So over yesterday I was bleeding my brakes for the first time since i got the car in august. The car has been sitting for around 7 years so this was the first time in 7 years bleeding the brakes. After around 5 minutes the old fluid was almost all gone and the fluid coming out looked decently clean. Right before i was about to stop and go to the next wheel I pressed the break and heard air coming out. I looked under the car and it was leaking. i will try to attack an image of where it was leaking from. it is to the right of the diff and covered by a piece of metal I think it was a 12mm bolt which i was able to get out but there is also a Philips head screw that is rusty and tight. sprayed some wd-40 and tried again but still wouldn't move. gonna try to get it again today. The leak is on the rear right side. What should i do an where can i get a replacement the line. Should i replace all the lines because the rest might be bad?




update: i got the cover off and now the break line is exposed. Found the hole.

 

As for replacing it, it'll be pretty tough to find a pre-formed line. There's a chance Mazda might still have some, but other than that I have not seen one for sale except occasionally in classifieds or part outs. It'd be a spendy sucker to ship too given the size.

My suggestion is buy either a roll of 3/16" brake line or a pre-terminated length. I personally vote for the roll since that way you can make it the exact length you need - this is what I did when I replaced the line on my SA.

Depending on the year of the car the flare nut thread pitch changes. SAs (1979-1980) are M10x1.25 and FBs (1981-1985) are M10x1.0. The latter is easy to find at parts stores, but the SA thread can be a little tricky to track down. Sometimes parts stores have them, but online is always an option as well. I suggest the shorter (normal length) flare nuts since you don't have a ton of room behind the wheel cylinders. Thankfully these cars use double flares (the most common type) rather than bubble or single flares.

Alternatively, if your current flare nuts are in good condition you can also just cut them off the old brake line and re-use them. If it were me I'd look for new ones since you're pulling it apart anyway, but the old ones would work fine if need be.

Flaring tools can be rented from most auto parts stores with a refundable deposit. They aren't the highest quality units, but they do work after some finagling. Unless you've done a lot of this sort of thing before, I highly suggest you do a few practice flares before flaring the end-use section. Nothing sucks more than messing up a flare on your nicely bent replacement line, then having to cut it off and redo it and making it too short in the process.

On the subject of bending, a tube bender really isn't needed for good old olive (steel) 3/16" line. Relatively tough stuff to kink when doing it by hand, although it's not impossible. Just don't go ham and you'll be fine. Good idea to practice bending a few sections as well if you haven't done it before - bend it until it kinks so you know what the limits are.

 

Thank you for the help I apricate it gonna try to replace that this week.

completely unrelated but i recently replaced my radiator/thermostat and after starting the car lots of white smoke coming out of the exhaust its also idling at 3k is this because its cold? and Should i worry about the smoke or just let it idle

 

White steam is normal for any car to produce from the exhaust when cold, however excessive amounts can suggest a failed coolant jacket. I'd let it warm up and see if it stops steaming so long as everything else it fine.

3k is a little high for the first gen at warm up, but it's possible if the choke fast idle arm is a tad out of adjustment. Putting the choke in should drop the idle back down, and if it doesn't then you have a vacuum leak somewhere. Since you want the choke to be on when warming up, try pushing the choke in just a little bit and see if it drops the idle some.

If you would like to continue the idle speed issues beyond this I suggest making a new dedicated thread so that people can find your question better.

 

You can get a flaring tool, cutter and line bender and make them yourself .... I did and it's really easy.

 

sounds good thanks for the help I'm gonna pick up the stuff to replace it tomorrow. Also I added some gas and the smoke went away for the most part

 

There is a newish type of hard line that is a copper alloy and very easy to form without a bender. If you are going make your own flares, these should be double flares. The flaring tool you use should include the double flaring dies. It is a good idea to practice making flares on scraps. Finally, don't forget to put the nut on the line BEFORE making the flare. Can't tell you how many times this has kicked my ***.

 

thats what it looks like with the cover off I had to drill out the philips head but the bolts came off easy. What if i took clamps and rubber hose and replaced it with a rubber hose and just clamped it down. Wouldn’t be permanent but would that work for a little?

 

No, that would not work even a little. Brakes operate at extremely high pressures. My bet is that you can find a ready made piece of hard line that you can bend and shape to fit.

 

Nope, brake hydraulic pressure is hundreds of psi of pressure. That's why brake hoses are a specific type and crimped on.

If you have an '81-'85 car, premade M10 threaded lines are easy to find. American Grease Stick lines are carried at most major parts stores
I believe a 50" line will work for disk brakes, a drum line will be longer. Check with a tape measure.

 

Here is the other brake line i made ... The top one is the new one....