So my wife went to the tire store....(brake question)

[snowplow]

Hey guys. Wife came home and said the guy said that our brake likes need replaced (rubber ones she thinks). The guy told her that they corrode in these models and cause weird issues like stuck calipers (which we have had a ton of).

Do you guys know anything about this? Is this a real thing?

 

[LMHmedchem]

Certainly anything underneath a 15+ year old truck could be rusted and need to be replaced. I am not sure this would cause a frozen caliper unless some actual large flakes of rust got into the line and down into the piston. I could certainly cause a caliper that wouldn't move because there wasn't enough hydraulic pressure to push it. You would notice that your brake fluid needs topping up if that was the case, not to mention some oil spots on the driveway.

I would look to replace the hoses if there is a visible leak somewhere between the fitting to the metal pressure line and the banjo bolt where the line attaches to the middle of the caliper. If it's not leaking, I generally don't care how rusty it looks. Here in New England, everything under the truck is rusty if it more then 6 months old. If it's not leaking, there may be some other issue with the calipers.

That being said, the hoses are not expensive parts.

For a front driver side hose on a 2002-2005 4.6L 4WD:

ACDELCO Professional 18J4092 Front Left Hydraulic Hose ($9)
DORMAN 13947 Hydraulic Hose to Caliper Banjo Bolt ($3)
DORMAN 484188 Hydraulic Hose to Caliper Banjo Bolt Washer ($0.70)

Make sure that you look for the correct part for whatever vehicle you have, the above is just an example.

This comes to less than $15 per wheel. I like ACDelco Professional parts but you could get Raybestos or Sunsong if you prefer. Even the Motorcraft pats is less than $25.

If you are going to do this yourself, the most important thing is to make very sure you can remove the old hydraulic flex hose from the fitting to the metal pressure line without breaking it (the metal line). The metal lines can get rusty and brittle as they age. Plus, they are not exactly hefty to begin with. Spray the nut on the fitting with PB blaster (or whatever you use) and let it sit for a while (or a day). CAREFULLY try to loosen the fitting with a line wrench or box wrench. Make sure that this will come loose on all of the hoses that you are going to replace. If you break the metal hose, you will be having your truck towed to the garage and will be in for more repairs to replace the metal hoses.

You will have to bleed the new lines and calipers after you replace the hoses. Make sure you are familiar with that procedure and have everything you need on hand.

I have never used a mechanic that will not let me bring my own parts. If you have a good mechanic like this, it should not take more than 1 hour or so to replace all 4 hoses unless they are very rusty and stubborn. It would be a good use of $100-$125 to pay a mechanic to do it if you are unsure about doing it yourself. You should still be well under $200 for the whole job inlcudeing the parts.

Just as a matter of interest, did the tire store offer to do the job and if so, for how much?

LMHmedchem

 

[MakinJeepsWeep!]

It is possible but not likely. Even Ford has sent me a letter saying mine are "Due to be replaced" On my 06 Merc, ITs just something they do to cover butts. The best thing you can do and should if your having stuck calipers is flush your brake fluid. Dot3 fluid actually attract moister. Look at you brake fluid, is it dark? If so its past bad. It should be clear. Ive done it to vehicles and its like putting on brand new brakes when your done. Also make sure all your slide pins are grease and moving.

 

[snowplow]

Thanks guys. I'll do all that. Not that lm a pro but lve not paid a mech in about 15 years now. I've never heard of the brake line issue. I mainly just wanted to make sure we're not talking about the hardline. I ran across this vid that seems to explain how delamination of the inside of the rubber lines can act as rubber check valves and make your calipers stick.



Maybe this is normal but lm not used to paying a mech so l about had a heart attack when my wife came home with a quote for just under $1,000 bucks. This is for 2 rear brake lines, two rear rotors, pads and one caliper.

Question- would there be anything non standard about bleeding these brakes with abs? I'm used to the old school gravity drain and pump and squirt.

Thanks again

 

[MakinJeepsWeep!]

Old school down- up! Works fine. The only reason I said it's unlikely is possibly because maybe I've been lucky idk. Only break line I've ever had to change was one on a Honda from up north, guys car had rot all over and one on a f100 I pulled from a field. Either or, if you replace them just make sure you get the old fluid out of everything, and a vacuum pump would be worth while with the amount of bleeding you will be doing.

 

[snowplow]

Old school down- up! Works fine. The only reason I said it's unlikely is possibly because maybe I've been lucky idk. Only break line I've ever had to change was one on a Honda from up north, guys car had rot all over and one on a f100 I pulled from a field. Either or, if you replace them just make sure you get the old fluid out of everything, and a vacuum pump would be worth while with the amount of bleeding you will be doing.

Awesome. I've never flushed a whole system. Do you just keep an eye out for the change in color or what? I'm assuming you don't just drain it dry and then fill it.

 

[LMHmedchem]

Maybe this is normal but lm not used to paying a mech so l about had a heart attack when my wife came home with a quote for just under $1,000 bucks. This is for 2 rear brake lines, two rear rotors, pads and one caliper.

This is the key here and in my opinion this is downright fraud.

The tire shop I go to has a policy of not doing any repairs, period. They will also not recommend a repair site. It can be annoying if I just need something small done, but if they tell me I need a repair, I know that they have no conflict of interest whatsoever. I would look for a different tire shop if I were you. I had a similar experience at the last tire shop I went to and haven't been back since.

The parts for that repair should be $30 for the hoses and hardware, $50-$100 for the rotors, $25-$40 for the pads, and $35-$55 for a caliper. That is for very high quality parts that your tire shop almost certainly would not be using. That is less than $200 for parts if you actually need the caliper. It would be less than an hour work, so any mechanic asking more than $300-$350 is stealing from you. The shop you are going to is asking $800 for an hours work, and that's if they are paying for high quality parts. Maybe others here will disagree but that is how I see it. If the garage uses a parts delivery service, than the parts will cost more so those folks can get paid, but not that much more. That is why I go where I can bring my own parts.

I agree with MakinJeepsWeep! that you could try a flush. I would take off all of the calipers and make sure you can compress the piston on each one. I use a C-clamp and an old brake pad. If the pistons aren't frozen and the calipers and lines aren't leaking, then everything should be fine with some new fluid. You can clean up the calipers with a wire brush wheel on a drill. You would be surprised how well they clean up (at least compared to how mine usually look).

I would have no problem changing out the hoses if you can get them loose. Everything needs to be replaced eventually and for $15 a wheel I don't think it's a big deal. Even the calipers are only $35-$55 for a quality rebuilt. If they told you you need one rear caliper and not both rear calipers, it is possible that they found one that was frozen but I would confirm that myself after they tried to soak you for $800 in labor for a one hour job.

LMHmedchem

 

[MakinJeepsWeep!]

You can drain it but you risk a fight to get there air out. First get a turkey baster or something and suck the fluid out of resivor then fill up with fresh then I start at my furthest wheel and pump till it's low fill onto next just like you normally would. After all four pump them a few times to reciculate the fluid, and do it again until the fluid in your jug stays nice and pretty after pumping them/ a quick drive.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Wait. ONE caliper? This place is garbage. A shop never replaces a single caliper. Typically bad rubber hoses swell and give a soft pedal that can be very hard to troubleshoot.

As noted, flush out that old fluid. You could get a complete “performance” set of brakes and rotors for under half.

Crawl under and have a good look at the hoses. If they all look sound replace whatever other brake parts (if any) you feel are suspect.