Replacing brake line?

[SOHCman]

Long story short, my wife made it home on an empty brake reservoir complaining of longer stopping distances. HMMMM! After closer inspection a hard line has corroded through and cracked midpoint on the way back to the rear brakes. The cracked section is about 2 foot long with good line on both sides, I'll blame this on salty roads.

I know it would be better to replace the entire line obviously, from the master cylinder all the way to the junction for the brake hose, but would "splicing" a bit of hard line with joining couplers be as reliable? I dont see why not.

thanks!

 

[AandPDan]

You can splice the lines, no problem.

Do you have a flaring kit? Don't even think about using the compression couplers. They won't hold.

 

[Bluestream]

I would replace the whole line, its not hard to do:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...950#Post2189950

 

[eljefino]

I'd start back at the brake hose and work forward, especially if a 5 foot line would cover it.

As said, you want to flare the junctions. Flare tool is only $20 and you might need it again in life.

Take note, every flare is a miserable experience on your back with the car barely elevated with brake fluid dribbling out, sticking to your arms, and otherwise torturing you. However, so is snaking many lines down from the master cylinder to the front of the floor pan, and those first couple feet rarely see salt, so I often find myself splicing about six inches rear of the start of the rocker panel.

Long story short, do anything remotely rusty when you're in there.

 

[beast3300]

What kind of car is it. You can cut the bad section out and replace it.

 

[sciphi]

Do longer sections especially if there's a hint of rust. The stronger sections will let the weaker sections blow out.

 

[JHZR2]

Yeah just do it or get someone to do it right.

 

[SOHCman]

Its a 99 taurus with very little room to do anything in the engine compartment, and the line is perfect all the way to the corroded area. I think at this point that the only reason this section corroded is a Friggen plastic cover meant to protect the lines from the parking brake cable trapping salt on the hard line! Irony!

I already have a flare tool and by all means want to do the job right. Since the engine bay section is fine, maybe I will just run new line from the bottom of the engine bay to the rear brakes incase some of that has corroded also.

Better safe than realllllly sorry!

Thanks everyone!

 

[volvos_rock]

on our 98 chevy K1500, as all of them, there is a line between the gas tank and frame that rotted completely through. spliced in a two foot section with no problem/leaks, as the rest of the line was pristene.

 

[morris]

if the same size break line STEEL tubing is valuable, go for it. but you must double flair and use anti-seize on ALL threads, and brackets.

 

[SOHCman]

Aluminum or copper anti-sieze? Does it matter?

I am thinking of going with a "roll" or coil more like of a poly covered STEEL line form autozone at about 1 dollar per foot. Really I would like to put stainless on there, but at 2.50 a foot I would probably only do that on a car I wanted to keep forever.

Can anyone recommend a good bender for the line? There is the OEM brand or whatever at AZ, but should I look elsewhere?

 

[eljefino]

You can bend that stuff with your hands. Just don't make a loop smaller than 2 inches in diameter.

Bulk line flared yourself is the way to go, as they use odd line nuts (and sometimes bubble flares) at the ends so the factory guys can't stick the wrong ones in the wrong places. If you have Advance auto they have the line and you can get it online with discount coupons. They also have ten-packs of unions and line nuts for the price of 3 or 4 bought individually. Autozone might too; don't fear asking for pro-packs.

Remember to stick the nuts on the line before you flare!

 

[mechtech2]

anti seize? Why? A non issue.
New line is of course best.
Flared repairs are second.
Many have used the barrel compression fittings, but I think they are illegal.

BTW, to remove the old lines, cut them off close with a hacksaw and use a 6 point or flank drive socket on the nut! 10 seconds more and you can get them off without stripping them with open or line wrenches.

 

[morris]

my idea is use any anti-seize. then the next time it has to come apart it WILL come a part, with out breaking, or twisting tubes. i used to put it on all threads on the bottom, never had trouble. even exhaust clamps.

 

[SOHCman]

Well,

I didn't know you needed a weapons grade flare tool to work with 3/16 steel line! everything I have seen on the ford has been bubble flares, and the 33 beefy LOOKING flare tool the guys at AA were happy to sell me will not cut it. I only got it because it has the adapters for the double/bubble flares, as I already had a single flare tool. if everything was single flare it would be no problem, but the adapters will not work properly.

Perhaps I am using them wrong? Anybody have tips?

If not, then can anyone reccomend a really sweet flare tool that just works?

If not, I was thinking about that NICOPP line the guy mentioned in the other thread above. Since the line is made of a nickel-copper alloy, I thought it might be easier to form a flare on than steel line.

And just to make sure, the joining fittings I bought are a solid brass union with two male flares on the inside, along with steel nuts that thread in on both sides, but have no taper at all to match the flared line. Will that work and be "legal"?

thanks

 

[eljefino]

Put the little black arbor thing on the line then cinch down the tool. Bubble flare. Take the arbor out, hit it again, if you want a double flare. If you never used the arbor to begin with, single flare, which you don't want/ can't use on cars.

The standard union is a double flare. Double flare nuts are threaded all the way down. Bubble flare nuts have about 3 mm of smooth at the end of the nut.

 

[SOHCman]

Right, I meant double flare for the union on both ends. So whats the trick to using the black little arbor without it falling to one side? Its post does not fit snug on the inside of the line so there is play.

the nuts are threaded from the tip almost all the way to the head, probably 2mm of no thread. by "end" do you mean the tip or the head?

 

[Trav]

I am the OP in the other thread.The NiCopp flares very easily and bends around around your finger but has the burst strength of steel line that will never rust.

The union you have sounds like its for double inverted flares,that's fine and perfectly legal OEM sometimes use these on complex line runs,just make sure you use the correct flare and nuts for the union.You can use straight nuts on these threaded all the way down

The other end if its Ford will probably be the bubble flare,to do these on universal kits you will need to turn the flaring bar over putting the line in from the side that does inverted flares and using the flat surface instead to make the bubble.
Lock the line in 1/4"(6mm)above the flaring bar and use the bubble adapter.

Edit: Make sure to debur the inside of the line after cutting,use either the pointed blade that is sometimes on the side of the larger cutters or a deburing tool.Then use the adaper that fits in the line without much play,use a little brake fluid on the end being flared it makes a difference in the quality of the flare.

 

[eljefino]

The black arbor, though it fits loose, will tighten down with the pointy thing pushing in from behind. You just have to make sure you have a true 90 degree cut in the line for it to square off, and that the tool is positioned properly. "The process" magnifies any errors and you may have to redo a couple times. You'll know boo-boos from the hole not being centered in the flare. Could be good to practice on some scrap line off the car.

Here's a double flare nut, note the threading:

and a bubble:

 

[SOHCman]

Thanks for the help everyone, I'll give this another go...