Lost brakes, rear line leaking. Big job to fix?

pservecc · October 13, 2006

I stepped on the brake tonight and the pedal went to the floor. Checked for leaks and found fluid under the driver's side rear wheel. It looks like the main brake line (coming from the front) was rusted and burst right at the frame bracket where the flex hose connects to it. So, it seems that I need a new metal line. Does anyone know how big of a job that is and how much I'm looking at for a shop to do it? Thanks!

1998 XLT 4Dr 4WD 4.0L SOHC Auto

slpdave · October 13, 2006

There is a post about running new brake lines. do a little searching.

David

marragtop · October 16, 2006

It's not a big job providing you can get the fittings loose on the line you need to replace, and you can get the bleeders open on the wheels. You can buy a straight line of metal brake line at any autostore and bend it (carefully) as needed.

Blee1099 · October 16, 2006

Don't forget a double flare tool..

marragtop · October 16, 2006

Actually, the lines that the stores sell already have the male connectors on both ends. That helps to make it a pretty easy job.

pservecc · October 19, 2006

Thanks for the replies. I wound up bringing it to my local Ford dealer for the work and just picked it up today. For $458, I find the job to be utterly unacceptable. The pedal is softer than it ever was before, and the pics show the rest. I will be speaking with the shop mgr in the morning. What do you think?

timleedude · October 19, 2006

What did they do to the car? Looks like they install new metal lines (2?)
They should have bled and tested the brakes to make sure it works. Firm pedal.

As far as how your car looks... damn that rust is nasty.. but they can't fix the rest of your car, unless you pay for it to be changed.. Just Get some "Rust Eater" type liquid that you can put on the rust to stop the rust and convert to a "paint " like surface.

-Tim

pservecc · October 19, 2006

I had them replace all 4 metal lines. My main complaints are that the pedal is not firm anymore, and that the rear line was fixed by simply snipping off the ends of the old one and snaking a new one in behind the tank. Look at pic #2 and tell me that it's going to last more than a few months before failing again. I also don't understand why the new lines were spliced into the old ones at the proportioning valve. Sure, New England winters are tough, but this is a problem with workmanship.

IZwack · October 19, 2006

Perhaps one reason reason why the new lines were directly spliced into the old lines is that the fitting that goes into the ABS controller unit is not a normal size for the 3/16" brake line used -- its larger. And the reason why they left part of the old line is that it is held on by plastic clips to the chassis and would probably require dropping the gas tank in order to remove the hard line.

But having said all this, it still seems like a poor job. You're correct, that second pic looks like a disaster waiting to happen as brake lines should not be in contact with sharp metal edges. It would perhaps be wise to put something between the brake line and that bracket that holds the gas tank - maybe wrap a small piece of bicycle inner tube to the brake line or sometihng.

As for the soft brake feeling - have some one help you bleed the rear brakes, it shouldn't take you more than an hour or two.

timleedude · October 19, 2006

Take it back to the dealer and get them to bleed the brakes again until it feels firm. And make them fix whatever else you feel they need to do. Speak nice and calmly to the service manager and hopefully he should be able to help you. Good Luck.

I'm glad I live in Hawaii where there is no Harsh winters with Salt on the roads to cause so much rust like that.. Wow.. But in Hawaii, the Salt Air from the ocean can be just as damaging if you live near the beach.

-Tim

pservecc · October 19, 2006

One more point of clarification... The breakdown was $350 for labor (5 hours) and $100 for parts, including (supposedly) a flush and bleed. Replacing the lines and a couple of recalls were the only jobs done and they had the car for 2 days. They had also told me that the calipers would need to be replaced if the bleeder screws snapped off when they went to open them. I didn't want that, so I made sure they weren't frozen myself first. Looks like I should have done the fittings too, since I got charged an extra hour just for that. Still doesn't add up for an experienced mechanic in my book. Not for this job anyway.

I did bring my concerns to the attention of the service advisor immediately and I will be speaking with the shop manager tomorrow.

Thanks for all the input.

pservecc · October 19, 2006

Oh yeah, about the rust. If you think that looks bad, you should have seen my Firebird after 13 years, or the remaining half of it anyway...

MountaineerGreen · October 19, 2006

I would want them to re route the line somewhere else besides through the gas tank bracket. If for some reason the gas tank needs to come out, you will have to take the brake line off. That line was not run properly in my opinion. The work looks pretty shotty to me.

pservecc · October 19, 2006

mountaineergree said:
I would want them to re route the line somewhere else besides through the gas tank bracket. If for some reason the gas tank needs to come out, you will have to take the brake line off. That line was not run properly in my opinion. The work looks pretty shotty to me.

An excellent point, thanks.

dynamite196 · October 19, 2006

to reiterate what everyone has said, that's a really bad job which is surprising since you took it to the dealer. Am I mistaken or did they just snip the old line off???? They also did a real lazy job with the new routing. As far as the soft pedal goes, once again reiterating what everyone has said, they didn't bleed the brakes. This is somewhat of a safety hazard as the air can cause the brakes to lock up and fail. I'd go to another dealer (perferably one you know to have a good reputation) and have them look at it and give you a quote.

dynamite196 · October 19, 2006

I just noticed you're from Mass. I realize it's probably unlikely you're willing to drive to CT but if you need an excellent dealer in the future go to Monaco Ford in Glastonbury (right next to hartford). You've probably heard of them but they are considered one of the best on the east coast.

MountaineerGreen · October 19, 2006

dynamite196 said:
I'd go to another dealer (perferably one you know to have a good reputation) and have them look at it and give you a quote.

To heck with that! You paid good money for a job to be done, I would go back and make them do it right. Crawl under the truck to see what they re did before you leave the dealership. I don't trust anything anyone else does, especially when it involves safety things like brakes.

Eventually I want my own shop with a lift and tire mounting/balancing equipment so I don't have to pay any shop for anything. That way Id know the job was done right, or at least who to blame if it wasnt.

dynamite196 · October 20, 2006

i agree that the first repair shop should fix it or be held accountable for the charges required to fix it however my point was if he went to another shop and found out exactly what was required for the job to be done right he could talk a little differently to the shop manager.

pservecc · October 20, 2006

@dynamite - Yes, the ends of the rear line were snipped off and the rest of it was left as is in the frame rail. Hartford is a 90 mile trip for me, and I think a bit much to ask for good service.

I decided to bring it in after seeing that the tank would need to come out in order to do the job right. I fully expected them to do that, especially after hearing that the labor would be 4+ hours. It would be nice to know if other dealers did that, and for what price. Unless there is an another acceptable way to do it, of course...

IZwack · October 20, 2006

pservecc said:
I decided to bring it in after seeing that the tank would need to come out in order to do the job right. I fully expected them to do that, especially after hearing that the labor would be 4+ hours.

FYI: the tank does not need to be completely removed in order to replace that brake line. The fuel tank can be moved a foot or so down without disconnecting the fuel lines and electrical lines going into the fuel tank. To do this takes only 30 minutes tops -- remove the skid plate and then remove the tank.

Lost brakes, rear line leaking. Big job to fix?

Active Member

Well-Known Member

Explorer Addict

Evil Asian

Explorer Addict

Active Member

Well-Known Member

Active Member

Well-Known Member

Active Member

Active Member

Towing Moderator

Active Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Towing Moderator

Well-Known Member

Active Member

Explorer Features

Explorer Features