Got my brakes back today!!

[Bill in MN]

The longer I drove the car at any one time the worse the brakes became. I was starting to think it was shitty pads until I pulled the IC to do a valve adjustment the other day. Lo and behold it turns out the brake lines are getting the living shit baked out of them by the wastegate, cooking off the outer coating off the brake lines and turning the brakes to mush.

The M5 has a shield on its lines at that location but even the all knowing/all seeing Parts Pimp couldn't come up with a PN so it was time to take things into my own semi-inept hands.

I made a simple guard out of some alum. soffit flashing from the lumber yard. It allows about 1/4 inch space between the shield and the lines. I coated the outer side with some 1500deg. insulating tape and wala, a $1.50 fix. The idea was really Jim Bledsoe's so I can't take any credit for it.

Perhaps this is something most have done and I'm behind the 8 ball but if not it's worth doing. Losing one's brakes is not a lot of fun :~

[Tjn182]

[QUOTE="Bill in MN"]The longer I drove the car at any one time the worse the brakes became. I was starting to think it was shitty pads until I pulled the IC to do a valve adjustment the other day. Lo and behold it turns out the brake lines are getting the living shit baked out of them by the wastegate, cooking off the outer coating off the brake lines and turning the brakes to mush.[/QUOTE]

That's really strange, my wastegate housing almost touches (within almost milimeters) my brake lines... and I have experienced no problems with my brakes what-so-ever. Strange...

[Yellow2]

That is a good note to tell me. I think ill end up getting some heat shield for those lines.

[Bill in MN]

I don't know what to tell you TJN. It's nothing I made up, that's for sure. I"m guessing I have about 3/8" of clearance at the very outside from the lines to the gate.

I've spoken with others that have experienced the same issue, not neccessarily with wastegates but headers. I also should clarify that the majority of the problems don't arise while driving on the highway, when airflow is much better. I do very little highway driving and mostly short hops.

[Jeremy]

Bill, I'm going to take a stab and guess that your automatic and restalled torque converter make this more of an issue that the rest of us manual gearbox guys.

Your turbo spools quick and often, so the wastegate and everything in that area probably gets nice and hot. Did you get the ceramic option on your manifold or exhaust housing? Just curious, cause I would guess that those would make a difference too.

My WAG,
Jeremy

[Bill in MN]

I do have the ceramic option but there's still a lot of heat under the hood, nothing too abnormal for a turbo car.

Venting/scoops has been brought up before and I'm considering this as an option in the future. The shield has made a world of difference in the braking department though. It's a night and day difference.