Hi all,
Did some searching to help with my Wit’s End stainless steel line install on my 1993 80 Series. I couldn’t find much so I thought I’d jot down some notes that may help others with their installs now that I did mine.
Also, I have a couple questions for those more familiar with the brake system on the 80.
Notes:
-At least with the Wits End kit, I had to do some modifications to several brackets to make room for the ends of the new lines. You have to have adequate space for the retainer clips to slide onto the ends of the lines
-Making modifications to the brackets, as well as installing the new lines, is MUCH easier with the brackets unbolted (12mm bolts) from the frame. This may be obvious but I got halfway through the job before realizing this. You can just hang the brackets by the hard lines to give you room to maneuver the new lines onto the 10mm screws to which they attach
-Bleeding the brake system after installing the lines is made much easier with a Motive vacuum bleeder. I used the 0101 model and it worked fine. I went through about a gallon of brake fluid overall removing contaminants, air, and whatever old fluid was left
-I installed 100 Series pads (also from Wits End) on the front, they needed some light force to get back on the rotors due to the increased thickness, even after compressing the pistons by hand, but otherwise it’s the same as any pad swap
Questions:
-I COULD NOT get the new rear axle line to thread onto its 10mm counterpart. I was concerned that I cross threaded something or damaged the threads, but it threaded on to the old line fine, and the new line threaded onto another 10mm fitting no problem. In the interest of getting the truck working, I just reinstalled the old line. Wondering if anyone else has experienced a similar issue
-The initial test drive around the block was fine, everything worked normally, making me confident I had gotten all the air out of the system. But a longer drive today resulted in extremely hot front brakes and lots of “hot brake” smell. No degradation in performance, but overheated brakes is no good, obviously. I suspect drag, but whether that’s because the new pads are just, well, new (and thick), or some other issue, I’m not sure.
>>I didn’t bleed the master cylinder or mess with the LSP at all (which I didn’t know existed until I started trying to diagnose the heat issue). Is that a likely/typical culprit? Otherwise, I’m confident I purged the air from the bleeders on the calipers. I did a lot of bleeding
>>The reservoir doesn’t appear to be overfilled. If it is, it’s only slightly over. I’ll try removing some fluid from it, but I doubt that’s the issue. (I have a sloped driveway, hence my highly scientific analysis of the fluid level)
I hadn’t ever done any serious brake system work prior to this, so hopefully my observations will help those in a similar position. And hopefully more knowledgeable folks will have some pointers as to the hot brake issue. Thanks!
Did some searching to help with my Wit’s End stainless steel line install on my 1993 80 Series. I couldn’t find much so I thought I’d jot down some notes that may help others with their installs now that I did mine.
Also, I have a couple questions for those more familiar with the brake system on the 80.
Notes:
-At least with the Wits End kit, I had to do some modifications to several brackets to make room for the ends of the new lines. You have to have adequate space for the retainer clips to slide onto the ends of the lines
-Making modifications to the brackets, as well as installing the new lines, is MUCH easier with the brackets unbolted (12mm bolts) from the frame. This may be obvious but I got halfway through the job before realizing this. You can just hang the brackets by the hard lines to give you room to maneuver the new lines onto the 10mm screws to which they attach
-Bleeding the brake system after installing the lines is made much easier with a Motive vacuum bleeder. I used the 0101 model and it worked fine. I went through about a gallon of brake fluid overall removing contaminants, air, and whatever old fluid was left
-I installed 100 Series pads (also from Wits End) on the front, they needed some light force to get back on the rotors due to the increased thickness, even after compressing the pistons by hand, but otherwise it’s the same as any pad swap
Questions:
-I COULD NOT get the new rear axle line to thread onto its 10mm counterpart. I was concerned that I cross threaded something or damaged the threads, but it threaded on to the old line fine, and the new line threaded onto another 10mm fitting no problem. In the interest of getting the truck working, I just reinstalled the old line. Wondering if anyone else has experienced a similar issue
-The initial test drive around the block was fine, everything worked normally, making me confident I had gotten all the air out of the system. But a longer drive today resulted in extremely hot front brakes and lots of “hot brake” smell. No degradation in performance, but overheated brakes is no good, obviously. I suspect drag, but whether that’s because the new pads are just, well, new (and thick), or some other issue, I’m not sure.
>>I didn’t bleed the master cylinder or mess with the LSP at all (which I didn’t know existed until I started trying to diagnose the heat issue). Is that a likely/typical culprit? Otherwise, I’m confident I purged the air from the bleeders on the calipers. I did a lot of bleeding
>>The reservoir doesn’t appear to be overfilled. If it is, it’s only slightly over. I’ll try removing some fluid from it, but I doubt that’s the issue. (I have a sloped driveway, hence my highly scientific analysis of the fluid level)
I hadn’t ever done any serious brake system work prior to this, so hopefully my observations will help those in a similar position. And hopefully more knowledgeable folks will have some pointers as to the hot brake issue. Thanks!
