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Coil in ALL brake lines, why?
Hey guys! I'm about three weeks out from finishing the car, I can't wait!
I'm in the process of installing the brake system in my car. I noticed at a car show last week that every car has a "coil" of brake line just near the master cylinder. What is the purpose of this coil, or "loop" of line? Bleeding, air bubbles, to ward off aliens? If I don't need to put it in there, I'd prefer not to, making the lines look cleaner. Thanks guys! Lance |
It's there for vibration and to allow the line to expand and contract if necessary, so the line doesn't eventually break.
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Two reasons; vibration and temperature.
Unless you are talking about the coils that go over the lines, those are for abrasion. :D |
Ease of installation and to a lesser degree expansion. You don't want them to bind but why would they if you have a little slack in the line?
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Standard practice for many years was to add a 'service' loop at the end of every hard line. The reason was if the line broke or other wise became not servicable, you could just straigten out the cut and flair a new fitting on with out having to replace the whole line. This is a fairly 'old school' way of doing things. I don't bother any more. Done wrong it can make bleeding the brakes more of a pain as well.
Dave, 'temperature'... running them brake lines through a cool can are you;) :LOL: |
rdorman wrote...
Quote:
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The only thing I run through a cool can Freddie is various alcohols.... and they aren't the kind that the motor runs on either!:LOL:
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That's what I figured you were at Rick. :LOL:
The car companies would never add line if they did not have to. There were short runs to the metering valve just under the master cylinder. but the temperatures would cause a problem in the summer as the water would boil close to the exhaust. One fix was to increase the dispated area and drop the temp. On top of that, they had a number of cars that were not unibody and the body mounts would come apart from the frame allowing the body to move a little. If there was not a way to allow for the lines to move, they would brake and the brakes would fail. For a while, lines were run in standard lengths so they could be serviced just about anywhere, but that did not last long as it was expensive. |
In most cases, the master cylinder is mounted on the body, and the lines go to a bracket or proportioning valve mounted on the frame. The body is usually attached with rubber bushing allowing flex between the body and frame.
I've actually seen brake lines ripped out of the master cylinder on a drag car where the frame twisted a lot and the lines were run reasonably tight. |
Question was asked in 2006 about why people put loops near the connection ends of brake tubing: The answer is still important, so please let me refresh. It has little to with vibration isolation or thermal expansion. It will certainly INCREASE the tendency of the tube to vibrate and could therefore, in principle, lead to failure. Thermally, if heated from end to end with a torch, the tube could lengthen a fraction of an inch (e.g., heat a steel tube 60 inches long to 500F and it will get about 0.21 inches longer -- I wouldn't panic over that.), which is easily absorbed by other flex points in the pipe.
The LOOP has to do with ease of replacement if the fitting goes south. Historically it is called a "service loop" and is there for service reasons, as the name indicates. It can also come in handy if you are using tubing that has flares already made on both ends. If you get to the end of the run and have a few inches of tube left over, coil-it up. Easier than cutting and making a new flare. Of course, some people secretly think it makes the thing look more "racey". |
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