2005 brake hard lines - bad threads?

[birkhoff]

Did Subaru have problems with a batch of hard lines around 2005? My 2005 wagon developed a leak in the rear hard lines above the fuel tank. Not funny, because the tank has to come out, so the rear subframe has to come out . . . a real can of worms.

 

Working through the replacement I found all the compression fittings hard to turn. They bind all the way out. Not from corrosion, as such, but it appears the threads are bad. They look like a bolt that has had the wrong pitch thread forced on. Even the connections in the engine bay have the problem, where there is NO corrosion at all.

 

These rear lines were the subject of a recall a few years ago. Dealer cleaned up the outsides around connector block and sprayed some wax rustproofing around. Fair enough, but when I took the car back recently with the leak they basically threw up their hands. Since the recall was addressed, they have no authority to do any more work for free. Estimated $5-6K for the job since they would be replacing a lot of hardware due to rust and age. Obviously not a viable expenditure on a 16 year old vehicle with 220K miles on the clock.

[All_talk]

Some of the threads in the braking system are "locking" type, like a staked type lock nut, they have to be wrenched all the way. Tho I never checked to see if it was the female or male threads that are the cause, Most of the brass coupling blocks seem to be this way.

[apexi]

This member here ran new lines without dropping the tank, going under the rear seat inside the car.

https://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5789222&postcount=27

 

Sounds like your leak started at one of the places where the brake line clips to the body, #2 and #3 in the attached image

https://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=264698&d=1525216013

 

Image above is from this thread

https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/dealership-denied-rusted-brake-line-repair-recall-smoking-guni-269642.html

[birkhoff]

This member here ran new lines without dropping the tank, going under the rear seat inside the car.

https://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5789222&postcount=27

 

Yes that was more or less the plan, but I was going to snake the line underneath and over the fuel tank following the existing line. You can drop the tank about an inch without removing the subframe for access. It was a good plan, until I found out my fuel tank was heavily corroded and some of the evap lines on the back had broken off (due to rust, again!) I guess that is where the gas smell was coming from

 

Sounds like your leak started at one of the places where the brake line clips to the body, #2 and #3 in the attached image

https://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=264698&d=1525216013

 

Exactly correct. The rear nylon clip on the right rear box section up beside the fuel tank. The line actually broke in my hand at the clip when I started moving it around. Thank god for dual circuit brakes!

 

 

Image above is from this thread

https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/dealership-denied-rusted-brake-line-repair-recall-smoking-guni-269642.html

 

Thanks for this. The problem I have is the same, but add in some issues with the flare fittings at all the brake line connections. It is a toss up to me whether I spend 10 hours fighting with the dealer (probably not successful) or just do the dang job myself.

 

The entire undercarriage of this car is a mess of rust. My experience has been that any heavy work involves broken bolts and brackets if you don't watch out. Dropping the subframe with all those big captive nuts was not for the faint of heart, I'll tell you. This is why the dealer was really dragging their feet and advised that it could get very expensive. I talked with the lead mechanic as well as the manager. I get that.

 

In the end it is not so bad. I have about 9 hours in so far, with the subframe removed and broken down and the tank dropped out. I can clean and prime the bodywork in there while the tank is out. Wrecker has a good rust-free replacement tank and all the fittings close by. I'll clean up and re-bush the subframe while it is out. All these are things that I avoided over the years because trying to work on it under the car without a lift was just too painful.

[birkhoff]

Some of the threads in the braking system are "locking" type, like a staked type lock nut, they have to be wrenched all the way. Tho I never checked to see if it was the female or male threads that are the cause, Most of the brass coupling blocks seem to be this way.

 

Definitely, these behave like some sort of interference thread, as you say.

 

Over the years, I've had flare fittings that are frozen so bad with rust that they simply won't move at all. Or, the compression nut breaks free, but the hard line is `welded' tight inside the nut from rust and you have to cut the line off. Once the nut breaks free, it should reverse easily. These things are binding all the way out, even though the line is running free inside the nut. Interference threads!

 

Still, I happen to have a 2006 Outback parts car here and all the brake line fittings are perfectly normal, though rusty, so I don't know what is up with this 2005 LGT wagon!

[All_talk]

The lines and blocks in my parts car ('07 Spec B) were just like new, no corrosion, original plating still in tact, and I had to wrench some of them all the way out and in. I'm assuming on these cars its intentional.