Member Since: 10 Jan 2015
Location: Angus
Posts: 1201
Changing flexible brake hoses: a few tips!
It's a fairly easy job, but everything that can go wrong did for me on the first hose. I got better though!
Having learnt the hard way, I suggest:
1) Be wary of thinking open-ended spanners will work. Buy a 10mm and an 11mm flare spanner.
2) On the rear hoses, try undoing and retightening the 10mm nuts on the rigid pipes that run around the wishbones, before you commit to being off the road. If you can't get these loose without twisting the pipe, you'll need to make up new ones with copper pipe and a flaring tool kit.
I painted mine black with Hammerite when I'd finished. OCD, you see.
3) Clamp the highest part of the old hose(s), disconnect the banjo bolt on the calliper and tape the banjo connector into a plastic bottle to catch the drips. Put the old banjo bolt back into the calliper to keep dust out. Leave the clamped hose connected at its top end until last (see 5 below).
4) The front hoses have a 90 degree bracket halfway up. I really struggled to get a socket (let alone an Irwin bolt grip) on the rusty 10 mm bolt behind the bracket, as it is crowded by the hose itself and the suspension height sensor. I cut through the old hose to make space and, because I'd clamped it and drained it, there was minimal messy leakage in the process.
5) Install the new hoses from the bottom end upwards, leaving the clamped top end in place. When ready, unscrew the top flare connection and quickly connect the new one. Put rags underneath to catch the drips.
6) Once all the new hoses, hardware and copper washers were in place and correctly torqued up (don't over do it, especially the flare nuts), I bled out all the old fluid, which was 3 years old. I used the Sealey tyre-pressure kit at the top end and a Halfords valve & bottle kit at the bottom. Three litres of new fluid did the job. The bleeding order is left rear, right rear, left front, right front.
Hope this helps newbies, like me! Went for a job as a human cannonball. Not the right calibre.
19th Jun 2015 1:09 pm
Robbie
Member Since: 05 Feb 2006
Location: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Posts: 17932
Thanks for the write-up as it will help others.
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19th Jun 2015 2:06 pm
DDDad
Member Since: 10 Jan 2015
Location: Angus
Posts: 1201
Not at all. Go ahead. I've benefited enormously the other way round! Went for a job as a human cannonball. Not the right calibre.
19th Jun 2015 7:30 pm
Disco_Mikey
Member Since: 29 May 2007
Location: Dundee, Scotland
Posts: 20740
Re: Changing flexible brake hoses: a few tips!
DDDad wrote:
5) Install the new hoses from the bottom end upwards, leaving the clamped top end in place. When ready, unscrew the top flare connection and quickly connect the new one. Put rags underneath to catch the drips
Before undoing any pipework, push the caliper pistons all the way back, and wedge the brake pedal down on the floor.
This stops any fluid escaping from the pipes, and saves a whole lot of mess My D3 Build Thread
Member Since: 10 Jan 2015
Location: Angus
Posts: 1201
I've not tried that one. I'd heard that sealing the filler cap with polythene would achieve the same, but it didn't. Perhaps the elastic band I used was not tight enough to hold a vacuum? The viscosity of the brake fluid is so low, nothing seems to stop it p g out!
What do you think of this quote from the Haynes manual, Section 10.4.2, DM? "Caution: Pushing back the piston causes a reverse-flow of brake fluid, which has been known to 'flip' the master cylinder rubber seals, resulting in a total loss of braking." It says to always open the bleed nipple when pushing a piston back, closing it just before releasing the piston Went for a job as a human cannonball. Not the right calibre.
19th Jun 2015 8:29 pm
Robbie
Member Since: 05 Feb 2006
Location: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Posts: 17932
I bleed them into a bottle when pushing the pistons back. At the end I suck out the remaining fluid in the reservoir and top up with fresh. It does no harm to get some fresh fluid in there.Land Rover - Turning Drivers into Mechanics Since 1948
Member Since: 29 May 2007
Location: Dundee, Scotland
Posts: 20740
DDDad wrote:
I've not tried that one. I'd heard that sealing the filler cap with polythene would achieve the same, but it didn't. Perhaps the elastic band I used was not tight enough to hold a vacuum? The viscosity of the brake fluid is so low, nothing seems to stop it p g out!
