Brake Line Repair

[Brock94]

[For the short version, skip to the third paragraph.]

Well, the X left me on the side of the road for the first time last Friday. The brake pedal got really soft and unresponsive, so I pulled over and called a tow truck. When I opened the hood, the brake fluid was almost gone from the reservior-- it looked like the front part of the reservior may have been empty, but I'm not sure. The rear part still had a little fluid in it.

When I got the truck home, I refilled the reservior, just to avoid the need to bleed the master cylinder and ABS stuff assuming there wasn't air in there already.

So obviously the brake lines are leaking... the next day, I noticed a small puddle under the gas tank. It appears that the brake line that goes along the frame rail next to the fuel tank is leaking. So now I need to learn how to replace brake lines. The rubber hoses aren't in the best shape either, so I might as well replace them too.

Well, as I get ready to do this, I wanted to see if you had any advice... Are the flaring tools pretty easy to use? Do I need a tubing bender? Any recommendations?

Are aftermarket parts available/good or should I go with OEM from the dealer? Are the fittings standardized or do I need to bring in the old ones to get a match? Any advice as to techniques or likely problems? Is it likely that I did any damage to my master cylinder if it ran dry? (other than getting air in it)

Any and all thoughts coming from your experience are welcome!

 

[DeRocha]

Been there and done that (just forgot to ge the T-Shirt). Anyway take a peek at my Rusted brake line Thread.

 

[falls guy]

First off spray all the bleeder screws with penatrating oil or soak them with tranni fluid. Hopefully they all come loose for you so you don't have to replace any wheel cylinders or calipers as well. You should get a bender but not necessary if you are carefull. The flaring tool isn't too hard to use. Just practice a couple times on a short piece of line. Make sure you pay close attention to use single flares where needed and double flares where needed. Gravity bleed the entire system well when done and then bleed them normally. I'd say the worst thing you have to worry about is getting the bleeders loose. Use heat if you have to on the bleeders.
Good luck
Peace

 

[Brock94]

DeRocha,

How did you deal with the ABS module bleed? Aren't you supposed to use a special scan tool to do that? Did you take it to the shop?

Also, did your master cylinder go dry? Did you have to bleed that separately as well?

Thanks to both of you for the tips so far. Anyone else, please keep-em coming.

I think my preference is to go with a solid piece of line if I can get it (I think someone mentioned buying a 25 foot roll in DeRocha's thread). Is that stuff hard to deal with (straighten out)? Also, what size/type should I get? What fittings?

Some of the lines on the truck have a spiral wire around them, presumably for added protection. Is this necessary? Does it come with the brake line when you buy it?

I may just go through the whole brake system while I'm at it. It scares me to think what would have happened if I'd been going 70mph in heavy traffic on the highway instead of 20mph on a back street.

 

[DeRocha]

My master cylinder and ABS controller did not run dry . When leaving work one day the RED brake warning light started to intermittently come on. This light only comes on if your E-Brake is on or if you have low brake fluid. I pulled over and check the fluid and it was low but not bad. I continued home and planned my stops to barely use the brake while being ready with my left foot on the E-brake (the e-brake is a mechanical cable to the rear breaks and uses NO fluid). The fittings are std 3/16" and the hard line can readily be bent with your hands or a bender to be more precise. You don't need to worry about the spiral coil around some lines (I'm guessing they are for heat dissipation as they really don't look like they add that much protection).