replacing brake line.. ok to reuse crush washers and bolts?

[DimitriT]

I'm swapping to a braided hose. Do I really need new washers and banjo bolts? I already have the hose (assembled and ready to install) and I don't want to have to order more stuff unless I need it.

[Billy Ricks]

The bolt is perfectly fine to reuse. The crush washers are supposed to be replaced but I've reused them before with no trouble. Just make sure you don't have any seepage after a few hard pulls on the lever or pushes on the pedal.

[mlaalm]

I've never had a problem re-using old brake washers.
Good Luck and protect your bike from brake fluid when bleeding.
Mike

[earlfor]

I've reused the aluminum crush washers without any problems. You can also buy aluminum crush washers at Lowes that are the correct outside diameter and thickness, but you will need to dremel out the inside diameter about 1/32" for them to fit. Cost is about 25 cents. LOL

Earl

[ddaum]

Hey DimitriT,

I have a 1980 GS550L and I'm getting ready to make the switch to braided lines. Where did you get you lines? Is it possible to just take the old ones to NAPA and have them manufactured? Would they carry the banjo bolts or would I have to order them from the web? (mine are rusty)

PS- Post some pictures of your results if you can and any tips for me as it will be my first time tearing into the brake system on a motorcycle.

[DimitriT]

Just completed the job.

I picked up the brake lines (already assembled but not including the bolts and washers from a guy in Florida. His e-mail address is ElCamin0@aol.com. I ordered them through his web site but I can't remember the http name for it but I got it from an old forum posting right here. He basically had me measure the length of the hose and asked me if the ends were straight or if they had a 10 degree kick. I would remove the old hose, measure it and send him the details. Ask him if he stocks banjo bolts and crush washers so you won't have to order those separately. My bottom bolt had a touch of surface rust too but no big deal.

The only gotchas I ran into was that the new hose was much thinner than the old one. My bike had two places where the hose passes through some mount points and I had to crimp those a little tighter to keep the rubber grommet pieces from wiggling (you'll see what I mean when you look at the hose).

I picked up a bottle of DOT3 brake fluid (nasty stuff so keep a moist rag handy). Rubber gloves are a good idea too. This stuff will eat your paint very fast so be careful.

I began by bleeding the system dry. Use a short piece of polyethylene tubing which you can get at Home Depot or maybe a tropical fish supply store (I think its 1/4" inner-diameter). Put the tubing over the bleed nozzle and the other end in an old pickle jar (my wife saved these to use for collecting drippings - if you're married you probably have one under the sink). The tube wants to keep its shape so get a clothes pin to hold it in the jar.

Then crack open the bleeder nozzle and start pumping the brake handle until the resevoir is empty (or just about).

When you are done with this, take off the old hardware (I took the bottom off first so I could drain any remaining fluid into a paper towel). Un-snake the old hose so its hanging from the top connector. Then take off the hardware at the top.

Now you attach the new hose at the top (using your new bolts and washers). I leave the top loose and snake the hose. I then attach the bottom. Torque both ends as recommended in your Clymers manual.

That was the easy part.

The tough part is bleeding the system.

Fill your resevoir and put the cap on (but don't tighten it). You need some suction on the bleeder nozzle to get this job done right. I'm a crazy cheap bastard so I just used the remaining length of poly hose and sucked on the other end. But they have tools for this job. Try not to eat any brake fluid. You will go blind and drop dead. In my cast the hose was clear and 8 feet long so there was no chance the fluid would get to me.

Here's how I did it. I sucked some fluid and bubbles out with the hose. I closed the nozzle. I blew the fluid out into the jar and refilled the resevoir with more fluid. Repeated this until no more bubbles came out. Some bubbles leak into the hose from around the nozzle so be aware that those are not an issue. Its the bubble from inside the system you need to purge. Make sure you resevoir is resupplied so no new bubbles get in.

At this point your brakes are starting to work again but I like to do one more step in the bleeding process.

