Scary moment

rumrumm · August 10, 2010, 10:49:16 AM

I have an old beater '92 Safari van I use as a hauler/parts getter vehicle. It runs well and is mechanically good--I thought. I pulled into the driveway over the weekend and suddenly--NO BRAKES. The pedal went to the floor. Fortunately, I was going slow. I turned the ignition off and stepped on the emergency brake. I almost got is stopped before I hit the house. No damage done as it I hit the poured foundation/brick veneer left of the garage door. Upon examination, I found the brake line had rusted through. I would never have thought to check the brake lines for rust. I'm just grateful it didn't happen while I was driving in traffic. Whew!

slocrow · August 10, 2010, 11:25:54 AM

Quote from: "rumrumm"I would never have thought to check the brake lines for rust.

Really! That's just about the only way I've seen the brakes go out unexpectedly, lately. I'm surprised you couldn't pump them up for one more stop and doesn't the dual system come into play with this type of failure? At least that's what I thought but it's not the first time I've heard that it didn't work as I thought with either the front or back being still functional although weak overall.............Frank

wayne petty · August 10, 2010, 11:39:58 AM

rusty lines.... not something i have to worry about in so cal... except on cars from elsewhere.. or near the beach...

a few things if you plan on bending the lines...

as stainless steel versions are available as i understand.. prebent..

http://www.harborfreight.com/tube-bending-pliers-95782.html

and one of these.. work you way around the corners.. don't try to just bend the tube ..

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-8-eighth-inch-to-1-4-quarter-inch-tube-bender-94571.html

here is a list of the lines generally available

http://www.plews-edelmann.com/brochure.cfm?brochure=1878&location_id=2517

more than likely... your truck will use the metric ended lines at the bottom of the page....

WZ JUNK · August 10, 2010, 12:16:30 PM

Hooley found a brake line rusted and leaking on the Bonneville race car. It was in a place where the line passed through a tube in the frame. Evidently the salt got trapped in this area, collected moisture, rusted the line, and caused the line to fail. It started leaking when he was bleeding the brakes.

Dang salt gets into everything.

John

enjenjo · August 10, 2010, 12:58:03 PM

NAPA has cupernickle brake line available, it doesn't rust.

kb426 · August 10, 2010, 01:10:39 PM

Since they started using magnesium chloride on the roads in the winter, this has become frequent in my part of the world.

rumrumm · August 10, 2010, 02:42:56 PM

Thanks, Frank. We have a NAPA in town. I will check it out.

zzford · August 10, 2010, 04:07:47 PM

I used to work on strictly VW's for many years. Rusted brake lines were very common, usually down by where the drivers feet sat. Folks would get in with wet shoes, the water would drain onto the area where the brake line ran by the pedals. It would wet down the build up uf sand and then eventually break. I made alot of money off those over the years.

UGLY OLDS · August 10, 2010, 08:42:15 PM

My '89 GMC has been through this a few times .....Fuel lines too.. They get your attention as they are braided & $omewhat hard to find...They usually rust right next to the fittings ....Expen$ive when you can find them ....The last trip under my Gran Marquis I saw some frame sections starting to "flake" ....And that car was rust-proofed before I got it .....

Trust me Wayne ..You will never know how good you have it out there...

Bob.....

40 · August 10, 2010, 11:37:22 PM

Lynn.....Glad everyone/everything escaped unharmed.I had never experienced any such failure until my Son called while we were vacationing in Yellowstone......We keep an old 97 Ford Conversion van...."The Dog Wagon"... around to take the dogs for a ride and he was taking them to McDonalds for a burger when the exact same thing occured.....a brake line rusted thru and he lost all of the brakes.As mentioned above.....I thought the purpose of the dual master cylinder was to allow brakes to one set of wheels even if such a failure occured.....In this case he had no brakes other than the emergency.Kind of makes me nervous to drive it now!

Arnold · August 11, 2010, 11:30:09 AM

Here in S. Ontario Can. (rust capital of the UNIVERSE) brake lines last 8-12 years. 8 is not uncommon for the them to rust through. 10 they are due. 12..past due.
It is simply not possible to determine by looking how much longer they will last.
Pretty much completely rotted/corroded lines on the OUTSIDE may go another 5 years..then again ones that you do not suspect..and look like brand new on 8-10 y/o cars can and often do rust through from the INSIDE.
Flushing every few years does help.
Several really good garages up here..(where friends/neighbours etc take their vehicles)..sort of make it a point..if customers are driving..and going to continue to..vehicles over 8-10 years old to simply start changing them. Starting at the back..and workng forward over the next several service intervals. I know..$..but there is really no other way.
If you are really determined to keep old rusty lines..I have had very good success in preserving them by only ONE method. I have tried all the rest. Best seems to be to spray them with a mixture of fiberglass resin. The spray will get behind the line where it mounts. Mix it up and pour it into one of those $ store small plant sprayers. I tint it black. Wear safety glasses. Period. Don't do this on a classic or cherished ride..the resin WILL find it's way everywhere and won't be possible to get out/off. I give the line/area a light pressure washing..not that close with the nozzle. I have done this enough times and seem to know just how much blasting a line should tolerate. Drive dry it and then dry for a day or two. For some chemical reason?..the interaction of fiberglass resin on top of rust seems to create a situation where the top layer of the rust will sort of breakdown and "bleed through".almost like dust on top of the resin coating. Those areas I re-cover. Needless to say..proper repairs to those areas in the future can be very tough. Plan ahead.
Needless to say..this is a very safety orientated situation..procedure and I really cannot endorse it..or recommend it. I should add that I have not had any line failures when I have done this over the last 15 years. This may simply be due to the lines not being that bad in the first place.

lol..the cheap plant sprayers..$ store..if they are too cheap..flimsy..or if you want to speed up the process and use too much hardener..the mixture will eat through the sprayer..haha NOT. I use those clearish spray bottles found at better hardware stores etc. They are about $2.

phat rat · August 11, 2010, 12:59:14 PM

I had to replace all the brake lines on my 02 Chev truck last spring as I had one burst because of rust. I found some that looked good but had a inch or two line of rust, bad coating, and there they were really thin and broke before you could begin to bend them to a 90 degree angle

papastoyss · August 11, 2010, 01:35:32 PM

Quote from: "WZ JUNK"Hooley found a brake line rusted and leaking on the Bonneville race car. It was in a place where the line passed through a tube in the frame. Evidently the salt got trapped in this area, collected moisture, rusted the line, and caused the line to fail. It started leaking when he was bleeding the brakes.

Dang salt gets into everything.

John

That could have been more exciting than the giant wheelie in his drag car!