Man I hate doing brake work...
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From: Clarksburg WV
Man I hate doing brake work...
I set out to replace the front brake hoses on my truck because I want to see if that's the cause of my front calipers dragging.
Well, everything is rusted into a big mess (what a surprise) and I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna be able to remove the brake lines from the hoses...in fact I'm not even sure if the hoses will come out of the brackets that hold them on the frame (the clips were barely even still there).
Looks like I might be replacing a few other things (like a couple new hardlines)...yay
Well, everything is rusted into a big mess (what a surprise) and I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna be able to remove the brake lines from the hoses...in fact I'm not even sure if the hoses will come out of the brackets that hold them on the frame (the clips were barely even still there).
Looks like I might be replacing a few other things (like a couple new hardlines)...yay
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Indeed, you'll feel safer afterwards too. To get the old mess off you beat the clips off with a big screwdriver and a small hammer, then cut the steel lines and just yank everything out. I believe I ended up using a 60" line from the master cylinder to the splitter block behind the driver-side front wheel, then a 50" or so line for the part between the splitter block and the passenger-side frame rail. Brake lines sold at AutoZone seem to hold up great to the elements, they have some fancy green-ish coating.
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From: Campbell River, B.C.
Every single one of our trucks has given problems with the brakes because of rust. Usually, its a line to the rear brakes that rusts out and finally lets go when you have to slam the brakes for a small animal or other panic stop.
I found out recently that its possible to get stainless steel brake line. All my repairs going forward will use that stuff. Road salt sucks, I'd rather drive on hard packed snow.
I found out recently that its possible to get stainless steel brake line. All my repairs going forward will use that stuff. Road salt sucks, I'd rather drive on hard packed snow.
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From: Clarksburg WV
Indeed, you'll feel safer afterwards too. To get the old mess off you beat the clips off with a big screwdriver and a small hammer, then cut the steel lines and just yank everything out. I believe I ended up using a 60" line from the master cylinder to the splitter block behind the driver-side front wheel, then a 50" or so line for the part between the splitter block and the passenger-side frame rail. Brake lines sold at AutoZone seem to hold up great to the elements, they have some fancy green-ish coating.
PO said he replaced all the lines a few years ago- guess it doesn't matter much when the truck sat for almost two years. Rear lines look to be good- I had a rear line rust through (twice) on my old tempo, I don't care to go through that again, that's for sure.
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Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Campbell River, B.C.
Some generic brake repair lines you get in the parts store come with a spring wrapped around it to help make it easier to bend by hand without kinking the line.
Remember to remove that when the line is cut and bent to properly fit. Leaving it on will make the line more prone to corrosion since the spring tends to catch sand and crap from the road. Add some seasonal road salt and its possible for the line to rust out again in a few short years.
Takes a bit more planning, but well worth it if it means a few extra years out of the replacement line.
Remember to remove that when the line is cut and bent to properly fit. Leaving it on will make the line more prone to corrosion since the spring tends to catch sand and crap from the road. Add some seasonal road salt and its possible for the line to rust out again in a few short years.
Takes a bit more planning, but well worth it if it means a few extra years out of the replacement line.
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From: Clarksburg WV
I've never seen a line with a spring around it, but I have a tubing bender, so no big deal.
Say, got a question for you guys- By any chance, do any of you know if the '92-96 trucks have standard flares on the master cylinder, or are they metric "bubble" flares?
I can see that I'm gonna need an adapter for the front port on the master cylinder, it has a much larger fitting than what the 3/16" line is supposed to have, but I don't know if it's metric or not. I know that on a lot of the newer Ford vehicles that have a master cylinder with a plastic reservoir, they use metric bubble flares on the master cylinder end...which I never understood.
Say, got a question for you guys- By any chance, do any of you know if the '92-96 trucks have standard flares on the master cylinder, or are they metric "bubble" flares?
I can see that I'm gonna need an adapter for the front port on the master cylinder, it has a much larger fitting than what the 3/16" line is supposed to have, but I don't know if it's metric or not. I know that on a lot of the newer Ford vehicles that have a master cylinder with a plastic reservoir, they use metric bubble flares on the master cylinder end...which I never understood.
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Standard double-flare, as far as I know. When you have a special fitting like that, what you do is cut one of the pre-flared ends of your new lines, slide the generic fitting out, slide the original Ford fitting in, and re-flare the line. This is what I've always done, it saves you the hassle of trying to figure out threads and sizes, and if you know how to make good flares it works out real nice.
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From: Clarksburg WV
I have a double flaring tool, but I always worry whether or not the flare I made is any good. Plus my flaring tool is one of the chinese pos's from the auto parts store so it kinda works and kinda doesn't (doesn't grip the tubing very well)
Ah, I might go to the parts store and dig through their adapters and see if they have one that'll work, if it's just a standard flare.
Ah, I might go to the parts store and dig through their adapters and see if they have one that'll work, if it's just a standard flare.
