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replacing rear brake line

NewGreenie

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Year, Model & Trim Level
2002 V6 XLT
My 2002 V6 XLT explorer suddenly developed a soft brake pedal. I traced it to a bad brake fluid leak from the rear passenger brake line. I cant see the leak but it seems to be coming from high were the brake line bends around the frame. Its a short line about 4 to 5 feet long from the brake hose to a valve above the rear diff.
Had trouble finding replacement online. one dealership had a prebent line for about $100.
Autozone has 8 ft brake line for $8 but I would have to bend it and flare it.

If I try the autozone rt what is the correct diameter? When I unplug it from the valve I want to plug the line at the valve. What size bolt would plug it?
Would appreciate any advice and if anyone knows if I can get a prebent line somewhere for a goog price. Thanks
 



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Bending brake line isn't really as intimidating as it's made out to be. If you take your time and don't crank any sharp turns, and use your thumbs bit by bit, then you can weave figure-eights like it's nobody's business.

As for replacing that kind of section, I would make a humble recommendation (IF you don't own a double-fare tool) of getting a section from autozone (find the right diameter), estimating the length, cutting off one end (meaning leaving the other end flared), and splicing it all together with a compression fitting.

I know some people will cringe and flame at the mere mention of compression fittings, but I've used them before on simple jobs and they get the job done nicely if you take your time. It's not like we're on the racetrack.


Of course, if you have access to a double-flare tool (cheap harbor freight single-flares likely won't cut it, I can testify) then by all means go that route. It's good practice, a more by-the-book fix, and is worth learning. It's closer to an art.


-Dubya
 






Dont you need some sort of a electric pump to bleed all the air out, i dont think you can use the brake peddle and bleed screws, it would take a long time, and an air bubble may still be caught in there somewhere.
If I were you, id just the nice new one already bent and double flared.
 






Dont you need some sort of a electric pump to bleed all the air out, i dont think you can use the brake peddle and bleed screws, it would take a long time, and an air bubble may still be caught in there somewhere.
d.

As far as I know, you can still bleed the air out of brake lines using the two person method of one person pumping the brake pedal and the other person opening the bleed valve at the caliper allowing the air in the lines to escape. You first start bleeding air out of the line at the caliper bleed valve which is the "farthest" from the master cylinder, working your way to the "closest" caliper bleed valve, making sure to top off the master cylinder with new brake fluid as you go along caliper to caliper. They use this method all of the time to bleed the air out of brake lines on the Automotive TV show "Wheeler Dealers" on all sorts of makes and models of cars or trucks.
 






The electric bleeder pump is a tool used to make bleeding faster with only one person.

Your other options are to the use the two-person method of pedal-and-bleeder, OR you can still do it by yourself if you:

- get a water bottle partially filled with fresh fluid
- use some tubing fitted over the opened bleeder-screw
- submerging the tubing in the fresh fluid (and stabilizing it)
- opening the master cylinder
- and pressing the pedal continuously
- the air will be pushed out into the bottle and bubble up, but the master cylinder will draw new fluid from the reservoir into the lines every time the pedal is released.
- lather, rinse, repeat

And of course, you still need to always top off the fluid.


If I were you, id just get the nice new one already bent and double flared.

If you can find a piece of brake line pre-bent perfect around the nooks and crannies the current one runs through, and is the exact length you need, then by all means I would go for that. I've yet to encounter such a divine circumstance. Typically the length won't be perfect right off the bat so you'll have to cut one end accordingly (thus getting rid of the double-flare).

This also doesn't account for the OTHER end of the brake line you're cutting off. That would need to be double-flared as well (not an easy task on your back under the car above you). All of this on the premise that a new line is being spliced into an existing one.




-Dubya
 






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