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Suspected brake line burst - condition of system? *pics*

J

jasonnovak

New member
I had a brake failure after I had to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting someone who pulled out right in front of me. Luckily I did stop. After that I had almost no brakes, but was almost home. Fluid was very low, can see it pouring out when I hit the brakes but not sure the exact location. Taking it in after labor today to get it repaired, concerned about the location and the condition of my system - I had to junk my last car, a 95 grand am, after it had a slow leak but the shop said the lines where so bad that they fixed it another line could go at any time, and it would be $600+ to replace all the bad lines.

Basically I see fluid pour out through the frame by where the two circles are cut. It drips off the lines in the pic, not sure if it's a leak or running down. Only seems to be one line looking into the engine bay. Lines also don't look great in pics 4 & 5 but I think I've seen worse.

Any thoughts on the condition/rust on the lines and possible difficulty? From what I can see estimates for lines is around $150-$200?

http://www.merlinsoftware.com/filestore/brake1.jpg
http://www.merlinsoftware.com/filestore/brake2.jpg
http://www.merlinsoftware.com/filestore/brake3.jpg
http://www.merlinsoftware.com/filestore/brake4.jpg
http://www.merlinsoftware.com/filestore/brake5.jpg
 


rent or buy a double and bubble flaring tool. 2 rolls of nicoop brake line, some fittings and re do your entire brake system in half a day. Excluding the tool everything should be under $150
 
ITHURTZ said:
rent or buy a double and bubble flaring tool. 2 rolls of nicoop brake line, some fittings and re do your entire brake system in half a day. Excluding the tool everything should be under $150
Click to expand...

Completely agreed. I did exactly this on my 99 GTP, so glad that I did. No more brake worries.
 
Thanks, but I don't think I really feel comfortable working with brakes like that. Maybe at some point after I can practice, get some help, etc, but right now I just need to get a working vehicle, and getting something wrong with the brakes has a good chance of leading to an accident or worse
 


I also had a brake line burst due to rust after standing hard on the pedal. Some of the lines I built new from scratch with a tubing bender and flare tool, a couple of other section I procured from the JY and connected it to the remaining good line with a union.
If long sections of line need to be replaced, It may be faster to find a car in the JY with good clean lines and take them.
 
if you can change your oil you can do break lines. the tool does the work you just put the line in.
 
ITHURTZ said:
if you can change your oil you can do break lines. the tool does the work you just put the line in.
Click to expand...

I do agree with this statement, however, brake lines are a matter of life and death. If he doesn't feel comfortable doing them, I wouldn't encourage it.
 
A follow-up ... it was ugly as I'd feared. They said everything looked real bad, pointing out the rusty lines and where the connections were swelling at the wheels/rubber houses, and they weren't sure about putting more money into the car. They did in the end fix the bad line - it was the passenger front. They didn't want to touch any of the lines the way it was normally routed for fear of disturbing the other lines, so they ran a new line off the top of the abs back along the firewall and down. Said it would be 4+ hours to replace everything that needs to be, but that the fuel lines next to the brake lines were just as bad but they don't work with those.

For now I'll drive it as is while I figure out what do to. Be more gentle on the brakes, though it was really the panic stop I think that did. Would be nice to make it through another winter. Wisconsin winters take a toll...
 
now its time to practice flaring! (practice is a loose term, with the right tool you dont even need to try)

Your in cheeseland, come across the flatlander border and you can play with my eastwood flaring tool, just about idiot proof
 


Damn, brings back memories of 2 GP's that I scrapped in the past 5 years. Both had badly rusted brake lines that burst while driving. In the '97 I had, the rest of the car was so rusted out, I never replaced any of the brake lines. Fuel lines and fuel tank also were leaking.
In my old '01 GTP, the brake lines rusted out in just a few spots which I had replaced. Still drove the car many miles after that.
 
One more follow-up ... I decided to take it in to get it fixed. Alternative vehicles for the same price as what it cost to get fixes all had major problems of their own, and I've already put a decent amount of money into this car and fixed pretty much everything so it was worth it.

They replaced the brake and fuel lines. Took a whole day, most of the cost was labor. Stayed to their original quote at least, they were worried a lot of parts would be rusted on or break off.

http://www.merlinsoftware.com/filestore/WP_20140920_001.jpg
http://www.merlinsoftware.com/filestore/WP_20140920_002.jpg
http://www.merlinsoftware.com/filestore/WP_20140920_009.jpg
http://www.merlinsoftware.com/filestore/WP_20140920_010.jpg

I didn't like how the fuel lines sagged down in one spot and was unsupported. It looks like that retainer from the factory was never attached to the frame, no mounting wholes. Of course that's with steel lines so no sag.

Decided I didn't want to try to make a bracket and drill a mounting hole, too awkward and could possibly damage the lines so more zip ties to the rescue. Pulled the retainer against the side of the channel and it's pretty well supported

http://www.merlinsoftware.com/filestore/WP_20140922_003.jpg
http://www.merlinsoftware.com/filestore/WP_20140922_006.jpg
 
There ya go.. 4 hours IMO is a sweet deal on doing all the brake lines. Fairly sure I can't do them in that amount of time.
 
I am pretty sure you could. I did my truck 1 line in 15min. If you have all the fittings shouldnt even take 3hrs just cant have any beer breaks
 
after ripping the bed off my 80 power wagon ( i needed to do a fuel pump too) i laid new rubber hose in place of the whole fuel line, whole damn truck was rusted to hell. took all of 10 minutes with the new zip ties to hold the line to the old one lol

bed came off fast too, 4 bolts, one wire harness plug and a ground strap. and 3 friends.

all we had to do was lift it up too. i used step ladders and a planks under the bed, and drove out from under it, went back on the same way.
 


dont hate on it bill. it bought the new 97 gmc. you need to start at the bottom, and work up. it was a stepping stone plow truck.

it broke down all the time and cost me a arm and leg to keep going. but it was making up to 10 grand a winter still as a pos dodge plow truck.
 
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