Busted brake line...

[Lil-j]

Ok, bad luck day yesterday, wife goes to leave, comes in the house, car wont start, that sounds like alternator, just great. I tell her to take the the crew, she leaves, calls a while saying the brake pedal doesnt feel right and the brake light on the dash is on, she wasnt far from home and there was next to know traffic and the truck was running fine so I told her to bring it home. I checked the brake fluid reservoir when she got home, fluid is really low, damn.
I start checking at each wheel, nothing, wtf? I started the truck, pumped up the pedal, looked again, found a wet spot, under the driver door, lay down on the freezing cold driveway, it's leaking from above the fuel filter, great....

I assume this is the main brake supply line to the rear wheels. How long is this line, where are the connections, and what kind of connectors are on the ends? If I gotta fix anything I'd just replace the line and I'd like to be under the truck for as little as possible. It's a whopping 17F out here today.

[HenryJ]

Can you get to it, cut it , slip on two ends , double flare and install a splice?

Might be rotted , or rusted though? That might mean a total replacement.

Sorry I lack more help. Doesn't sound like much fun

[Lil-j]

I can get at it but being on top of the frame rail it's very tight there. What do ya think about cutting it at the break, then putting a piece of rubber line over the break with a hose clamp oneither side of the hose. I would do this as more or less a get by till the weather is warm enough to not get hypothermia or frostbite.

[HenryJ]

I can get at it but being on top of the frame rail it's very tight there. What do ya think about cutting it at the break, then putting a piece of rubber line over the break with a hose clamp oneither side of the hose. I would do this as more or less a get by till the weather is warm enough to not get hypothermia or frostbite.

Not a good idea. It will not hold the pressure. Brake system pressures can reach 2000 psi in extreme conditions. Normal operating range is in the 800-1000 range. You need a safety factor above that. Rated to 3000 psi minimum, I suspect.
No hose clamped hose is going to do that. Even if the hose did not burst, the line would push apart at the hose.


Gonna have to fix this one right.

[Lil-j]

Oh trust me, I'm planning on fixing it right, was just hoping to patch it long enough to make a 30min drive. Got a buddy with a heated garage. And it is stupid cold outside, I can't take anymore than 20mins outside before I can't feel my fingers and toes.

[HenryJ]

Fill it up and see how much you lose in one application. You will have to weight the risk.

[Lil-j]

Thanks Henry, wont be doing anything today. It's 18F here and snowing pretty good. Roads are crap and I'm not risking it today on crap roads.

[HenryJ]

Be safe. Our weather finally broke. We hit a high in the forties last week. Inverted again the last couple days with freezing fog.
Our household has been down with the flu. Hard to pry yourself outside? I do UNDERSTAND! I have no motivation to go out and suffer either.

[_STUCKY]

I concur!

I've been lucky. My local mechanic has been kind enough to let me use some of his (heated!) shop space to do piddly things to the s10.

If you are wanting a pre bent hard line, maybe Classic Tube makes something? I put a complete set of pre bent brake lines on my jeep and it was a breeze. You may have to call them to get an individual piece though. Here's their catalog:

http://my.youturnpub.com/YouTurn/ClassicTube/