Hello,

I had parked my 95' Disco for about 6 months due to the high gas prices. Last night, I went to move my truck and discovered that I have aleak/break in one of the brake line leading to the rear of the truck. It seems it was causedby rust thatformed at the bend of the brake line.I have two questions.

1.) Is there a repair for the brake line without replacing the entire section?
2.) I am going to expect more of the same in the future with the brake lines(metal section)rusting out? Is there an upgrade kit that anyone can suggest?

I normally do most of the repair work on my Disco, However I have never had to replace brake lines. Howhard is it toexchange the line(s)? Any advice would be welcomed. Thanks.

John


P.S.

I was going to start on a 2" spacer lift for the truck. I was trying to avoid extending the lines. Given the current condition can this be avoided?

 

I haven't done it myself, but as soon as I have the money for my 2" OME lift, I'm going to replace the brake lines with stainless steel ones. You can pick them up for like $26 on line, and from what I understand it really isn't too complicated to do. I'm still going to have one of my friends (mechanic) help me out with it though :P

 

You can try wrapping the bad spot in a rubber hose and clamping it really tight on either end to get you home/to the shop.
But because brakes are hydraulic they are under great pressure and it will leak. You will need to replace the whole section.
I wouldnt mess with it, take it to a brake shop and let them deal with it.
The stainless brake lines are for at the wheel, they replace the rubber hoses thgat go from the frame to the caliper.

 

John,
For your saftey, replace the entire line. Check the local shops, some are set up to bend new ones instead of having to buy them.
Yes, it is not normal and as you know can happen.
Make sure to do a complete brake flush, apx. 3 pints of DOT 4.

 

Replacing it is not hard to do if you want to try it and you are pretty handy. It can be time consuming depending on how many bends it has though. The line usuallycomes in short straight sections or in longer 20' rolls. All you need is a tube cutter, tube bender, flaring tool and brake line compression nuts (if you want to splice in a new line). Most any auto parts store can get you allset up for about $40.It depends on how much rust you have, but you can replace the entire line or just the rusted part and use compression fittings to slice in the new one, it really depends on how rusty it is andare where it is though. Ifthe front half looks good and the rear halfis rusted, I would just replace the entire rear half right up to the caliper, this is what I have doneon other cars since the front half is hard to get to. Otherthan that, use the old line as a template and practice doing bends and flares first before you make up the newline. The hardest part is making good flares atthe ends of the tubethat don't leak. BTW, I wouldn't put splices in the front lines. The front brakes are very importantand they areshortenough to replace the whole thing anyways.

 

I agree with JKid. i would go buy a roll and replace the whole rear section of brake lines. Flaring is going to be the hardest part but I bet within ten minutes you could be well on your way to making perfect flares.Just have to remember to bleed the brakes after you replace the lines. I normally bleed mine a couple of times just to be sure.

 

Thanks for the advice guys.