• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Front rubber brake hose

CJS

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Michigan
For some reason I can't seem to get the hose off. The fitting seems to be seized to the hard line. Is this a common problem?? Do I just cut and re-flare the line above the original fitting??

TIA
CJS
 
i think it might be one piece. i'm not sure and i might be completely wrong but the picture i have of it in my head right now is of it being one piece.
 
The brake hose (where it mounts to the unibody) has a thread in the end of it where the hard line threads into it, you have to seperate this joint to put new brake lines on (at least on my 1990).
 
What year and how many miles?

Most likely, the flare nut has siezed up due to corrosion. It may be siezed in two ways -- the threaded portion may be siezed into the fitting on the hose, and the flare nut may also be siezed to the hardline.

If you can afford the time, the best approach would be to shoot it liberally with PB Blaster every evening for a week or so, then try again -- firmly but gently. It's easy to get the nut loose from the hose fitting, and then twist off the end of the hard line because the nut is still siezed tight to the tubing.
 
Where would I find a new flare nut? I'll probably just cut and re-flare it above the old nut, I've tried using PB blaster for about a week but it is seized good.
 
never mind, i thought he was talking about the crimped on metal fitting on the rubber brake line itself. yeah like eagle said, be careful if the nut is seized to the line itself as you'll twist the hard line and could brake it.

eric
 
You can buy flare nuts at any NAPA store, under the Weatherhead" brand name. You may also find them in the plumbing department at Lowe's or Home Depot.

You will also need a double flare tool. If you haven't made double flares before, I'd advise buying a length of brake line from the auto parts store. You can cut the end off and that'll give you a pair of new flare nuts, plus a couple of feet of tubing for dress rehearsal before you get to the command performance.
 
If you're careful, and unclip the hose from the body, it might be possible to separate the two pieces even though the fitting on the hard line doesn't turn. Just be careful to hold both the fitting and the hose with wrenches, and then turn the whole hose. Make sure the hose is unclipped from its mount, because the mount holds the hex end of the hose from turning. I've done this when circumstances required (like, it's 9:30 on sunday night and I have to be somewhere tomorrow). The best solution of course is to replace the hard line, or to go ahead and break it and splice in a new piece with a double flare and a coupling, but it can be done.
 
What is exactly do you mean by double flare, just making sure I'm picturing this right? :confused:
 
CJS said:
What is exactly do you mean by double flare, just making sure I'm picturing this right? :confused:

Brake lines use a special type of flaring, in which the end of the line is first folded inward on itself, then flared out. If you look at a new piece of brake line, you'll see that the flare is a double thickness of tubing. The kind of flare that is made on copper tubing, etc. for plumbing is not correct and will leak or break under hydraulic pressure. You can buy a special tool (actually a tool set) at auto parts stores, etc. for this job.

It's a two-part operation. First a special die is pressed into the end of the tube to start the inward flare. Then it is removed, and the end is flared out in the usual way. It is pretty tricky to do on the car, because it requires filing a chamfer on the end of the line,and it's hard to place the tool in cramped space, but it can be done.

As Eagle suggests, it's a good idea to practice on some scrap pieces. Once you've done it a few times, it begins to make more sense.

Get a good flaring set. The job requires a lot of pressure and a lot of precision. This includes the fit of the clamp on the tubing. If it slips, you're out of luck.
 
What Eagle & Matthew said.

If you haven't done double flares before, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

:soapbox: Personally, I hate the bar & yoke style tools. See http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7360, there's a link buried in it for a pliers style tool.

I ended up cutting the line off with a Dremel, and flaring it under the truck. I'm pretty sure that what jammed it all together was hanging the front axle by the brakeline after I put on new LCAs and didn't check flex.
 
Back
Top