Stainless steel clutch line Z4M where to get them?

[imom]

I still have the stock CDV and the Zeckhausen CDV are out of stock. I thought maybe just buy stainless steel clutch lines and save my stock line and CDV.

Anyone know where to buy them?

Also any experience with Techna-Fit brand hoses?

[O-cha]

SS line is the dumbest thing you could buy. It's not like the brakes where it sees massive pressures and little expansions are noticeable (and really aren't on brakes anyway). Clutch sees relative to the brakes no pressure at all.

[jmillet]

Originally Posted by imom

I still have the stock CDV and the Zeckhausen CDV are out of stock. I thought maybe just buy stainless steel clutch lines and save my stock line and CDV. Anyone know where to buy them?
Also any experience with Techna-Fit brand hoses?

Just remove the stock CDV and get it over with. You don't need a modified CDV.

[imom]

yeah...I was on the fence about the SS clutch line...but figured if removing the CDV was going to make it tight connection without any flex...I rather just run a new line and if SS clutch line was $30... no biggie.

I had the dealer flush my brakes/clutch fluid...probably have air still... but since I had the car for only a short time...I wasn't sure if it was them or always this way....anyways... the brakes are mushy and then grab right away...just doesn't feel right...I'm going to just get some stoptech SS brake lines all around and put Motul... gonna remove the CDV the same time then... the Zeckhausen CDV was for warranty reason...my car is still under warranty for a long time... otherwise I go for more serious mods.

Thanks for the replies.

[MFGJR]

Just did Stoptech brake lines and flushed the brakes and clutch this weekend. You should have no problem deleting the CDV--there's a short hard line running from the slave cylinder to a bracket, and then the CDV's on the outside of that bracket where it attaches to the stock rubber clutch line. There's plenty of slack in the rubber line. You can see all this from the top of the engine compartment--it's above the louvers in the aluminum belly pan covering the transmission.

It looks like it's hard to get to the bleeder on the slave, but it's not as bad as it looks. There's a slot in the casing that the wrench will swing into--you might have to flip the wrench over to get it lined up with the slot. Also, put the wrench on to get as much of a turn on the bleeder as you can. 30 or so degrees of turn wasn't enough.

Have fun.

[imom]

Did the brakes feel funny soft and then grabs abruptly to you MFGJR? How does the brakes feel now after the swap? What kind of brake/clutch fluid did you use?

[MFGJR]

Just got the car a couple weeks ago, but per the service records the car had recently had a flush by the dealer. Getting ready for driving schoolls this spring, hence the new lines and fluid. The brakes felt fine before; decent pedal, progressive bite with the stock pads. Pedal feels just a little firmer now with the new lines.

I went with ATE Super Blue for now, took about 3/4 of a liter to flush the brakes and clutch.

As a first step, you might try just a good bleed to see if that solves your mushy pedal--I wouldn't think that could be the lines.

Let me know if you do the Stoptech lines--I might be able to give you a couple tips as they don't come with instructions.

[imom]

Pretty good chance I will buy the stoptech locally in the next day or so... I really suspect the dealer did a crappy job...as my brakes squeal now before it didn't prior to service...and brakes feel much worse. They are a bit out of the way, so I don't know if I will go back until I really need service...I'll just have it done locally or through a friend to bleed the brakes.

Any tips about the stoptech would be benefit not only meet but others in the future reading this..so yes...and thanks.

[MFGJR]

Re: installing the Stoptech lines (got mine from Zeckhausen) . . .

The fronts should come with two steel washers and a pair of zip ties. What are these for? The bracket on the inside of the wheel well has a star-shaped hole and the big end of the Stoptech line doesn't sit well in it--use the washer there. Order of parts: stock fixed line-stock spring clip-stock bracket attached to wheel well-new Stoptech washer-new Stoptech line. The zipties go through the inside of the rubber grommet that comes already installed on the Stoptech line, and then around the bottom of the bracket on the strut. Cut the excess from the ziptie. This just ensures that the line can't fall off the strut bracket.

On the rear, the stock set up has a rubber line that runs from the hard line connection at the top/front of the wheel well down through a plastic bracket on the top of the trailing arm (the plastic bracket also holds the sensor wires), and downstream of the plastic bracket the rubber lines mates to a short piece of hard line running to a metal bracket bolted to the inside of the trailing arm. At that metal bracket, the line changes back to rubber for the rest of its run to the caliper. The Stop tech line is all one long, flexible piece and so you'll remove everything between the caliper and the stock hard line connection inside the wheel well. Note that no washers or zipties are needed on the rear Stoptech lines. The Stoptechs should come with a movable rubber sleeve already-installed that's a couple inches long. It goes on the new line where it clamps into the stock plastic bracket atop the trailing arm. That plastic bracket unbolts from the trailing arm (remove the sensor wire(s) to get to the bolt) and then the bracket pries opens from its underside using a small screwdriver to release the old line/admit the new one. Re-use the metal bracket that attaches to the inside of the trailing arm (you’ll need to disassemble the stock rubber/hard line to get it off), and insert the Stoptech line’s rubber grommet into the hole in this bracket. I had to use a round file on the inside points of the metal bracket’s star-shaped hole to open it up enough to admit the end of the Stop tech line. It just took a very small amount of filing.

On both the front and rear lines (new and stock), you have to turn the entire line to thread them into/out of the calipers. So, when removing the stock line disconnect the other end from the hard line first, take the line loose from the bracket (front) or unbolt both brackets from the trailing arm (rear), and spin everything to remove the line from the caliper. When installing the new lines, start at the caliper end first. Threading the new lines into the calipers was really a pain, as they had to be a just the right angle. For a while I was convinced that they wouldn’t fit, but they do. Finally, make sure you use flare wrenches wherever possible, and especially on the hard lines’ compression fittings. If I remember correctly, you’ll need 11, 14 and 17 mm to handle everything on the old and new lines.

Sorry I didn’t take any pics when I did mine, and hopefully this will all make more sense when you get the wheels off your car. Let me know if you have questions or problems.

[imom]

Thanks, I'll see if I can get to it this weekend.