89 GrandMarq brake fluid leak

[amoss2]

Just recently replaced both rear wheel cylinders on my 89 Marquis. Could not get a good pedal after several tries to bleed. A couple of days later developed a brake fluid puddle near drivers front wheel but does not seem to be from that caliper or brake line. Master and booster also seem dry, just can't figure out where leak is from. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Anyone in the central Florida area willing to lend a hand would be great to have someone willing to work on a classic like this.

[GM_Guy]

Get a helper to pump (and then stand on) the brakes while you look. Wear safety glasses. I had a line leak that was a pinhole, I had ,u dad step on the brake and this narrow piss stream of brake fluid comes arcing out of the pinhole right to my face... Could have ended badly if not for the fact my dads hearing sucks and I had to get my head out from under the hood for him to hear me.

Alex.

[amoss2]

Anyone in Central Florida wanna give me a hand getting my Merc roadworthy again ?

[amoss2]

Looking for anyone to either help me get my 89 Grand Marquis back on the road or I will have to sell it as is !

[gadget73]

Sounds like a line failure at the A pillar under the driver's door post. Its a common failure point. Nothing to be done for it short of replacing the brake line. Its an old car, these things happen. Look under there with a flashlight, you'll find the wet spot.

[VicCrownVic]

Sounds like a line failure at the A pillar under the driver's door post. Its a common failure point. Nothing to be done for it short of replacing the brake line. Its an old car, these things happen. Look under there with a flashlight, you'll find the wet spot.

+1
That's the spot where lithdoc's line was leaking on his 89 MGM. We cut the line further back on the frame rail and replaced the whole section from there all the way to the mater cylinder. Compression fitting on the cut end and fitting into the master cylinder on the other end. He did a great job of bending it to match the original line shape too. I'm a bit impatient when it comes to bending lines though, as long as it works it's good enough for me.

[gadget73]

NO COMPRESSION FITTINGS. those things are not rated for the pressures involved in a brake system. Double flares with unions only.

[VicCrownVic]

NO COMPRESSION FITTINGS. those things are not rated for the pressures involved in a brake system. Double flares with unions only.

Apparently compression fittings are illegal on brake lines in some places such as New York state... (http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...topics/2021845)
Having grown up in the middle of nowhere in a state with no inspections whatsoever, this is a very common practice in the backwoods. I was aware that it may not be the best practice, but if it's bad enough to be illegal in other places, for the sake of safety, I'll steer clear of them.

I'll have to check with lithdoc and see about making his right.

Since I will have my car off the road soon, until next spring/summer or possibly 2016, this will be one of the things on the list to have corrected if I have any on the bake lines. If I do they were there when I bought the car.
I already have enough line to replace everything on the car and access to more than a couple double flaring tools.

[gadget73]

I really don't give a hoot about inspections, I just don't want people to die if the connection gives up in a panic stop. The pressures in brake systems are a whole lot higher than most people would imagine. We're in the thousands of PSI range on a good hard pedal stomp. The reason they are illegal is safety reasons. Thats one of the things I would value a decent safety inspection for. I don't get them here in NJ, and the marginal one we used to get has been completely abandoned in favor of feel-good emissions inspections only. Sad thing with safety inspection is that its a very common way for people to get ripped off by dishonest shops.

[ReneGoFast]

Bringing up a 2 year old thread. 89 GrandMarq brake fluid leak, same car, same leak. I'm planning on replacing the line from the master cylinder all the way back to the differential. My question is how important is it that the line be run in the same space, bend for bend? Would "close enough" be good enough? I plan on using zip ties to hold the new line to the old rusty line/ brackets. Looks to me like the OEM lines were held rigid to the frame. Anybody done this before? It is easier to feed the new line from the rear to the front, or vise versa? I know I'm not gonna be able to make the same convoluted bends from the master cylinder down to the frame rail....does it really matter? Thought I'd just bend in a couple of loops for expansion/contraction and shoot it down the side rail and be close enough. What do you think?? .......remember I'm laying on my back in a snow covered driveway, in winter, in michigan, not a heated garage with a lift!!

[mcninetyone]

I replaced ALL the brake and fuel lines on a 93CV that came from Ohio. They were all rusted out
I tried to get everything back in the stock position, but some of the lines ended up "close enough".
I used stock lines but still had to take a few liberties with a few of the bends and stock placement.
Everything works great! it doesn't have to be a perfect job.
Fear not, but it is a PITA.

[GM_Guy]

No, the bends do not matter. just keep the line away from heat and moving parts. Up here in the rust belt, we just tywrap to the old line and call it good.

Alex.

[87gtVIC]

You will be fine doing it your way.

I'd roughly cut what you need and shove the line up toward the master cylinder and start working on the end by the differential. After that is complete then work on the master cylinder side of things.