| 40 year old Brake hoses [message #281316] |
Thu, 02 July 2015 14:58  |
tphipps
Messages: 3005
Registered: August 2004
Location: Spanish Fort, AL
Karma: 9
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Senior Member |
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Just for fun, if you still have the original OEM 40 year old brake hoses, consider spending the few dollars and a little time to replace them. My tale of woe follows.
At Bean Station, I arrived with the red brake light on. (P.O. had disconnected the lead to the proportionate valve to turn the light off.) I reconnected it. Simple solution was to release the brake bleeder valve on the passenger side. The light went out, and I and the CFO were happy.
Drove home, no problems. Left later for a small rally in Alabama. Did not make it. The complete passenger side knuckle/hub, front wheel bearing,brake caliper and rotor had a catastrophic failure.
Final analysis of the damage, the brake hose (OEM) had collapsed internally enough to allow for braking action, but did not relieve the pressure on the caliper completely. Eventually, the brake pad wore down, metal to metal created a lot of heat, destroyed knuckle/hub, etc. Because this was so gradual, I did not notice any problems.
Check those hoses, cheap enough to replace.
Tom, MS II
2012 Phoenix Cruiser model 2552
KA4CSG
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| Re: 40 year old Brake hoses [message #281318 is a reply to message #281316] |
Thu, 02 July 2015 15:30  |
Ken Burton
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
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Senior Member |
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I replaced my left rear brake hose about 6 years ago. I could not get the right rear one loose at the time so I just let it go. A couple of weeks ago I was working in the right rear area with the wheels off and noticed one of the hoses had swollen. So in trying to remove it I heated the steel line end with a little propane to loosen the stuck brake line fitting. After about 15 seconds of heat the swollen part just blew up in my face. I ended up removing the brake hose mounting bracket and the entire steel line as one unit. I put it in the vice and heated it with a mapp torch to finally get the steel brake line out of the brake hose fitting.
My point is if I hadn't noticed the swelling in the hose I would probably have had that hose break on the road somewhere. All of my hoses (front and rear) have now been replaced.
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
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| Re: 40 year old Brake hoses [message #281323 is a reply to message #281318] |
Thu, 02 July 2015 17:36 |
Joe Weir
Messages: 769
Registered: February 2013
Location: Columbia, SC
Karma: 7
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Senior Member |
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Let me just add that the hard brake lines need to be inspected as well. I was cleaning up under the coach when the tanks were down and wiped the dirt off the main brake line leading to the rear drums. The line immediately started weeping. Now, if it was fragile enough that a wipe with a soft cloth will cause it to rupture, surely a panic stop would have been a disaster.
At 40 years, its time.
76 Birchaven - "Wicked Mistress" - New engine, trans, alum radiator, brakes, Sully airbags, fuel lines, seats, adult beverage center... those Coachmen guys were really thinking about us second hand owners by including that beverage center...
Columbia, SC.
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| Re: 40 year old Brake hoses [message #281324 is a reply to message #281316] |
Thu, 02 July 2015 17:53 |
lqqkatjon
Messages: 2324
Registered: October 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Karma: 5
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For what it is worth, I did my rear hoses recently.
Started soaking in pb blaster on a friday. SaturDay i nearly stripped the brake line on the passenger side and ended up dissecting the line with my air cutoff tool in the end. I had good flare wrench and correct nut vice grip.
I kept soaking the drivers side overnight, and later sunday afternoon was able to take that side apart without extream measures.
So i suggest to soak those fittings in penetrating oil for a while before attempting to take apart. I would of been not able to get the hoses off on an emergency repair on the road. Probably needed to rip out all lines if i tried to do brake line work without using the pb blaster for a couple days minimum. So plan ahead and get those hoses changed.
My lines did not even look that rusted.
Jon Roche
75 palm beach
EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
St. Cloud, MN
http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
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| Re: 40 year old Brake hoses [message #281327 is a reply to message #281316] |
Thu, 02 July 2015 18:42 |
Tony Cook
Messages: 121
Registered: August 2014
Location: Torrance CA
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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Yep panic braking blew two holes out of my steel main rear break line where it bends along the front frame rail also OG metering valve had frozen unbeknownst to me and front brakes had not been working ! So when steel line popped after some dude cut me off in LA traffic I had absolutely no brakes ! One of the most scariest things to have happened to me ever. Piece mealing brakes is not good . Everything from Master to rear wheel cylinders and everything in between has now been replaced. The SS brake line kit from Classic Tube are decent and there rear SS flex lines are very good.
Tony Cook
77' Kingsley ' SuperSession 77 '
Torrance Beach,CA
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| Re: [GMCnet] 40 year old Brake hoses [message #281340 is a reply to message #281327] |
Thu, 02 July 2015 21:07 |
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USAussie
Messages: 15912
Registered: July 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Karma: 6
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G'day,
I am from the fix it once school and on Double Trouble and The Blue Streak I have replaced or will replace:
Brakes:
Drums
Shoes (Carbon Metallic)
Wheel Cylinders
Disks
Calipers
Pads (Carbon Metallic)
Flex Lines (Braided Stainless Steel)
Brake Lines (Tom Hampton's Stainless Steel because the set from Classic Tube didn't fit properly and required modification)
Master Cylinder
Booster (Dave Lenzi Sensitized)
ATE Dot 4 Brake Fluid
And that's that!
Regards,
Rob M.
The Pedantic Mechanic
Sydney, Australia
AUS '75 Avion - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
USA '75 Avion - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
-----Original Message-----
From: Tony Cook
Yep panic braking blew two holes out of my steel main rear break line where it bends along the front frame rail also OG metering
valve had frozen unbeknownst to me and front brakes had not been working ! So when steel line popped after some dude cut me off in
LA traffic I had absolutely no brakes ! One of the most scariest things to have happened to me ever. Piece mealing brakes is not
good. Everything from Master to rear wheel cylinders and everything in between has now been replaced. The SS brake line kit from
Classic Tube are decent and there rear SS flex lines are very good.
--
Tony
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Regards,
Rob M. (USAussie)
The Pedantic Mechanic
Sydney, Australia
'75 Avion - AUS - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
'75 Avion - USA - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
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