[Stephen Lindberg]

I'm looking to buy an RV4 that has plastic brake lines running down the gear legs to the brakes. The current owner has had problems with brake fluid leaking at the fitting down on the brake housing, and if I buy this airplane I would replace the brake lines with aluminum tubing. The wheel pants fit tightly and would seem to interfere with a loop of tubing around the axle. I would like to avoid surgery on wheel pants. Can I get away with running the brake line straight up the gear leg without a loop around the axle for stress relief, or will this inevitably lead to cracked tubing? What have others done? Thanks, Steve

 

[Brian Vickers]

brake lines

Historicially this is one of the most debated topics on vansairforce.net. You should do a search [brake lines] and you will find lots of previous threads. All sorts of suggestions, opinions and specifics about the products used.

Brian Vickers
RV4 - finishing

 

[painless]

Agree with Brian here. Much discussion has been done.

One option you might want to try is running aluminum down to your wheelpants and then going with flexible tubing from there to your brake fitting.

IMHO, I would not eliminate some sort of stress relief down there......


Regards,

 

[smokyray]

Men of Steel...

Yep, lots of previous posts. "Where have you been"?... Bottom line, my plastic lines started leaking exactly 10 years after I finished my -4. I replaced ALL of my lines with #3 braided steel teflon lines made by a Parker Hose distributor where I live. The line is sold for race cars, go-karts-tractors...and in my case, RV-4's. $69 covered all the lines, worth every penny. I ran them inside between the master cyl and firewall side (rudder pedal recess). Then outside down the gear leg to the bottom. Works great, no leaks, no runs, no errors..

Rob Ray

 

[mark manda]

a friend with a 7a was headed over th Chino,CA airport to have someone make him steel braided lines to run all the way to the calipers.

 

[N941WR]

One option you might want to try is running aluminum down to your wheelpants and then going with flexible tubing from there to your brake fitting.

IMHO, I would not eliminate some sort of stress relief down there.....

FYI - I just tried this on my -9 and had to replace the lines with flex lines from the firewall to the brake. The reason was the standard size union I used to transition to the flex line would not fit under the gear leg fairings