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cafoose

Brake failure

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cafoose

After picking up my C-161 on Wednesday I didn't have time to take it off my truck before work. I was driving to work and a car stopped suddenly in front of me. I hit my brakes hard and the pedal went almost to the floor. :scared-eek:Then the brake light came on and the "service brake" alert on the dash came on. I got to work and saw brake fluid all over the rear axle. I checked later and found a brake line rusted through and was leaking :bitch:I drove home carefully at the end of my shift and the next day (Thursday) I removed the brake line. :banana-wrench:I had to remove the hose from the rear where it connected to the lines going to each rear wheel and the upper bracket where the broken line connected. Then I had to cut the broken line at the fitting and use a six point socket to remove it from the hose fitting. Then I cut the line in the middle and removed it from behind the gas tank. I went to NAPA and they made me a two piece line with the proper bends so I could install it without removing the gas tank. It got late so I will install it when I get up in the morning. Maybe if all goes well I can play with my C-161 soon :banana-wrench:

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Elkskin's mower junkyard

well atleast you made it home safe. i went through similar thing a few weeks ago on spot (1993 chevy 1500) but with it the metal end of rubber line that connects to calipor rotted out and was leaking. never seen that one before. well has always the metal line from splitter to rubber line broke too when removing rubber line so had to replace that too. was not fun.

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benji756

Look at the bright side, if the truck wasn't safe to drive you could have towed it home with the horse!:ychain:

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KC9KAS

The local auto repair shop told me that the "beet juice" used on the roads as a "pre-treatment" for snow is really hard on brake lines.

The Chevrolet dealer has a complete brake line replacement kit for around $100....BUT the cab is supposed to come off to install the lines, so add $500-$600 to the cost.

A fellow at work did tell me that he and a friend did manage to get all the new lines replaced without cab removal but it was tough!

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953 nut
6 hours ago, cafoose said:

found a brake line rusted through and was leaking

One line rusted through is a precursor of others that will fail if not replaced. The snow melting chemicals that are used have been a problem for ever, you would think the auto industry would have gone to Stainless Steel lines years ago.      :soapbox:

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Jerry77
44 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

you would think the auto industry would have gone to Stainless Steel lines years ago. 

What ! ! and lose all that  repair money???          no way   :laughing-rofl:

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Ed Kennell
6 hours ago, cafoose said:

 

 

 

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That definitely  looks like all lines should be replaced Chuck.    Scary story,  glad you avoided the crash.

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cafoose
9 hours ago, craftsmanmowerfreak said:

well atleast you made it home safe. i went through similar thing a few weeks ago on spot (1993 chevy 1500) but with it the metal end of rubber line that connects to calipor rotted out and was leaking. never seen that one before. well has always the metal line from splitter to rubber line broke too when removing rubber line so had to replace that too. was not fun.

I had the same problem with the lower end of the hose on the rear where the steel lines connect to the block. One fitting came off good but the other one was rusted to the line and wouldn't turn without twisting the line so I soaked it with kroil and worked it back and forth until it broke free :banana-wrench:and I saved the line :banana-rock:

5 hours ago, KC9KAS said:

The local auto repair shop told me that the "beet juice" used on the roads as a "pre-treatment" for snow is really hard on brake lines.

The Chevrolet dealer has a complete brake line replacement kit for around $100....BUT the cab is supposed to come off to install the lines, so add $500-$600 to the cost.

A fellow at work did tell me that he and a friend did manage to get all the new lines replaced without cab removal but it was tough!

 

3 hours ago, 953 nut said:

One line rusted through is a precursor of others that will fail if not replaced. The snow melting chemicals that are used have been a problem for ever, you would think the auto industry would have gone to Stainless Steel lines years ago.      :soapbox:

 

3 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

That definitely  looks like all lines should be replaced Chuck.    Scary story,  glad you avoided the crash.

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/feds-end-gm-brake-line-rust-probe-advise-owners-to-wash-underneath-their-cars-and-trucks-040915.html

Seems like a common problem with GM trucks I do need to check and replace all the corroded brake lines I would gladly pay a little extra for the truck if they manufactured it with stainless steel brake lines.

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Sarge

If you want to replace the lines with something better but don't want to fight the stainless steel - use Ni-Cop line . The nickel and copper blend bends easily and with a proper swaging tool they are as good as oem . Much easier to work with than the old coated steel which rusts here faster than you can replace it - I went to Ni-Cop shortly after it came out and have never looked back . Lines I did when they first released the stuff still looks new despite the owner's not treating the underside of the vehicle very well . The amount of broken/rusted brake parts laying along the roads I work on here in Illinois is amazing - even found a couple whole calipers with their mounting ears broken off from corrosion . It's the steering parts that are really scary - some of this stuff is kinda important...?

