Went to run an errand on Chistmas Eve to help a friend with some large toys that wouldn't fit in their car - MY PRESENT: Brake petal to the floor!! on my 2000 F250

Looks like where the soft line connects to the hard line right above the rear axle on the frame is leaking. (right at the connection block) Sprayed brake fluid all over the pumpkin and axle. Left a nice "trail of fluid" down the road. Thankfully I wasn't going at highway speeds or in town. We blew right through the stop sign @ the end of our road.

OK, need to replace the line from the master cylinder to the axle including the soft flex line. Looked at it this morning, looks like the fuel tank has to be dropped to do it. Searched and found a couple of good videos & a write up - my question: Could I just route a new line along the inside of the frame @ the bottom tying it every 12-18"?

Figure pre-bent lines are too costly and even if I drop the tank when running the universal line it won't be that easy to match all the bends. Noticed rust near this fitting about 6 months ago but didn't think much of it - wish I had it was a heck of a lot warmer then, now the truck is stuck w/o brakes outside...

2nd question - anybody have a listing of the brake line size and the fittings needed?, no parts stores open today but I need to get the stuff to get this fixed as soon as they open tomorrow and it'd be nice to just go in with a list... probably buy all the stuff from advance or Oreilley's

 

Good thing that it broke apart at a low speed and near home. you can buy lengths of steel line and bend them yourself. brake line bender/flaring tools are not that much. if your mechanically inclined it's not too hard to do. i don't know if your local auto parts place has the longer lengths but you can get some 10' + at a hydraulic shop.

 

confirmed this morning, leak is in the hard brake line just in front of the connection to the flex line on the frame rail. Line will have to be replaced from the cab back to the axle. Was hoping it was just the rubber line to the axle but once we cleaned everything up and pumped the petal brake fluid was spraying from the hard line. I've never been a "religious" brake fluid changer, will be from this point on. Going to apply the same rules as VW - change every 2 years.. Been doing this on our VW's for years but only changed brake fluid twice in this F250, once when I put new calipers on the front a few years ago and a few years before that when I put new pads on.

 

might consider,coating steel lines with paint/rust preventive coating if its rusting from the outer side of the line.

 

Glad nobody got flattened!

I'd stick with pre-bent OEM and drop the tank. Do it right and no worries. But if your comfort level allows DIY, try NiCopp line, it's resistant to the corrosion that popped your line.

 

I have to agree with David that the best way to go would be to replace it with oem and drop the tank. But if I recall correctly that line for my F350 cc drw was like $189. Now I replaced my brake line that runs from right in front of the fuel pump to the rear diff when I did the hutch modd since the tank was down. It wasn't leaking at that time but it was a matter of time before it would blow!!

Now it has been a couple years since I did replace it. There was no way I was going to pay $200 for a brake line so I bought a 25' roll of the NiCopp 1/4" brake line at Advance Auto and new ends that matched the old one. The line I do believe end up being 16' long and had 14 bends in it. I wanted the line back where it belonged so I put all the bends back in it. Actually I left 2 bends out 1 somewhere in the middle due to the hutch modd & pre filter and one at the fuel pump. I put the line back in the plastic clips because from my experience taking short cuts replacing brake lines in the past that vibration can and will cause problems down the road. And there was no way I wanted to have to replace this line again.

So you can make your own line and snake it past the fuel tank and wire tie it up there but I would only do that until you could fix it right. But if you don't mind doing it twice then have at it.

 

This has turned out to be a rough project, the threads on the fitting for the axle vent (that fitting connects the block for the 2 hard lines to the rear calipers to the axle) galled and I spent an hour getting it out of the axle, and another hour & 1/2 trying to find a thread chaser for it in town. (for future reference the thread is 7/16 20 and the only set I could find that has that thread size was from O'Reillys) Got the threads on the fitting cleaned up tonight, going to do the threads on the axle in the morning. What should have taken max 30min took nearly a day! w/ all the running around and I'm not even done R&R'g the flex line to the frame yet!! aaargh!!

Got my fingers crossed that enough good threads on the axle can be cleaned up to tighten the vent fitting & flex hose to the axle.

I haven't even BEGUN on the fuel tank drop or the the hard line !!

Found a guy in town who'll bend me a a new line & flare the ends for me as long as I bring in the old one to use as a guide... he suggested armored line, says he's done more than a few for SD's and basically told me the same thing as above, you can try and run a line along the bottom of the frame rail but you'll end up with issues down the road. He says that he has done these for the local Ford dealer and is close to making a template for doing this one so he can make them faster.

 

Sorry to hear it has turned in a real pain in the rear!! But it sounds like you about got it. Now when you go to drop the tank make sure you have the correct size tool to disconnect the fuel lines. And be careful if you are using a jack under the fuel tank due to the fuel pick up foot. So if you are going to to use a jack under the tank get a piece of plywood or a 2x6 under the jack pad. I know you are not in the mood to be messing with doing the hutch mod but this would be the time to do it. I am glad you got someone with alot of experience with bending up the brake line for you. Because that was a bit of a pain in the rearend getting all the bends put in it but it will be worth it in the long run.

So good luck and hang in there you'll get it!!

 

HELP - ok thread chaser didn't work on the axle, tried a regular tap again no-go. There's enough material to make threads but none of the taps we've tried will cut threads. They start and then that's it - We're thinking it's cause the axle tubes are hardened steel. The vent fitting cleaned up nice. Without threads on the axle there's no way to put the fitting back in to anchor the flex brake line.

Anybody got any ideas? Alternatives?

We're plum fresh out over here !!

We did get the old brake line disconnected & out and we're all set to put it back together once we figure the vent problem out. Had to relearn how to bend brake line....

 

how sharp & what quality/brand of tap are you using.dull taps & cheap taps can be a deal breaker,but im surprized even a crappy tap wouldnt chase threads,are you sure you have the right diameter & thread pitch.

 

The tap set isn't the best one but it's not a cheap set either, threads in the axle are 7/16 20 (confirmed by using a thread gauge on the fitting) - problem is the threads on the axle are more damaged than the ones on the fitting were. A thread chaser cleaned the fitting right up. We couldn't even get a chaser to thread into the hole which is why we switched to a tap.

We can start the tap but then it'll slip and won't cut threads.

 

sounds like you need a tap with a longer taper, I call them a starter tap,bottoming or intermediate tap will be difficult to start in making new threads or distorted threads.

 

Consulted w/ a neighbor who's a machinist - he took a look at our taps, set us straight. Showed us how the cutting flutes were rolling over, clear indication that the tap is softer than the material being cut. These taps would be fine for most "run of the mill" applications but axle tube is hardened steel. He explained that very likely the hole in the axle was drilled and tapped PRIOR TO heat treating then cleaned up or "chased" afterwards. When it's done this way no real special taps are required since the steel is soft prior to heat treatment. The other way would be to predrill the hole, heat treat then use a thread cutting mill in a CNC machine. He figures it's probably the 1st way since that's cheaper to do...

No ordinary tap will do in this application. Cutting hardened steel requires using a special tap that can cut threads in harder material - Colbalt Steel. Unfortunately he doesn't have a 7/16 - 20 @ home with him. Going to have to wait till Monday so he can borrow one from work. Guess we'll finish up bending the hard line for along the frame tomorrow.