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Best way to deal with brakes to remove axle?

Muddy Beast

Muddy Beast

NAXJA Forum User
Location
WA
I'm doing an axle swap and need to know...what exactly do I do to remove the brake line from the axle and not drain fluid everywhere?

~Scott
 
Not really any good way to do it.... Just pull the lines, let them drain into some kind of container. Put new axles in, hook up lines, add new fluid, bleed brakes. At least it will flush at least part of your braking system. If you are swapping rear axles, then you should be able to just undo the one line dropping down to the axle.
 
Bummer I was hoping I could do it without loosing all my fluid. Oh well. I'm swapping in a new booster too.

Guess I'll get back to work on putting the new leafs on while I wait for the 8.8 to be done.

EDIT: I put a Dakota rear line on recently. Hardlines haven't been replaced if that's what your getting at, but I see no point in replacing those. (In the NW, things don't rust if your implying my lines will be rusted.)

~Scott
 
If your swaping for the same type axle, you can pull the axle shafts, and then the backing plates leaving the wheel cylinders attached. Wire tie them up to the chassis out of the way, swap your axle assy, then reattach you original brakes to the new axle. then you wont have to mess with bleeding brakes.
 
Ugh i dont even want to think or hear about brakes after my axle swap:smsoap:
 
bfred said:
If your swaping for the same type axle, you can pull the axle shafts, and then the backing plates leaving the wheel cylinders attached. Wire tie them up to the chassis out of the way, swap your axle assy, then reattach you original brakes to the new axle. then you wont have to mess with bleeding brakes.
Click to expand...

I'm swapping in an 8.8 with disc brakes from my D35 with ABS drums. Brakes will not be the same. Luckily my soft line to the axle already has a block, so I just need some hardlines for the disc.

I just threw on my new RE 3.5 leaf to replace my RC 3" leaf...wow...quite a difference.

~Scott
 
Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, a wooden golf tee was pretty handy when you shoved it into a brake line to keep the fluid from coming out.
 
I make a little cone out of a piece of paper towel and shove it in there with a toothpick. Works for me, most of the time.
 
Go to you local autopart store and buy a box of multiple sized vacuum plugs, and use one that fits on the end of your open brake line. Just slip it on. So long as you don't hit the brake pedal, none of the fluid will leak out while you do your other install work....
 
Ivan said:
Go to you local autopart store and buy a box of multiple sized vacuum plugs, and use one that fits on the end of your open brake line. Just slip it on. So long as you don't hit the brake pedal, none of the fluid will leak out while you do your other install work....
Click to expand...

Yep. I've got a small bin full of various sized rubber and plastic end caps. Snap a rubber cap on that open hardline end, saves a lot of bleeding time after re-assembly.
 
I wouldn't want to be shoving anything in a brake line. If you are that worried about losing brake fluid you mind as well take a ziplock and press it snugly up against the end of the line and tape it further up to keep it snug.

OR saran wrap or something.

Just don't be shoving anything inside the line! The is a posibility that it will not all come back out later.
 
8Mud said:
I make a little cone out of a piece of paper towel and shove it in there with a toothpick. Works for me, most of the time.
Click to expand...

Gotta love it, MOST of the time eh? I have used saran wrap and an old trash bag twist tie, but I like Ivan's suggest best, using a vacuum line cap.
 
bfred said:
If your swaping for the same type axle, you can pull the axle shafts, and then the backing plates leaving the wheel cylinders attached. Wire tie them up to the chassis out of the way, swap your axle assy, then reattach you original brakes to the new axle. then you wont have to mess with bleeding brakes.
Click to expand...

Interesting, I like the sound of that, I think?

I am about to be doing my first axle repair or swap. My daughters XJ got nailed by an Eclipse that bent the rear axle with out damaging much of anything else other then the rear door. It is a D-35 rear (2WD). Trying to decide now if I should do a complete leaf spring, axle, assy swap, or just the axle assy, or just replace the bent the axle shaft, and hope it is all that was damaged (other than the brake drum maybe). What is amazing is that the cast aluminum wheel was not damaged!

Anyway, I am seeing that there is, or maybe a best way, easiest way, and a worst way to do the swap!

I am wondering if it would be easier to swap the axle assys with the leaf springs still attached, or not? Also thinking about swapping, the parking brake cables, leaving them still attached to the axle brake assemblies?

Of course that might depend on the condition of the brake parts on the replacement axle assy. Hmm.
 
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