 

Sarge

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roadapples

Been there done that. Seems like the one that usually goes first is the one behind the gas tank...:bitch:

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Ed Kennell

My example of road salt damage.

At 38,000 miles I had to replace the 4 rotors and calipers on my F-150.

Seems the shield put on the inside of the rotor to keep out the dirt instead trapped the dirt and salt and prevents the rain and car washing from rinsing it away.  Also prevented inspection of the inside of the rotors.     The crud builds up on the caliper pins preventing the inside caliper from moving and cleaning the inside surface of the rotor allowing it to corrode beyond repair. Surprised , the brakes worked fine  on only the outside caliper.    Dealer says this is a common problem with vehicles  that sit unused for long  periods.

Now, every time I use the truck, I stand on the brakes to insure I have moved the inside calipers.   Expensive lesson.

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pfrederi

I am with Sarge here.  My GMC Sonoma blew out the rear brake line a few years ago then the fuel line that ran next to it at a low spot in the frame (crappy design). Replaced both with Copper Nickel Ferrous Alloy  tubing I bought a roll of 1/4" and one of 3/16".  Have used it on my m37 and on several friends vehicles.  Not cheap but super easy to use and never had a problem with it and corrosion. Bends easily but be careful repeated bending will "work" harden it and make it difficult to shape.

Edited by pfrederi
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shallowwatersailor

I had a brake line fail on my 2001 Sierra after a quick stop four years ago. It has the Hydro-Boost system which gives it a different brake pedal feel to begin with.  Pedal went down to the floor but I was lucky to be a 1/2 mile from home. I had it towed to my local independent repair shop. They recommended doing all the lines as once one goes, another, and another will fail. It definitely is the brine put down here on the East Coast as the truck had around 41,000 miles at that time.

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squonk

Aren't brake lines fun! Only thing worse are fuel lines and don't get me started on those plastic lines Ford used! 

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wh500special

This is not at all uncommon.

 

I had a brake line blow on me in my old Ford when I was approaching a rail crossing with a train zipping by.  Talk about a bit of excitement...fortunately the combination of throwing the tranz in park and stepping on the parking brake did the trick.

 

 

Dad's truck did it in his driveway fortunately, too.

 

Newer cars are starting to call for brake fluid changes every 3 years or so to combat moisture related corrosion inside the lines as well.  You'd think such a mission-critical component would be made of something other than plated steel, but it lasts long enough to get through the warranty period I guess.

 

I smell a future lawsuit someday when this happens to the wrong guy.

 

Glad you and nobody else were hurt.

 

Steve

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857 horse

gm trucks blowing brake lines,?????????

 

TO GAIN EMMISIONS CREDITS,,,gm LOWERED THE NICKLE CONTENT IN SOME BODY PARTS,,,,,,((BRAKE LINES))

 

WECOME RUST.......

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cafoose

I finished up the repairs and bled the brakes on Friday right before work and everything seemed fine at first. Then a little later it seemed like the pedal was too close to the floor so I bought a vacuum pump/bleeder from harbor freight and used that today. Now I have a high, firm pedal and all seems well.:banana-wrench::banana-rock::banana-blonde:

https://www.harborfreight.com/mityvac-vacuum-pump-39522.html

 

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squonk

I have a brake bleeder that uses air from my compressor to create a vacuum in the gun to pull the brake fluid out of the bleeder valve. Works the nuts! :banana-wrench:

 

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Sarge

Over the years there have been some very obscure recalls involving brake/fuel lines on many vehicles - but they are not easy to find nor easy to find a dealer willing to tackle the work . GM should have been forced to replace all those low-nickel lines back in the day - including the nicely engineered steering hard lines that ran under the engine which require removing the lower cradle assembly , what a joke . All of the Big 3 as well as Toyota have had their share of line rust far too fast and easily - but they got away with it mostly unscathed .

 

Using stainless is not a perfect scenario either - it can get brittle over time from vibration and start cracking and it is no fun to work with when trying to bend it even a little . That Ni-Cop is worth every penny - I bet I've used up at least 10 rolls in 3/16" size alone since it's release . Best line to bend tightly in small spaces where there is a lack of clearance - such as the old Land Cruiser's dual rear wheel cylinders and the link line that runs between the two cylinders on the rear backing plate . There is almost no clearance between the spring u-bolt plate and the backing plate to the brakes - those bends have to be bent very tightly to make it fit with no flattening of the line . Both cylinders need equal volume or the rear brakes are useless on that truck . Same thing up front on the 4-piston caliper - it is a very complicated bend in the hard line between the rubber flex line's mount and the caliper head itself and that one is a really odd shape to clear the birfield joint ball on the axle . Most overbuilt brake system I've ever seen for something that only weighs around 3,500lbs stock .

 

Sarge

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