Buick Lesabre. Corrosion in the hydraulic line from the master cylinder to the ABS modulator, causing a leak near the ABS modulator. The other lines (3) going to the modulator also show corrosion in about the same place. Replacement lines are not available from GM. Lines to the master cylinder have a flex section crimped on, and so is not easily replaced with tubing. I am uncomfortable with additional couplings in the line; however I see that it is common practice to make up brake lines by piecing together preflared sections from the parts store. Is it acceptable practice to "patch in" a short section at the end of a run using a flare coupling?
Absolutely. And the old way of absorbing vibration is to wind coils of tubing in the middle, so it looks like a spring.
Be sure and get the armor coated lines. Probably all you can get in your area, if they salt the roads. Very easy to bend by hand, more so than the plain steel.
How old is the car? I was under the impression that spare parts had to to be stocked for
10 years minimum. Now if I could remember the law, that would be a real plus but my mind is a bit blank on that bit of info.
Wes
-- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller
The car is a '97, so older than 10 years. However, in my search, I found no pre bent OEM lines for any year other than the short lines going to the hoses.
Used to be the case, but sadly it does not appear to be the case any more. At least if it is, it is not enforced.
Much better to have a line made up with proper double flares and use a stock flex hose for the flex part - something from a totally different brake application like a front flex hose or something.. IF there is enough solid line left from the flex portion to allow a new flared end to be installed, you could go that rout - but NEVER use a compression fitting or single flare on a brake line.
Stock brake lines are about the cheapest thing in the auto parts store. Some places will bend the line and flare it for you if you can give them the old line to copy. The best tool for getting out the old fittings if you cannot get them loose with a tubing wrench is to use a little 6 inch rigid pipe wrench, it works a lot better than a pair of vice grips. The other thing you can do is to cut the tubing right at the fitting and use a six point socket on the fitting. I would check all the brake lines on the vehicle for rust, I just blew a line on my truck and have to replace a couple of lines that are rusted. Hopefully it will stop raining and warm up a little.
Kevin, I cannot think of anything more dangerous. You have corrosion in your brake line, which means you have catastrophic water in the brake fluid. You have no choice now but to change ALL the brake lines. Your life depends on it. If you can't find the parts, make them yourself in steel, not copper. Steve
I'll never forget driving a 20-year-old, 10,000-lb motorhome down a city street, pressing on the brake, having a line rupture, and having that sinking feeling, wondering what I might hit before the thing stopped rolling.
I was doing 70mph on a twisty urban road when the master cylinder bypassed on my AMC Javelin. Several mashes of the pedal into the floorboard let me know what had happened, that I'd blown a cup. I knew I couldn't make my turn but there was a Y there (complete with large rain dip) that I thought I could. I got down to 55 or so by downshifting and tossed that baby sideways just before the dip, and when I came down on the other side I was between the rows of parked cars, not on/in one. I punched buttonholes in my skivvies that night, lemme tell ya.
A short while later, I sobered up.
-- Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly. -- Plutarch
I had a similar feeling of dread after a ball joint popped on my old VW Rabbit. Fortunately I was going slow and nothing serious happened, but it was a sober reminder for me to do better maintenance.
I was driving a water truck, with 1000 gallons of water, 800 lbs of dynamite on the racks beside the tank and 200 StaticMaster blasting caps in a box beside me on the front seat, when the right front tire passed me going down Whitehorse Pass one bright and sunny morning.........
I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)
-- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller
The above? I thought Id deleted all that....kittens on the keyboard....damnit
Actually..I was up to my belt in cold, running down my leg piss for a few moments until I got things...sorted out.
Seems the company mechanic had changed that tire..and not bothered to tighten the lug nuts more than hand tight.
We later had a chat about it. Short but....intense.
Gunner
I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)
They often do in the oilfields. That btw..was in 1975. Seismograph crew. Where we often used det cord to hold luggage and other stuff to the roofs of our cars/trucks when moving from job site to job site..often many states apart.
No one thought anything about using a hundred feet of 200gr det cord to hold stuff on.
Shrug
Gunner
I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)
As were all sharing reminisences, heres what happened to me back in 1972. Id driven the 120 miles to London UK for a days work, done that, was coming out of the city made it to the motorway, had to slow, pushed the brake petal and it went to the floor.!! coasted onto the hard shoulder, upped the bonnet( hood in the us of a) and saw that the power lead from the battery to the solenoid on the starter hasd vibrated and fractured off the terminal, fallen down and touched the front brake line and burned it through!!. I still had 100 miles to go, Rummaged in the tool box for a center punch and hammer. Unscrewed the union and removed the cut off piece of brake pipe. flared the pipe with the center punch and screwed it back together after pulling the pipe off the bulkhead to make it long enough vto reach the t union.
A motorist stopped to ask if i needed any help , he gave me some brake fliud and i bled the line right there. Made it home and replaced both the line and the faulty lug. Was able to jury rig that to get power to the starter.
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