Before I break them

GPster · January 19, 2012, 10:07:54 PM

When I ordered the replacement repacement tie rod ends for the middle Jeep's drag link I thought I'd get a few more pieces to travel on the same shipping charge and to get the order over $75.00 for a discount. When the prevous owner had "jacked" it the rubber hose to the front brake calipers were stretched to their limit and the hose's outer covering was frayed. The steel lines looked in decent shape and even the outer springs on them was loose so that I could slide them back to get my line wrench on the fitting nuts. The nut are rusted to the lines. Ordinarily i would just go ahead and break the line by twisting the nut but I'd really like to not go any further back in my trying to get the heater/defroster blower to run. I went backwards on this problem and have gotten the hoses loose from the lines where normally I would have taken the lines loose from the hoses. Any tricks or ideas on how to get that fitting nuts loose from the steel lines while it's not connected to anything? GPster

enjenjo · January 19, 2012, 10:57:33 PM

heat it with a propane torch. Melt some pariffin into the fitting/tube joint. Let it cool and try to turn it. Repeat if necessary.

wayne petty · January 20, 2012, 02:13:03 AM

just curious...

how tight do your tubing wrenches fit on the tube nuts... really tight so they don't round over...

i hate to admit but i have had to use my 3 pound calibration hammer to adjust mine once in a while..

also do you know the tighten ever so slightly trick before trying to loosen them to bust them loose...

this is tighten enough to just make it move.. then you can loosen it..

i have had a lot of tube nuts that rusted in place...

i have cut the rubber hose and then clamped a small pair of vice grips on it to stop the fluid from all draining out.. held the tube nut and unscrewed the hose. .. this allowed me to remove the hose from the end of the line without damaging the tube nut..

the tube nut is now free for you to work slightly... it is a 3/8=24 thread..

enjenjo · January 20, 2012, 02:30:15 AM

Wayne, this is Ohio rusty. I have drilled the old line out of tube nuts to save them, because the line would not come out any other way.

wayne petty · January 20, 2012, 02:46:19 AM

Quote from: "enjenjo"Wayne, this is Ohio rusty. I have drilled the old line out of tube nuts to save them, because the line would not come out any other way.

sorry frank.. i keep forgetting..

i don't know if you have AZ stores near you...

this is the AGS brake tubing and fittings catalog download.. az stores have this display hanging in the back isles on a header.. the staff does not really know they are are there...

this should help a LOT... walking in with part numbers...

since dorman and edelman seem to be vanishing from the shelves..

http://www.agscompany.com/images/stories/catalogs/fluid-transfer-catalog-2011.pdf

the lower right corner of the catalog page is the download link...

took me a while to find it..

http://www.agscompany.com/marketing/catalogs

GPster · January 22, 2012, 08:42:58 PM

Well the heat and wax seems to have worked. Tomorrow I'l do the hoses in the brake lines and maybe get to the drag link. While waiting for the parts to come I started working on the tie rod ends in the tie rod so I could adjust a little more "toe in" for the front end. What ever the front end is made of is still a mistery. The tie rod ends are screwed clear in to the tie rod and with front steer that means that it's got all the "toe in" that it's going to get. My thoughts are I'm going to have to pull the tie rod and trim some from both end so the tie rod ends have room to screw in a little more.GPster

taxpyer · January 23, 2012, 08:16:00 AM

I have had good luck with brake line fittings by carefully putting "never sieze" on the line end so it is between the flare nut and the line and on the threads of the line nut, being very careful not to get any in the actual fitting to contaminate your brakes.
Seems to work real well for me.

Beck · January 23, 2012, 09:53:19 AM

Quote from: "taxpyer"I have had good luck with brake line fittings by carefully putting "never sieze" on the line end so it is between the flare nut and the line and on the threads of the line nut, being very careful not to get any in the actual fitting to contaminate your brakes.
Seems to work real well for me.

I use the anti sieze also. Around here we call it "silver finger" for obvious reasons. Enjenjo, our Illinois rust is a lot like your Ohio rust. It's serious stuff!