5th Gen 4Runner, Install
YotaMafia Extended Brake Lines For The 4th Gen and 5th Gen 4Runner: Step-by-Step Install and Review
YotaMafia Extended Brake Lines For The 5th Gen 4Runner: Step-by-Step Install and Review
When it comes to lifting your 4Runner, a lot can change very fast depending on the lift height. Typically, set-ups for overlanding and mild wheeling will range from 3″ to 4.5”. After installing your lift, you’ll typically see a lot of things become out of factory specifications such as CV axle, panhard bar, and upper control arm angles. Outside of these, however, are your factory brake lines which is one of the most important, yet overlooked items. This is where the YotaMafia extended brake lines come into play.
Why Should You Buy YotaMafia Extended Brake Lines?
Most can get away with stock brake lines on a 1-2” lift. Once you start exceeding that, you won’t be able to get much additional travel without having to worry about stretching and breaking your brake lines.
With the YotaMafia extended brake lines, you can rest assured that you won’t be damaging your lines anytime soon and can have plenty of fun on the trails flexing out your rig to its fullest capability. They are 17″ in length and built to last with stainless steel braided lines and a DOT polymer coating.
Find It Online:
- YotaMafia Extended Brake Lines: Check Price
Suggested Tools and Materials
- 8mm Open Wrench
- 10mm Open Wrench
- 17mm Open Wrench
- 19mm Open Wrench
- Pliers (not sure the name of the sabertooth looking pliers)
- 6lb Hammer
- 2lb Hammer
- Assortment of Flathead Screwdrivers
- PB Blaster
- Prestone DOT 3 Brake Fluid
- 5/16” Plastic Tubing
- Impact Wrench
Please note: All of these tools are not required, and other tools can be substituted for this project.
I would recommend buying flare wrenches rather than using open wrenches due to the fact that you can strip a nut easier with an open wrench than with a flare wrench. You may also use whatever pliers you’re comfortable with using. I needed to use the pliers with a little more leverage because my clips were rusted to the mounting surface, which is also why I needed to use various flatheads to pry them from the surface. PB Blaster is also a lifesaver when it comes to dealing with seized nuts and bolts.
Rear Brake Line Install
Step 1: Drop Your Spare/Check if You’ll Need a Jack
This step is entirely dependent on your 4Runner’s suspension setup. Personally, my 4Runner is lifted a little less than 4” more than stock in the rear and on 33” tires, so I have a good bit of room to work with. However, if your rear end sits lower to the ground, I would recommend jacking your 4Runner up to give yourself more space (remember to use jack stands). I’m 6’5”, and it was pretty uncomfortable working under there, but manageable.
Dropping your spare, however, is a must regardless of your lift height. This will give you significantly more headspace and will be well worth the extra 5 minutes it takes.
Step 2: Assess the Clips and Old Brake Lines
If your 4Runner is anything like mine, you can understand the struggles of rust. Unfortunately for me, the clips that go between the brake line and the mounting surface were basically welded together. If this is the case for you, hit them with PB Blaster a couple of times, and wait a few minutes in between. PB Blaster is a great accessory to have when working on 4Runners, especially the notoriously rusty 4th Gens.
Make sure you inspect your old brake lines, too. This might sound unnecessary since you’re replacing them anyways, but dry rotted lines could mean there are small chunks of rubber from the interior walls in your system. If this is the case for you, keep an eye out for seizing calipers, as this will happen when too much debris gets into your system.
Step 3: Loosen Nut From Brake Line
Using your 10mm wrench for the nut and 17mm for the brake line, hold the 17mm in place and loosen the nut with your 10mm wrench. From here, fluid will begin to drip out of the hardline. Retighten the nut until after you pull the clip out.
Step 4: Pry the Clip From Its Mounting Surface
This part isn’t difficult but takes some patience. Set your flathead (or similar tool) between the clip and the mounting surface, and knock it in with a hammer.
Step 5: Remove Old Hardware and Lines
As the clips start to become easier to grab, try to grip them with your pliers and wiggle/pull back and forth until they start to give. Use more PB Blaster if necessary.
