Yesterday Wolfstone, D-DAWG, and I undertook the process of swapping my (completely f**ked) brake servo hose out with a nice new one from Liz. We struggled for a few hours using techniques we read about on the forum before developing a new method that as far as I can tell has not been mentioned on here yet.
The main issues was getting the hose join through the bulkhead grommet - the grommet was so tight that a hose tail connecting the old and new cables was too bulky to fit, as was a thin layer of gaffer tape, even with a generous helping of Super Lube.
[font="Arial, sans-serif;font-size:10.5pt;"]We then tried routing the new hose from the front of the grommet through into the bulkhead on it’s own, but it kept disappearing into some sort of black hole. Next we resorted to zip ties in an attempt to pull the hose through, which led to the breakthrough discovery that we needed. One of the zip ties snapped as it was being pulled and we ended up with 3 zip ties also lost in the same black hole that the hose kept going in.[/font]
[font="Arial, sans-serif;font-size:10.5pt;"]It was at this point that D-DAWG realised that he could just about see one of the zip ties under the dash. We removed the front dash panels and were able to retrieve the zip ties, but annoyingly the alarm box was right in the way of where an arm needed to go to assist the routing of the hose. We tried with a steel rule, but it wasn't quite stiff enough before finally removing the dash completely - which took maybe about 20 minutes![/font]
[font="Arial, sans-serif;font-size:10.5pt;"]Once the dash was off, we then routed the new hose through the bulkhead grommet from the front. Once it was through the grommet, we could then reach over and direct the hose around the awkward corner and down into the sill access panel (See photo in link below).[/font]
http://s1282.photobu...rhpdgx.jpg.html
It was at this point that we joined the old hose to the new hose with a straight hose tail and pulled it incrementally through into the engine bay. We took the rear wheel off and the front fastening of the arch liner in order to gain access, but we didn’t need to remove the undertrays.
[font="Arial, sans-serif;font-size:10.5pt;"]When we discovered this method, it only took about 15 minutes to route the new hose. Once this was done I cleaned some of the foliage out of the dash, D-DAWG replaced the heater ducting foam, and it was all reassembled! (I suppose it is worth noting that there are several clips and zip ties that needed to be undone in order to allow the old hose to be able to move.) I’d say that we would have completed the whole process in an hour if we were to start over knowing what we know now![/font]
[font="Arial, sans-serif;font-size:10.5pt;"]So in summary:[/font]
1) Remove offside sill cover (black bit with triangles).
2) Remove dash (Not as intimidating as it sounds).
3) Remove wiper motor cover and fuse box adjacent to the bulkhead grommet.
4) Jack up nearside of car and remove nearside rear wheel and front fixings on wheel arch liner so that you can reach the hose.
5) Disconnect old hose on both ends and remove all old clips and zip ties securing the original hose in place. (Make sure it can slide).
6) Pull old hose through the bulkhead (pull towards rear of car) so that the front end of the old hose can be reached through the sill access panel.
7) Insert new hose through the bulkhead grommet (push towards rear of car). (Use Super Lube or dish soap to lubricate to your liking – too much and it’s hard to maintain a grip!)
8) Once the hose is through the grommet, reach into the front right corner of the dash and coerce the hose to travel down the path towards the sill. Continue to push hose through until you can see it in the sill access panel.
9) Connect old hose to new hose (we used a straight 10mm hosetail adaptor).
10) Feed hose front front to back until the new hose is in position. It’s easiest with one person at each access location (dashboard / sill access panel, wheel arch, and engine bay).
11) Connect both ends of the hose.
12) Redo wheel arch liner fixings and reattach rear wheel.
13) Reassemble fuse box, wiper motor cover, dash (make sure everything is attached and working before you redo all of the dash screws), and offside sill cover.
14) Test brake pedal and go. Job done!
I’m sure the other techniques listed on the forum will work for some - this is not intended to supersede the existing instructions, but to provide an alternate option! As we know, all of these cars have character and need to be treated differently! J
Edited by ajb2145, 12 December 2016 - 08:50 PM.