I remove the caliper bolts and take the caliper off the rotor. I then use a big C clamp to compress the cylinder back into the caliper. I then apply the brake and use a small bungee to jold the lever down. When I crack open the bleeder valve there's usually a few more bubbles that come out. I then release the C clamp, re-mount the caliper (now's a good time to grease the bolts) and pump the handle until the system is under pressure again.

The net results are very responsive brakes with little drag. Apply the brakes hard a few times and check for leaks.

[Road_Clam]

Re: replacing brake line.. ok to reuse crush washers and bol

I'm swapping to a braided hose. Do I really need new washers and banjo bolts? I already have the hose (assembled and ready to install) and I don't want to have to order more stuff unless I need it.

The crush washers are soft aluminum, they can be used over. I never buy new ones. Always re-use the old ones, unless they are REALLY trashed.

[FTGRET]

If you are replacing the banjo bolts make sure of the thread size. They are 10mm but come with two thread pitches - 1.25 and 1.0

[Billy Ricks]

Suzuki uses the 1.0mm.

[DimitriT]

While on the subject, I have a question for all you disk brake experts..

is it normal for the system to be under pressure even with the brake handle is not compressed?

I noticed that when bleeding there is no drag on the brakes (the wheel spinds freely) when I crack open the bleeder, but after one or two pulls of the brake lever, the system appears to pressurize and this results in some mild drag on the rotor even when the handle is released. Is this normal? Couldn't they design it so the system releases all the pressure when the handle is released?

[Jethro]

Crush washers are desinged to smear a little around the fastener- but you all knew that. If you are concerned about reusing them, put it on the end of your finger and rub it on a flat file a few times each side. It will be as good as new.

[toymechanic.]

While on the subject, I have a question for all you disk brake experts..

is it normal for the system to be under pressure even with the brake handle is not compressed?

I noticed that when bleeding there is no drag on the brakes (the wheel spinds freely) when I crack open the bleeder, but after one or two pulls of the brake lever, the system appears to pressurize and this results in some mild drag on the rotor even when the handle is released. Is this normal? Couldn't they design it so the system releases all the pressure when the handle is released?

If you spin the wheel and it stops without making a round or two then you could have a problem! You may be able to hear the drag but it shouldn't stop the wheel from turning.

[toymechanic.]

While on the subject, I have a question for all you disk brake experts..

is it normal for the system to be under pressure even with the brake handle is not compressed?

I noticed that when bleeding there is no drag on the brakes (the wheel spinds freely) when I crack open the bleeder, but after one or two pulls of the brake lever, the system appears to pressurize and this results in some mild drag on the rotor even when the handle is released. Is this normal? Couldn't they design it so the system releases all the pressure when the handle is released?

If you spin the wheel and it stops without making a round or two then you could have a problem! You may be able to hear the drag but it shouldn't stop the wheel from turning.

On mine when I changed my fluid I forced the piston back into the caliper and then slowly press the lever and watched the piston come back out and when I released the lever the piston sucked back in a little bit. Yours should do the same thing. It is a good idea to change your brake fluid every couple of years! So I did!

[IanFrancisco]

While on the subject, I have a question for all you disk brake experts..

is it normal for the system to be under pressure even with the brake handle is not compressed?

I noticed that when bleeding there is no drag on the brakes (the wheel spinds freely) when I crack open the bleeder, but after one or two pulls of the brake lever, the system appears to pressurize and this results in some mild drag on the rotor even when the handle is released. Is this normal? Couldn't they design it so the system releases all the pressure when the handle is released?

There's a valve in the master cylinder that is supposed to allow fluid back in to the reservoir when the lever is released. I had brake drag problems on my bike after it was put back on the road after 10yrs in a garage. Wore out the first set of pads in 3000 miles from drag (and the back brake not doing its share of the work). The caliper finally loosened up some but I didn't get it perfect until I upgraded to braided hose and cleaned out the master cyl. The old rubber hose was expanding and contracting so the caliper wasn't getting the full force of the pressure from the master cyl. The second set of pads have now done 4000 miles and look to be about 1/2 worn. There was a big difference in feel wth the braided hose, more initial bite, more power, and more sensitivity. Worth every penny!