Broken brake line - thoughts
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Broken brake line - thoughts
The brake line going to the rear sprung a leak just before it connects to the rear hose going down to the rear axle. After thinking it through, I don't have the tools or the time to do the job correctly. My thought was to use vise grips to pinch the line before the break to prevent fluid loss. I've got about 1 mile from where it's sitting to the shop. The master cylinder still has fluid in it. Good or bad idea?
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you should be fine, just take it easy
i have been driving my 71 blazer with a punctured rear brake line, kinda like yours
front brakes are good enough to just get around...
and if you get into a bind, stomp on the e-brake
i have been driving my 71 blazer with a punctured rear brake line, kinda like yours
front brakes are good enough to just get around...
and if you get into a bind, stomp on the e-brake
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My wife's Jeep Cherokee had a problem like that.
DISCLAIMER: best bet is to have the vehicle towed and DO NOT DRIVE IT. You are dealing with personal safety and the lives of innocent people on the road. What you choose to do is at your own choice and has no bearing on what i may type below.
With that said, here is what i did. i DO NOT suggest anyone follow this (see disclaimer above.)
A) filled the brake rez to full or perhaps a touch over.
B) Used the engine braking (lower gears) as much as possible to slow vehicle down.
C) Immediately took the car to a mechanic to fix problem.
DISCLAIMER: best bet is to have the vehicle towed and DO NOT DRIVE IT. You are dealing with personal safety and the lives of innocent people on the road. What you choose to do is at your own choice and has no bearing on what i may type below.
With that said, here is what i did. i DO NOT suggest anyone follow this (see disclaimer above.)
A) filled the brake rez to full or perhaps a touch over.
B) Used the engine braking (lower gears) as much as possible to slow vehicle down.
C) Immediately took the car to a mechanic to fix problem.
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Filled the reservoir to the top and left the brake line alone. Waited until after rush hour was over and carefully drove the 1.5 miles to the brake shop. Took it easy and over anticipated every stop. On the way home, I saw the line of brake fluid every place I used the brakes.
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Talked with the brake shop manager this morning. This is the 2nd or 3rd Super Duty that he has seen in the last month that had the line that runs from under the cab to the rear axle that has failed. The line was severely rusted. Just a heads up that you may want to take a look at this line from time to time.
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99. Shop manager thinks that the other(s) were newer, as in 2000/01's. He did say that it was the same line and all the other lines looked in good condition. The lines under the hood are all painted, so that probably helps.
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From: Stephensville WI
You do have a parking/emergency brake on your truck, right? I am shocked no one mentioned using it.
If one flexible brake line has failed, it is a good idea to replace them all. They all went though the same amount of braking cycles.
If one flexible brake line has failed, it is a good idea to replace them all. They all went though the same amount of braking cycles.
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From: Long Island USA
Originally Posted by redford
You do have a parking/emergency brake on your truck, right? I am shocked no one mentioned using it.
Those little brake shoes are no where near big enough to stop the SD - it's only a parking brake.In all of today's braking systems (unless someone's developed a huge stupidity level), the rear system is seperated from the fronts when there is no pressure in one side compared to the other. The brake proportioning valve is responsible for this. It should also light up the brake light in the dash when it turns off one side.
The master cylinder should also have a separation in it such that when the level goes down far enough, the rears can empty out and there will still be enough fluid for the fronts to operate, and vice-versa.
You could have driven it until the rears emptied out of fluid, the brake pedal would have been low, but the fronts would have still worked. Or SHOULD have