How to Repair a Brake Line
Vehicles that often travel to colder, up-north states often have their brake lines damaged, because of the salt that melts the ice on the roads. The salt corrodes the car’s bottom surface, especially the brake hardware. This can lead to worst problems later on, which is why you should replace a rusted and leaking brake line immediately.
What You’ll Need:
Floor jack
Jack stands
Metric line and standard line wrenches
Open-end wrench (medium-sized)
A can of rust penetrant
Vise grips
Two cans of brake fluid
Tube bending tool
Tube cutter
Drip pan
Procedure:
Raise your vehicle using the floor jack and jack stands, making sure it’s safe and secure. Locate the brake line and check the rust damage. Begin looking at the master cylinder than work your way back to the rear part, checking for rust and leaks.
Examine the rubber brake line found in the back. It goes from the frame towards the rear axle and to a splitter on the axle. You need to replace it if it’s leaking or cracked. Look at the lines coming from the splitter and going towards the outer brakes. Look at the brake hoses or front rubber lines, as well as the lines coming from the frame to the hose.
Check and measure the faulty sections of the brake line that you’ll replace. Use the tube cutter tool, then cut off a piece of the line, so you get the correct-sized brake line and compression fittings. Remember, there are different brake line sizes. For every section you’ll be changing, you need two compression fittings. You can buy these at auto parts store.
Using the compression fittings, replace the damaged section of the brake line. Remove the caps from the fitting. Be careful not to drop the ferrule. Put the cap at the end of the brake line first, then put the ferrule.
Put the compression filling’s center section on the brake line’s end. Using one hand, push the center part on the brake line, and as you push it on, install the cap, tightening it as much as you can using your fingers. Hold the center part using the open-ended wrench, then tighten the cap with the wrench. Repeat for the other side.
If the hose or line has to be replaced completely, remove it with the line wrenches and the vise grips.
Use brake fluid to fill the master cylinder, then bleed all the air from the lines. Loosen the brake bleeder’s right rear. Position a drip pan underneath the bleeder, then leave it open until there’s a steady drip coming from the bleeder. Properly tighten the bleeder screw.
Loosen the brake bleeder at the left rear, then repeat the same process. Repeat for the right front, then the left front.
Use brake fluid to refill the brake master cylinder.
Start your vehicle’s engine, slowly pumping the brakes. Pause only for a few seconds when the pedal goes to the floor all the way, and when it’s released. Keep pumping the brakes until you feel a good pedal.
Turn off the engine, then check for signs of leaks. If you can’t find any, carefully remove the car from the stands.
Brake line repair isn’t very difficult, and should be done as soon as possible. Otherwise, you might end up in worst brake problems later on.