn off the tank. That's probably doesn't take long with a Land Cruiser

Also I need to get under the vehicle and nail down the failed spot, to firstly see if I can remove the failed line. If I cannot, I will look for "mending" the "hole" so that I can drive it to a shop. Thanks to kz195688 for the price info.

This might take time, but I will keep you posted.

 

[2001LC]

Draining Fuel from gas tank?

You can siphon off a good amount, but getting hose down in tank is difficult.

 

[kz195688]

Just for your info, the mechanic for my repair, routed the new line at the top of the frame above the top (near the frame) of the gas tank which did not involve removing the tank. Maybe just another option. Good luck with your repair. BTW, the price i paid was in Biloxi, MS. (August 2018), so your results may vary.

 

[vcheng]

Thanks, folks, for your very helpful hints!!!

My gas tank is full! Less than half a mile was driven since it was filled-up 2 days prior to the mishap. So a full line replacement involving gas-tank-drop is out of the question - unless I run the engine, and burn off the tank. That's probably doesn't take long with a Land Cruiser

Also I need to get under the vehicle and nail down the failed spot, to firstly see if I can remove the failed line. If I cannot, I will look for "mending" the "hole" so that I can drive it to a shop. Thanks to kz195688 for the price info.

This might take time, but I will keep you posted.

Consider bending a new line from front to back, routed without dropping the tank. Best of both worlds.

 

[ILcruiser]

Last month i had all my brake lines replaced. Basically from after the ABS unit to the calipers. All hard lines and rubber lines. The shop bent the lines. They used Nickel/Copper so no more worries about rust, as currently i live in the Midwest (hopefully not too much longer).

 

[CLEcruiser]

Last month i had all my brake lines replaced. Basically from after the ABS unit to the calipers. All hard lines and rubber lines. The shop bent the lines. They used Nickel/Copper so no more worries about rust, as currently i live in the Midwest (hopefully not too much longer).

How much did that cost?

 

[ILcruiser]

I don't have the invoice handy, but i know it was in the $700 range.

 

[VijayW]

Thanks again to this great community!
Here’s what I have found:

Here’s an LC ’99 Brake Line parts diagram. According to this, the part that I need seems to be 47322-60732. As for the #4 clamps, there are two listings for ( - 0008) or ( 0008- ) – is this “0008”referring to a production date of 08th month of 2000?

Also, according to Hard brake line diameter?
for LC 80-series, the brake lines are 4.75mm OD. The fittings are M10x1.0. Flare Metric ISO Bubble ? or Double flare. Torque is 11 ft/lbs. Is that the same for LC 100-Series?

As a matter of fact, 3/16" line is bigger than 4.75 mm by only one quarter of one percent (0.26%), so I believe 3/16" is the line to use.

I haven’t gotten under the car yet to verify the shape of the brake line. Considering that I may have trouble getting the gas tank lowered, I am not inclined to go with the pre-bent factory line at this time. My plan is to just replace the burst line with a working replacement, and then drive it to a friend’s place where there is a pit (so that I can work on it while standing), and do a more complete replacement of brake lines and hoses.

As for brake lines and fittings, I have found following sources:

(1). Autozone has AGS NiCopp brake 3/16” brake line tubing as well as some pre-cut with M10x1.0 fittings:
Best Steel Line Parts for Cars, Trucks & SUVs
Here’s an example of a 5-ft long 3/16” line with M10x1.0 fittings:
https://www.autozone.com/brakes-and-traction-control/steel-line/ags-nicopp-steel-line/97850_0_0

(2). At Advance Auto, you can also buy a 25’ roll of the brake line with an assortment of fittings:
Advance Auto Parts - Down for Maintenance

(3). Then, somewhere I read that Fedhill (UK) is a more reputable OEM for this, and their stuff is available at:
3/16" / 4.75mm Brake Line, Nuts, Fittings and Tee's: Federal Hill Trading Company
They even have a Flaring Tool rental service, Federal Hill Trading Company
which will be must for a novice like me who is trying to do double-flaring.

(4). And for someone who is looking for inexpensive parts, there are 7 different lengths here: Steel Metric Brake Lines, 3/16" Tube, M10-1.0, Metric Inverted Flare (7 Different Lengths Available)

As I said above, I will first go for a pre-cut tube.
Can someone please verify that these are the right brake line fit for ’99 LC?
Also will a 60” (5-ft) length cover the front-to-rear brake line (Toyota Part # 47322-60732)?
What other lengths are good for which lines on the LC 100-series?

Many thanks & Best Regards!
I am sure that someone else will put this knowledge to use before I do

 

[VijayW]

I managed to take some photos of this "front-to-rear" brake line. It is definitely way more than 5-ft long, so none of the pre-cut and fitted tubing that I found on the internet (and posted above) would work. So, unless I find a source for a longer straight pre-cut line, the options are either the pre-bent exact fit item, or make from free roll of tubing.

To me it seems that one should be able to fit the the pre-bent line without removing the gas tank as the line is to the side of the gas tank rather than on top of it. Removing the spare tire (and the gas tank) would certainly provide more space to work on. Because of the pre-bent shape, I don't think you can route the pre-bent line other than along the original path, though. Entering the pre-bent tube from the rear might be a possibility, although it is sure to be a struggle like removing the alternator (which, despite working standing in a pit, I found it easier to remove the alternator from the top, rather than the bottom).

As expected, the burst has happened at a clip, where probably corrosion went deep undetected. Upon close inspection I see many spots of white corrosion along the line, including one at a clamp that looks like a disaster waiting to happen.

In tracing the line, I was able to photograph the rear end of it, but couldn't observe the front end at the "tee"; I will have to look for that later.

 

[bigredmachine]

the frpnt should go to a union up near the abs actuator. 3/16 line will work as metric line is not as readily available as standard size, and it is a double flare for he fittings. for a small section repair I would get a 1 ft section and cut down to length

 

[OTRAMM]

It's not fun but you can get the lines in without taking the tank down. I did one a few weeks ago. I just used a long "panel popper" tool to unclip and reclip the lines. I did it on a lift though so there was more room for swinging things around.

 

[VijayW]

Hi Folks,

I placed a brake line parts order with an online dealer a week ago, but it is slow getting fulfilled. (If & when I receive it, I will be happy to post the list and the prices).

In the meantime, I am thinking of plugging/capping the leaking line at the tee in the front, so that I will at least have the front brakes. I am not towing any weight, plus I am a slow and defensive driver, so this would be a temporary solution until I replace all the lines and hoses.

On the internet there is a nice video of someone making a brake line plug, but I don't have the parts or tools for that:

Is the bolt 10mm x 1.0 thread; and what about the flare at the end of the plug?
I see a lot of choices here,
Federal Hill Trading Company
but if anyone can kindly identify the right kind of plug (with flare) that I will need to cap the front-to-rear brake line at the front tee, I will be immensely grateful.

I will be happy to know other sources for such a plug as well.
Also, I expect the ABS light to be on when using such a plug, but hopefully, the buzzer will be off as long as the pressure is holding?

Thanks in advance!

 

[sean2202]

A brake plug is a good idea for an emergency fix in a pinch. Did you find out which one works? I would thread it into a cap to keep it protected from bouncing around in the back.

You can unplug wire blocks from the side of ABS unit on master. This will cut power to booster pump so key can be turned on.
View attachment 1786829

Question...could the brake system be used if the ABS unit was unplugged?