Using your 10mm and 17mm wrenches, fully remove the old soft lines. To prevent fluid from dripping out, you can get a 5/16” rubber stopper to put on the end of the hardline, have a friend hold their finger until the new connection is made, or just let it drip (I recommend getting a stopper).
Step 6: Install New Lines
This part was a bit of a pain for me. In order to reconnect the hard lines to the soft lines, you’ll need to push them hard and soft lines together while also trying to hand tighten the nut. You may need to loosen one of the hardline mounting bolts, which is 12mm. Since I’m stubborn, I didn’t loosen any additional bolts, but it probably would have made my job a lot easier.
Once the new lines have been connected and hand tightened on both sides, grab your 19mm and 10mm wrenches. The 19mm will go around the collar of the brake line, and the 10mm wrench will tighten the nut down. Tighten the nut until it is snug. Do NOT overtighten.
Next, grab the new clips, position them between the brake line and the mounting surface, and hammer them into place.
Front Brake Line Install
Step 1: Jack Up Your 4Runner and Remove the Tires
Remember to use jack stands, and place your tire under the frame as a “last chance” backup plan if both your jack and jack stand fail.
Step 2: Loosen Nuts and Remove Brake Lines
Similar to the rear lines, take your 10mm and 17mm wrenches, loosen the hard line nuts, and remove the brake lines.
Step 3: Remove Brake Line Clips
Fortunately, this step did not require any prying or hammering. All I needed to do was hit both soft line connection points with PB Blaster, wait a couple of minutes, and remove the clips with pliers.
Step 4: Install YotaMafia Brake Lines
Now for the easy part. Push your hard and soft lines together, hand tighten the nut until the threads catch, and continue tightening the nut with your 10mm and 19mm wrench until it is snug. Again, do NOT overtighten the nut. As long as it’s snug, you’re good to go.
After the lines are connected, slide the clips between the mounting surface and the soft line connection. Use your hammer to tap the clips into place.
Bleeding the System
At this point, you have successfully installed your new YotaMafia Extended Brake Lines. However, before you button everything up and roll your 4Runner out of the garage, you still need to bleed your system.
This step is necessary because there is air in the soft lines. If you do not bleed your system, fluid won’t be able to reach your calipers. In simpler terms, you won’t have brakes.
The sequence for 4Runners is:
- Rear Passenger
- Rear Driver
- Front Passenger
- Front Driver
This is entirely dependent on where the master cylinder is located in your vehicle. In other words, you want to work from the furthest point away from the MC to the closest.
Step 1: Tools/Materials
Grab your plastic tubing (5/16” or ¼”), DOT 3 brake fluid, and 8mm wrench.
Step 2: Crack the Bleed Valve on the Rear Passenger Caliper
The valve is located at the top of your caliper and is one of the smallest nuts on the caliper itself so it shouldn’t be hard to miss. Place your tubing on the valve, and crack it open using your 8mm wrench.
Step 3: Activate the Brake Booster
In order for the bleeding process to work properly, someone will need to be pressing the brake pedal with the key in the “ON” position. This will send power to the brake booster and push the air out of the lines.
Step 4: Bleed the Lines
As the brake pedal is depressed, fluid will begin coming out of the bleed valve. As it is coming through the tube, make sure there are little to no air bubbles.
Step 5: Close Bleed Valve and Move to Next Caliper
Once the fluid coming through the tubing looks clear, close the bleed valve back up and move to the next caliper. Follow the preceding steps and sequence.
Final Thoughts
With a moderately lifted 4Runner, the YotaMafia Extended Brake Lines are an essential upgrade if you plan on wheeling your rig to any degree. Even when you’re not wheeling, having these extended lines gives you the extra peace of mind, especially with them being made of stainless steel and coated in DOT polymer.
The install process was a little tedious (as many installs are), but well worth the time. Total time for this install took approximately 1.5 hours with the majority of that time being devoted to the rear lines.
All in all, I highly recommend investing in a set of YotaMafia’s Extended Brake Lines. The price to functionality ratio is definitely worth shelling out some extra money to make sure you don’t break (pun intended) anything on your next trip.
