Full Stainless Braided Clutch Line Replacement Hose
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Full Stainless Braided Clutch Line Replacement Hose
Just installed a complete replacement last night, and got to drive the car with it today. Before this, my clutch master cylinder was on its way out, after replacing my clutch slave cylinder last year and seeing my clutch hydraulic fluid get darker over time from pushrod debris. Replaced the master, and then the flex hose decided to spring a pinhole leak 20mi afterward. Tried to pull that off for a quick temp fix (self fusing tape + zip ties!), but the fitting on the hard line side was seized. I could still drive the car if I filled up the reservoir every 30mi or so, so I didn't want to completely disable the car by breaking that if I didn't have to yet.
So I went looking for a replacement for the hard line (stealership only) along with the hose (widely available), with some poking around to see how much of a PITA it looked like to replace (PITA confirmed). I found some stainless braded clutch hose replacements along the way, and the idea hit me about just replacing the entire system, hard lines and soft hose, with a single braided hose. Nothing out there specifically for 94-97 Accords, but plenty for Preludes. So I checked around on Rockauto for clutch master and slave cylinders, and found the Accord and Prelude use the same part numbers. So I ordered a full replacement braided hose for the Prelude on eBay for $45. Luckily, it was 1 state over, so I didn't have to wait long.
Came with the proper adapters on the end to fit the cylinders, along with a 90 degree bend fitting on the master cylinder end to clear the firewall, and the hose is covered in clear tubing to protect whatever it comes in contact with. Install went as smoothly as could be, using stubby wrenches to speed things up, though these all used SAE sizes (1/2" and 7/16" IIRC). I cut the master cylinder side hardline off by the plastic retaining clip on the firewall, and disconnected and removed the slave cylinder side hardline, since both were in the way of installing the braided hose. I routed the hose along the vacuum hardlines at the top of the firewall, under the intake hose, and around the AC lines to the slave cylinder. Bled with a vacuum pump and everything worked properly again.
Still have to fine tune the master cylinder adjustment from the earlier install, but from a day of driving, I can feel how differently the clutch reacts. Doing this bypasses the clutch damper, which seems to be solely for comfort for your left foot, to smooth out pedal inputs. You can feel the vibrations now from the clutch gripping without it, and clutch engagement can be much more immediate if you want it to be. The clutch pedal feels "cleaner" to operate. Kind of in a way like when removing slack from your throttle cable. 1:1 response from your clutch, where there was a delay and numbness before.
A good mod if you're looking for something cheap to do, since your clutch line probably hasn't been replaced, and is probably brittle, waiting to pop. Especially if you've recently replaced your clutch cylinders and the fittings are nice and clean, and easy to loosen.
I'll grab some pics eventually.
So I went looking for a replacement for the hard line (stealership only) along with the hose (widely available), with some poking around to see how much of a PITA it looked like to replace (PITA confirmed). I found some stainless braded clutch hose replacements along the way, and the idea hit me about just replacing the entire system, hard lines and soft hose, with a single braided hose. Nothing out there specifically for 94-97 Accords, but plenty for Preludes. So I checked around on Rockauto for clutch master and slave cylinders, and found the Accord and Prelude use the same part numbers. So I ordered a full replacement braided hose for the Prelude on eBay for $45. Luckily, it was 1 state over, so I didn't have to wait long.
Came with the proper adapters on the end to fit the cylinders, along with a 90 degree bend fitting on the master cylinder end to clear the firewall, and the hose is covered in clear tubing to protect whatever it comes in contact with. Install went as smoothly as could be, using stubby wrenches to speed things up, though these all used SAE sizes (1/2" and 7/16" IIRC). I cut the master cylinder side hardline off by the plastic retaining clip on the firewall, and disconnected and removed the slave cylinder side hardline, since both were in the way of installing the braided hose. I routed the hose along the vacuum hardlines at the top of the firewall, under the intake hose, and around the AC lines to the slave cylinder. Bled with a vacuum pump and everything worked properly again.
Still have to fine tune the master cylinder adjustment from the earlier install, but from a day of driving, I can feel how differently the clutch reacts. Doing this bypasses the clutch damper, which seems to be solely for comfort for your left foot, to smooth out pedal inputs. You can feel the vibrations now from the clutch gripping without it, and clutch engagement can be much more immediate if you want it to be. The clutch pedal feels "cleaner" to operate. Kind of in a way like when removing slack from your throttle cable. 1:1 response from your clutch, where there was a delay and numbness before.
A good mod if you're looking for something cheap to do, since your clutch line probably hasn't been replaced, and is probably brittle, waiting to pop. Especially if you've recently replaced your clutch cylinders and the fittings are nice and clean, and easy to loosen.
I'll grab some pics eventually.
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chris89
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Nov 14, 2014 06:53 PM