So I was on my way to work this morning, went to stop for a red light, traffic in front of me when the brake pedal suddenly went to the floor! I knew I blew a brake line at that point. Had to dive into a gas station parking Lot at 30mph to avoid hitting anyone! Downshifting, thankfully I have a manual Trans! 

 Got her stopped and checked things out best I could. The line that goes into the rubber flex at the right front wheel was soaked. There's the problem.

 I'll get under it in a bit to see if it was the flex line or the hard line but either way scared the crap out of me. Day off work now to tend to it. Ugh.

I've fixed 2 vehicles and a boat trailer that had surge brakes. No issues at all...

Easy Peazy, Lemon Squeezy.

 I'm gonna look into these. Thanks for the tip @wil440 and @Max Tune

26 minutes ago, Doubletrouble said:

 I'm gonna look into these. Thanks for the tip @wil440 and @Max Tune

Rockauto has it at 0.83p per foot, just type in copper brake line in the search bar

Found it. It's $1.09/foot and up over here. Still may be worth it to buy a roll or two in the correct sizes and keep it on hand. Fittings as well. 

I buy 25ft rolls although by now here it's probably some metric measurement like 10 or 20 meters dunno

I've got maybe 3 or 4 rolls of various sizes knocking around, if you've never used it before it is a dream to use and work with.

Like I said if your line is the one that goes around the front make it on the floor using old as a pattern, get the bends about right then fit it, you'll be able to bend it to get it where you need it to be then bend it back into shape.

I have a feeling I left one end long without doing the flare as I have a small flare tool as well as a vice mounted one so once all fitted I flared the last end on the truck, pretty sure it was the passenger end with the sharpe bend, put the fitting on, did the flare then did the bend carefully around a piece of tube, I don't have a bender as with copper there is no need as if you take your time and bend carefully it won't kink.

And if you can't get it in in one you could always put a join in right at the front

Edited April 16, 20223 yr by wil440

4 hours ago, Doubletrouble said:

Found it. It's $1.09/foot and up over here. Still may be worth it to buy a roll or two in the correct sizes and keep it on hand. Fittings as well. 

That's what I did.

3 hours ago, wil440 said:

I buy 25ft rolls although by now here it's probably some metric measurement like 10 or 20 meters dunno

I've got maybe 3 or 4 rolls of various sizes knocking around, if you've never used it before it is a dream to use and work with.

Like I said if your line is the one that goes around the front make it on the floor using old as a pattern, get the bends about right then fit it, you'll be able to bend it to get it where you need it to be then bend it back into shape.

I have a feeling I left one end long without doing the flare as I have a small flare tool as well as a vice mounted one so once all fitted I flared the last end on the truck, pretty sure it was the passenger end with the sharpe bend, put the fitting on, did the flare then did the bend carefully around a piece of tube, I don't have a bender as with copper there is no need as if you take your time and bend carefully it won't kink.

And if you can't get it in in one you could always put a join in right at the front

Whenever I've replaced lines I just follow the originalish routing. My new lines will take a more direct route without all the little jogs that are sometimes in original lines. Like you said, once you use copper lines, you'll never go back.

@Doubletrouble I think you bad luck is rubbing off on me. I had a friend show up and noticed my brake fluid is very low. Now it snowing and I've gotta figure out where the fluid is going. 

I would like to reinforce the fact that the line you fellas are promoting is a copper/nickel alloy. Wouldn’t want someone to make brake lines with regular copper tubing. 

6 hours ago, Mopar1973Man said:

@Doubletrouble I think you bad luck is rubbing off on me. I had a friend show up and noticed my brake fluid is very low. Now it snowing and I've gotta figure out where the fluid is going. 

 Sorry 😞 

1 hour ago, Royal Squire said:

I would like to reinforce the fact that the line you fellas are promoting is a copper/nickel alloy. Wouldn’t want someone to make brake lines with regular copper tubing. 

Ya, that's what I posted, but I see your point.

12 hours ago, Royal Squire said:

I would like to reinforce the fact that the line you fellas are promoting is a copper/nickel alloy. Wouldn’t want someone to make brake lines with regular copper tubing. 

Here in the UK copper tubing isn't manufactured in such a small bore size, you cannot buy it and get mixed with brake line it is all an alloy, pure ish tubing is for heating systems here, pretty sure the smallist plain copper is 3/8th bore which is microbore for heating.

Put another way you cannot rock up to the plumbers merchants and get copper tubing to make a brake line out of, neither could you rock up to the car parts store and buy tubing for your heating system.

Here it is just called copper brake line, I didn't realise you guys maybe aren't as standardized on different sizes for different applications  with the different applications being different materials 

18 hours ago, wil440 said:

the smallest plain copper is 3/8th bore

We can buy really small stuff here, like 1/8" outer diameter. Used for sensing lines for compressed air systems is where I have used smaller stuff, but not 1/8" small. 1/4" stuff is used all the time here for running refrigerator ice maker lines, or water supply to home humidifiers.

We can also buy small sizes but always thick wall alloy not thinwall like for heating and water

 

I've never seen here tubing that would be able to be gripped and held by a brake flare tool that would be substandard as far as pressure 

On 4/16/2022 at 8:13 AM, Mopar1973Man said:

@Doubletrouble I think you bad luck is rubbing off on me. I had a friend show up and noticed my brake fluid is very low. Now it snowing and I've gotta figure out where the fluid is going. 

 

Front right brake hose is opened up and leaking. Easy fix and need to bleed the system anyways...

3 hours ago, Mopar1973Man said:

 

Front right brake hose is opened up and leaking. Easy fix and need to bleed the system anyways...

Do you have a scanner that can cycle the abs pump? If so, what one? I've been looking at them, but they get pricey with that option.

Nope. I just use a mayo jar and bleed them that way no need for the ABS pump and never had any issues using my method on any vehicle yet.