My brake line needed replacing due to a hole, well I couldnt get the line out of the brake hose so I decided that had to go too.... looks like I opened up a can of worms because I cant seem to get the hose off of where it meets the steel line at that bracket thats connected to the frame. I took off the c-clip on the one side and I cant see on the other side.. Is there some other clip I have to remove? I put a wrench on the steel line and put a socket on the hose end ( I cut the hose ) and it wont budge, even with all the PB blaster I put on it. The bracket is bending and putting pressure on the steel line that runs to the master cylinder. I imagine if that breaks it will be a huge pain to find a line that long!!

Any ideas?

Thanks

 

Are you tring to turn the fitting below the bracket? If so don't, it doesn't turn. You need to turn the fitting above the bracket, when you get that off the line should drop down through the bracket. You may have to tap on the top of the line to pop it down throught the bracket. Also there should be only that one c clip.

 

When I turn the hose end the line end moves too, so they must be fused together. I dont know what you mean by above and below the bracket. The bracket sits vertical and the line and hose run through it horizontally. It "looks" like there is some plate(?) on the line end right where it meets the bracket, but I cant see too well into that area because its so close to the frame.

I should have specified, this is a 1990 E150.

Thanks for the reply

 

Maybe this pic will explain it.



p.s. this pic isn't from an E-150 but it should give you an idea. After you undo this fitting and pull the clip off the hose should pull through.

 

Hmmmm, from what I can see it looks mostly like that. Ive been putting a wrench on the nutted part that your red line points to while putting the socket on the hose end and trying to turn. Is this the correct way of going about it? 16 years of Wisconsin rust has made this pretty nasty :-(

 

I also live in Wisconsin, I know about rust lol. Anyway here's another pic that should help. Just click on the pic below for a larger view.

 

That cleared it up pretty well for me. Thanks alot cheesehead! I cant work on it till sunday but hopefully then I can get it taken care of.

Thanks again :-)

 

No problem, glad I could help.

 

Hmm I dont think Im going to be able to separate them without breaking the line that runs to the master cylinder. They are fused together pretty good and the nut is rounding off.. even the 9 inch vise grips spins on it. Sooo I might as well ask, can the giant line that runs all the way up to the front be had at a regular parts store? The guy cringed when I asked for the 51 inch line, he may wet his pants if I ask for a 15 foot line.

OR are there threaded fittings out there made to join/screw several smaller lines together? Im sure hoping there are..

THanks !

 

Your talking about the rubber line back by the rear wheels right? I was thinking you were talking about the front brake lines, those pics I posted are of the front lines. Anyway doesn't matter, still the same basic idea.

Yeah they make fittings that can join two lines together and they are quite cheap. I'd say a couple bucks. I can't think what the fittings are called but the parts department should know. You'll need a short piece of steel line with one end flared, one of those fittings, a new rubber rear line and that should be it for connecting the line.

Do you have a digital camera? If you post pics of the problem I could give better answers.

No need to buy the long line from rear to front, just the fitting and a small section of steel line with one end flared.

If you have the rubber line already you shouldn't spend no more than 10.00 more for the extra parts.

Need more help let me know.

 

Is it called a compression fitting? I was looking around and they are used to join two ( non flared ) pipes together using just wrenches. I dont know what kind of PSI they can tolerate but it LOOKS as if they may work. HMMMM

Oh and I do have a camera, I will snap some photos on tuesday.. its pretty ugly under there.

 

No you don't want a compression fitting. You are talking 1000+ psi. You want a double flare. If you cut the long brake tubing you'll need to flare the end so that you can attach the short pice you'd buy. How rusty is that brake tubing? You might want to replace the whole thing if it's bad.

 

Yeah compression fittings, for the life of me I couldn't think what they were called. Anyway I did a little checking and alot of people say don't use the compression fittings. I know people that have used them without problem but I never used them, I just replaced the line that was bad.

 

Im probably just going to replace the whole line if I end up breaking it...thats is.. if I can find a new line :-)

Thanks for all the help guys

 

The fitting on the end of the brake line is soft brass, you should ONLY use a flare wrench to tighten/ loosen any of the break line fittings to avoid rounding them off. If you don't have one invest in a set... you can get cheapy 4 piece sets for about $10 at Harbor Freight or Wally Mart.

If the line looks reasonably good you can just patch it at the most convenient spot. Autozone will loan you a tubing bender and a double flare tool so you don't have to buy them. They'll also have a box behind the counter with the proper double flare fittings you'll need. Buy an extra long piece of brake line [it's cheap] so you can practice making the double flares a few times before doing it on the vehicle. It's not hard, just takes a couple of tries to get them just right. I patched the rusted lines on my '83 van two years ago and have had zero leaks from the fittings despite my flares being less than perfect.

One hint a friend gave me: Make the flare on the existing line first, then measure, bend, and cut your new patch piece. Cut the new piece about 2"-3" too long, make your flare, then bend your new piece of brake line with a small hump or notch at a convenient spot to get the length exact...

________ _______"hump"
line_____/________\______

...takes just a few seconds but this way if you're making the flare on your new line and mess up you can just cut off and inch then try again. Cut the line to exact length and you have exactly one shot at it.