How to replace 986 rear brake hard lines

[mattmarks]

Hi all I just acquired my first boxster - car spent it's previous life in Pittsburgh. I took the undertrays off to take a my first good look and I can see that Pennsylvania definitely does NOT spare the road salt....

The hard lines to the rear wheels are basically mush. I cut off the rusted line that runs through the drivers wheel well to the under the driver's seat, and flared it and used a coupler and length of new line to complete that part of the circuit.

The driver's side line from the coupler to the caliper - I bent a replacement and have that all bolted together. What I am having difficulty with is:

1) How is the line to the passenger rear caliper routed? I can trace it easily from the junction mentioned above as it runs parallel to the blue vacuum line and the rear driver's side line, but then it turns about 30 degrees upwards and continues up through a bulkhead of sorts. I can't splice in a union here as the rustiest section is where it goes through the sheet metal.

2) how do I reach behind wherever this goes? Access via the trunk? I am also assuming that there is some sort of a union back there as I'm hoping (?) that its not a 10 foot total length tube. The PSM cars have some sort of an ABS modulator in PET that serves as a union - do the standard cars have something that sits in it's place to serve as a union

3) Do I have to pull the trans to fix this? If I do, I'm just going to find something out of the way and make some random bends to get it up, over, and down until it's time for the IMS/clutch, and then fix it permanently.


Car is 5 speed - though it appears that these are the same for both transmissions.

Thanks in advance.

[Dmitry at Pelican Parts]

Hello - take a look at the link below to a DIY tech article on removing/replacing the brake lines. It may help you troubleshoot your questions. Other members will likely chime in with their experiences as well.

https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/54-BRAKES-Brake_Line_Replacement/54-BRAKES-Brake_Line_Replacement.htm

[JPSummers2]

Same issue here.
Brake Lines from the splitter block to the rear are corroded through. Any tips, tricks, diagrams, photos, videos on how to route the Right Rear Line to the Wheel Well would be appreciated.
The Pelican Article only deals with the Soft Lines in the wheel well. Not routing the new hard lines to the wheel well.
Just ordered New Hard Lines for the rear from Pelican today.

[JFP in PA]

And before installing ANY mild steel brake hard lines, take a lesson from the Asians and clean and plasticote the lines; they will last forever...............

[beansmoke]

Hi mattmarks, I had the same problem on my 1998 base 986 and wrote up a DIY, with pictures. It's a GoogleDoc linked here.

Hope you and others find it useful.