What do you think of this quote from the Haynes manual, Section 10.4.2, DM? "Caution: Pushing back the piston causes a reverse-flow of brake fluid, which has been known to 'flip' the master cylinder rubber seals, resulting in a total loss of braking." It says to always open the bleed nipple when pushing a piston back, closing it just before releasing the piston
It's good practice to do it that way, but I've never damaged a master cylinder yet My D3 Build Thread
Member Since: 10 Jan 2015
Location: Angus
Posts: 1201
The most important thing, of course, is to avoid the reservoir running dry I understand that, if air gets into the master cylinder, only dealer equipment can bleed it out Went for a job as a human cannonball. Not the right calibre.
Last edited by DDDad on 20th Jun 2015 4:02 pm. Edited 1 time in total
Not just dealer equiptment, but yes, a modulator bleed with a diagnostic tool is needed. The Nanocom can currently do this and it's on the request list for the IID. Current: Discovery 3 06MY (55 reg) HSE Auto Zambezi Silver Allisport Fast Road Intercooler, V8 Brakes, Silicone IC Hoses, EGRs Blanked, Remapped, De-Cat pipe, FBHIC
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20th Jun 2015 8:45 am
DiscoJake
Member Since: 23 Aug 2013
Location: Hereford
Posts: 1429
Re: Changing flexible brake hoses: a few tips!
Disco_Mikey wrote:
Before undoing any pipework, push the caliper pistons all the way back, and wedge the brake pedal down on the floor.
This stops any fluid escaping from the pipes, and saves a whole lot of mess
I used DDDad method of clamping at the top of old hose then worked up from caliper with the new.
Then I switched to DM method and used swmbo to 'wedge' the brake pedal for final connection to rigid pipe and it worked a treat with minimal spillage
Another couple of tips if not been mentioned before:
Crack the top connection to the rigid pipe BEFORE you remove the clip (I didn't first of all and was then trying to hold the flex end with some water pump pliers and undo rigid with other hand)
Also to get better access to the top bolt holding flex pipe to underside of top suspension arm I jacked lower arm up to bring top closer to horizontal, as I'd pre-soaked with penetrant the night before it came out a doddle
Click image to enlarge
26th Mar 2016 11:30 am
Woolmeister
Member Since: 26 Mar 2007
Location: Chandler's Ford
Posts: 3457
Those Brembo discs appear to be painted already.
Which ones are they, please? The last set of Brembo V8 discs I fitted to my D3 did not come painted.
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26th Mar 2016 11:48 am
DiscoJake
Member Since: 23 Aug 2013
Location: Hereford
Posts: 1429
They're actually d4 discs as gone for complete front end upgrade hence the shiny painted calipers.
I'm not sure about the d3 but on the d4 brembo do 2 options denoted by the last digits of their part number, 30 or 31 I think which is painted or not.
The main reason I bought them is they were an amazon bargain at £35 a disc as opposed to £70 for the other variant
26th Mar 2016 12:15 pm
DiscoJake
Member Since: 23 Aug 2013
Location: Hereford
Posts: 1429
Just had a look at brembo catalogue and yes the painted variant is available for d3 v6 and v8
09.8875.31is the part number for v8 painted
Cheapest I could see them for was £46 each but could always try Steve at AF
26th Mar 2016 4:08 pm
john ryan
Member Since: 05 Apr 2006
Location: leamington spa
Posts: 121
Just done the fronts with hoses from an AF kit. The worst bit is getting the machine screws undone -these attach the hose brackets to the upright, and to the upper suspension arm. After 12 years the miniscule heads had rusted, so I had to hammer on a 3/8 socket - very tight. Have four replacement 8mm x 15mm long set screws ready. A set of Irwins would be a good precaution. In my case the ferrule securing one hose end had rusted away to nothing. Rears still to do, but the AF kit includes the pipe between the two hoses on each side ( and 6 replacement horseshoe clips).
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g out!
I understand that, if air gets into the master cylinder, only dealer equipment can bleed it out 
Allisport Fast Road Intercooler, V8 Brakes, Silicone IC Hoses, EGRs Blanked, Remapped, De-Cat pipe, FBHIC
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