DIY 2012+ Civic Si Braided Steel Brake Lines and Clutch Line Install

Hello,
I really need help,
Anybody here knew the LENGTH of the Front Brake Line of the 2012+ Civic Si ?

I am sure someone here must had change their rubber brake line with the stainless steel braided one,
so if any of you could help me by measuring your stock FRONT factory rubber brake line (from the most end of fitting to the other end/total length), it would really help me.
Thank You.
 
I just exchanged my stock brake lines for stainless steel braided Goodridge lines, following the instructions in this thread. As I have noted before, I don't have a lot of experience wrenching on cars, but I'm getting better at it. Here are some additional points that I would like to add.

First off, the length of the stock lines, as requested by BMW Alpina: (I know the request is a bit old, but here's the info):

Front: 22.75"
Rear: 18.75"

These are for a 2012 Civic Si, 4 door (Sedan).

As is often the case, the first line change took about 45 minutes, each of the others 3 took about 10 minutes. A little experience goes a long way.

My car is a few years old, and these parts tend to collect crud, rust, etc. Once you have your car jacked up and the tires off, spray some liquid wrench on each of the bolts you are about to work with. Let it sit for a bit, then clean everything off as well as you can.

As far as jacking the car up, I've found a new cushion to put between the jack and the car frame: a hockey puck. You can buy one for about $2, and they last way longer than a block of wood.

While you're waiting for the liquid wrench to work its magic, fill your brake fluid reservoir to the tippy-top with fresh fluid. Check the level after each line change to make sure it doesn't go too low. Start by loosening, then re-tightening, the 10 mm nut where the metal brake line enters the wheel well. These bolts are really stuck on, and it takes some determination to break them loose. Loosen, and re-tighten, the banjo bolt. Remove the bolt holding the line near the middle to the bracket.

Remove the clip at the upper bracket, as described in Step 6. You've already loosened the nut, so getting it off won't be a problem. Once the clip is out, the rubber brake line just pulls out of a hole in the bracket. That wasn't obvious at first, and it can take a fair amount of pulling to get it out. Go ahead and loosen it up, then disconnect the nut and pull the rubber line out of the bracket.

At this point, brake fluid will be happily dripping from the proximal line. You can buy bamboo skewers at the grocery store (for cooking vegetables on the grill), that do a nice job of plugging the hole. It makes the job a little less messy. The instructions that come with the SS lines tell you to drain the fluid from the system first, but if you have anti-lock brakes, you really can't do that. Just plug the hole, instead.

When putting the new lines in, Goodridge provides new banjo bolts. Note that the factory torque spec for the OEM banjo bolts is 26 lb-feet, but for the Goodridge supplied ones, it's 12 to 24. I broke the first Goodridge banjo bolt because I tried torquing it to 26. Fortunately, it was easy to turn the threaded part out by hand after the top had broken off, and I used the OEM bolt, instead. For the other Goodridge bolts, I torqued them to 15 each. Goodridge also supplies new clips and washers to use. I don't know if there's any reason to use the OEM bolts or the Goodridge supplied ones, instead.

For the front wheels, there is not as much "play" in the metal tube part of the brake line where it comes out of the side of the wheel well, so you have to pull the rubber line out of the bracket to get the end free. Again, make sure the bracket is cleaned off before you put it back together again.

So, when it's all put back together again, bleed the brakes using your favorite technique. I have a little hand vacuum pump to pull the fluid through. Keep an eye on the fluid level in the reservoir to make sure it doesn't go too low.

All in all, it wasn't too hard. I didn't do the clutch line, and probably won't. From this point forward, I'm going to be saving up to get started in Spec Miata racing with the SCCA. The Si is fun to drive on the track, but I don't want to keep beating up on my daily ride. There are several teams that rent Spec Miata race cars, and you can "rent-to-own". Even though the Miatas have less power, with a full race suspension and tires, they do lap times 20 seconds faster than my "mostly street" Si can. Check out some of the in-car videos on Youtube to see what it's like.
 
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MarkA said:
I just exchanged my stock brake lines for stainless steel braided Goodridge lines, following the instructions in this thread. As I have noted before, I don't have a lot of experience wrenching on cars, but I'm getting better at it. Here are some additional points that I would like to add.

First off, the length of the stock lines, as requested by BMW Alpina: (I know the request is a bit old, but here's the info):

Front: 22.75"
Rear: 18.75"
Click to expand...

Thanks MarkA :)
 
sorry for bringing old thread back but can I use brake fluid as clutch fluid? I read you can but just want to make sure.
 
Just wanted to add that the 12mm bolt on the brake line bracket is a mother f*cker. Its like God himself torqued it down.

I had no trouble with anything else but please make sure you use your liquid wrench on that thing for hours
 
Nice. I know this an old post, but good DIY then the video from Pro Civic I say. Gonna be changing the brake hoses later this week, already did the clutch hose last year.
 
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