Short and sweet: Does anyone know where I can get a (preferably new...) vac hose for the brake booster on a S4 NA? Mine has cracks all over it and unfortunately Mazdatrix says this part is "No longer available" for the manifold-to-firewall hose.

On a side note, anyone got some good tricks for tracking down a vacuum leak?

 

yeah its NLA, FB01-43-836, its the same S4 and S5 NA.

 

That's just a piece of hose anyways.
Get something to fit and use a couple clamps and you are done.

The Hose that you should worry about getting(If you ever have to replace it) is the One at the Steel line to Booster.It has a one way check valve inside it.

 

Good to know. I was going to replace both of them. The only concern I had with the s-curved hose by the manifold was if whatever I replace it with kinks shut under a vacuum

 

It would have to be real HARD vacuum in order to suck a piece of fuel hose inwards...we are talking Pounds now..And that hose is only,what?,about 6-8 inches long,tops?..

I got a chunk on my car,works fine,and I am still here typing,so it must be OK!

 

i actually just replaced one, and it ends up making a loop, otherwise it would kink

 

The concern isn't that the hose will come apart and get sucked inside so much as it's kink will get sucked shut by vacuum and stop supplying the booster.

thanks for the useful input everyone. Off i go to buy a loop of hose.

 

That is what I meant,have you ever tried to Put that hose on an A/N fitting?...It doesn't have a lot of give!
What I did to alleviate any kinks was just cut the steel line back a bit and you can slide a longer piece of hose on,without an S shape or a Kink.Use 2 Fuel injector clamps and you are done.

I used a piece of Hi pressure Fuel line from Jegs.
I had to DO what I had to do,since I am out in the "sticks"...

 

Could swear there was a silicone hose for the brake booster available couple of years ago...

I ended up using left over braided hose that I had (had to peel the braided off the rubber hose). The curve is pretty tight, and the hose kinks. I haven't noticed any ill effect, but I don't like seeing it, or knowing it. Will replace with OEM one sooner or later.

 

I had to get a new one a few years back. I just went up to Napa and we fiddled through a pile of hoses. We found a grew silicone hose and made a loop to make the connection. It works just fine. As a bonus the guy just gave it to me free of charge too. It was basicly from the scrap pile. He didn't actualy have anything of the right size on sale.