[Bullhammer]

Hello guys, so I’ve freshly pulled out my 1991 VR4 engine and have discovered some not very pretty sights along the firewall. I can see that my brake booster is rusted to all hell, as well as some of my hardlines rusted in some areas which makes me wonder. When the car was running I had no issues with my brake nor clutch; however, I did have an issue where when I hit boost I would hear this very loud whistling sound. I’ve read in other forums this can be caused by faulty brake lines or clutch lines. My slave cylinder was also in horrendous shape and falling apart. Here are some photos, let me know what you guys think.

 

[Chang oil]

Those hard line brackets might hold surprises behind them (holding moisture and deposit)

The booster and master cylinder will need some attention (usually paint peel on booster like that is a tall tale sign that is was in fact leaking thru back side of master cylinder) brake fluid

The rear engine mount is definitely shot ....

Tedious job with getting everything cleaned up again
What ever you do take your time and make it right..... what I would do

 

[Bullhammer]

Those hard line brackets might hold surprises behind them (holding moisture and deposit)

The booster and master cylinder will need some attention (usually paint peel on booster like that is a tall tale sign that is was in fact leaking thru back side of master cylinder) brake fluid

The rear engine mount is definitely shot ....

Tedious job with getting everything cleaned up again
What ever you do take your time and make it right..... what I would do

I already figured that the master cylinder was leaking, it definitely seems as if brake fluid just dripped through the bottom. However my main concern is that I can’t really tell if the hardlines have an issue. I was thinking of visiting that 99 VR4 at my junkyard and snatching the hardlines off of that to replace mine today. Also yeah I know the rear mount is shot, I just got some 3sx poly ones to replace it 😉

 

[box]

Out of curiosity, what does the underside of that car look like?

The only times I've seen general corrosion like that is when vehicles have been driven on salted roads, or spent years parked up outside without being used.

 

[Bullhammer]

Out of curiosity, what does the underside of that car look like?

The only times I've seen general corrosion like that is when vehicles have been driven on salted roads, or spent years parked up outside without being used.

Underside looks really good, there is minimal to no rust. I’m gonna pull off that cover that covers the rear brake lines and Evap stuff and inspect that soon. Oh yeah it definitely had sat for a few years before I bought it so that could explain it. Lucky I inspected everything and most of it seemed alright. The rear right brake line was kinda leaking but I got one from the junkyard. The biggest issue was the clutch line, which was leaking badly, but I found a good priced replacement line online. The evap lines are in rough shape though from what I’ve seen. Here’s some photos

clutch line to slave cylinder

evap lines cluster

 

[paul93VR4]

I purchased a stainless kit from inline tube for around 200 They fit very good with just a slight mismatch going around the passenger side strut tower to the ABS unit. With just a bit of work I massaged the bends and am very happy with them. They use a cloth braided cover instead of rubber like oem where they tend to rub. SO as long as your not going for the OEM resto look I feel they are a great option. I am damm good at bending brake lines but sure didnt want to tackle all those bends.
I did the clutch line in the OEM type poly green coated and that was enough.
When I talked to them about the lines they also offer in steel but not the green poly coat- just regular tin/zinc steel.

They sure arent worth taking a chance with. As soon as I see that poly bubbling up like in the pictures its time to chage them out. When you need to stop that sinking feeling in your chest and the pedal hits the floor when you jam on it sucks. I was working on a 64 Cadillac my buddy got from Vermont, it had sat for years in a garage with a dirt floor. We drove it back to NJ and about a mile from his place he had to hit the brakes real hard as a guy ran the intersection and that big tank never slowed down....

P

 

[Bullhammer]

I purchased a stainless kit from inline tube for around 200 They fit very good with just a slight mismatch going around the passenger side strut tower to the ABS unit. With just a bit of work I massaged the bends and am very happy with them. They use a cloth braided cover instead of rubber like oem where they tend to rub. SO as long as your not going for the OEM resto look I feel they are a great option. I am damm good at bending brake lines but sure didnt want to tackle all those bends.
I did the clutch line in the OEM type poly green coated and that was enough.
When I talked to them about the lines they also offer in steel but not the green poly coat- just regular tin/zinc steel.

They sure arent worth taking a chance with. As soon as I see that poly bubbling up like in the pictures its time to chage them out. When you need to stop that sinking feeling in your chest and the pedal hits the floor when you jam on it sucks. I was working on a 64 Cadillac my buddy got from Vermont, it had sat for years in a garage with a dirt floor. We drove it back to NJ and about a mile from his place he had to hit the brakes real hard as a guy ran the intersection and that big tank never slowed down....

P

I appreciate your insight Paul. After examining my brake lines they seemed to be fine, including the lines that connect to the strut tower into the caliper. That nasty line you could see in that photo turns out to by my clutch line which I found a pretty well priced replacement here: STM Master to Slave Stainless Clutch Line - 3000GT/Stealth

The worst looking brake line was my right rear one connecting to the ABS and I picked up the same one from a vr4 at the junkyard the other day

Now what I think I should focus on is those nasty EVAP lines as they look to be in terrible condition.. at least that's what I assume they are I'm not really sure honestly. Last thing I want is for gas vapors to be leaking into my engine bay although I'm not really sure what those lines run to, maybe someone here knows?