Brake line insanity! AHHHH

[sorny]

Ok, I finally get the head gasket swapped, timing set, and vacuum lines replumbed among 100 other things to get my 87 Shelby Z running. Ran great but the passenger's side rear brake line was leaking. The others were fine. I pulled the line and reran a new one. They said it was 3/16" line and 10mm metric fittings. When I pulled the old line off it broke off in the proportioning valve so I bought another one. Went ahead and ran the lines while waiting on it and screwed it into the rear caliper just fine. Go to hook up my line to the new prop valve and the fitting is too small. Ok, so I spend 2 days all over town going to every tool and auto parts shop trying to find an adapter. One guy tells me the fitting on the prop valve should be US and the other fittings are metric so they won't adapt. Now my only option is using the old fitting off my new prop valve (thank goodness it was included) and putting it on the end of my new line and reflaring it. Now I gotta buy a flaring tool because I don't know anyone with one to loan. Why couldn't they just sell an adapter? Hard to look online because I don't know the size, I think its 7/16" but not sure but that's what I took the old one off with.

Also, now I am dreading bleeding the lines since I had them all unhooked while replacing the prop valve and my NEW question is this: Will I have to bleed the master cylinder since I removed the two lines going from it to the prop valve? Or is that just if you replace the MC?

[NAJ]

You only have to bleed the MC if you let it run dry or have depressed the pedal with the lines off.
Be aware that brake lines use a double flare.

[speeduphoria]

If you need fitting size,(there not metric btw), i allways look at Napa online because they list the size under the M/C.

It is 3/16 line, but the fittings that go to the M/C are 3/8 24.
NAPA® Online

[sorny]

Well, I hope I am not screwed because when I took a piece of my old line (the part that connects to the rear brake) to get lines they guys told me that its metric (M10) and all the line they gave me was M10. Even if it doesn't hook up at the MC I hope that didn't screw anything up at the wheel.

[lando10101]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sorny Well, I hope I am not screwed because when I took a piece of my old line (the part that connects to the rear brake) to get lines they guys told me that its metric (M10) and all the line they gave me was M10. Even if it doesn't hook up at the MC I hope that didn't screw anything up at the wheel.

wow sounds like you have had hell here god I do feel for you man. In the future I would recommend contacting dealership first for any parts that are not a straight forward replacement .

[sorny]

Well, I remember that when I was trying to get the brake lines off I tried a 10mm wrench and it worked but not great (slipped some) but when I got a 3/8" it was perfect. Well, when I went to the parts store to get brake line I took an old piece and they said "Yup, that's 10mm" so all the line they gave me was supposed to be 3/16" line with 10mm fittings. I hope that I don't have to tear all that out and rerun it with 3/8" fittings just because they gave me the wrong one. I wonder if the threads would be the same or just the sized wrench you use to take them off? If they threads are the same then who cares? I can use a different wrench for that line, but if the threads are different, even just slightly theres a good chance I will tear them up trying to get them screwed in there.

[NAJ]

10mm is larger than 3/8" so it will not thread in.
I work at a dealership and Chrysler does not have pre-bent/fit steel brake lines. When we need to replace a brake line we do the same thing you are doing cut, bend and flare.
The Chrysler service manual even shows the proper technique for cutting a flaring.
The Chrysler parts catalog may show the size of the brake line fittings,have your local dealer look it up,give them your VIN,it is easier for them.

[sorny]

I guess it was pretty bad to assume that a US car was using 10mm anyways right? Should've known. Well, I've already ran all that line so worst case I guess I will just cut the ends and reuse my old fittings and reflare instead of buying new line with 3/8" fittings. All the pieces that I connected together to make the full length of line is using 10mm in between but that shouldn't matter since it's just plugging into itself (besides the ends).

[NAJ]

Everything is metric now and back in the day (80's early ninety's) they were mixed.
I do not know that the standard fittings will fit on the metric brake line.
When I am in work my standard sockets and wrench's just collect dust except for a few older designs such as wheel cylinder mounting and brake line fittings on Wrangler/Cherokee w/rear drum.

[sorny]

Guess I am just going to have to see. I was hoping I would be able to just use the line and fittings I had already run. I could've sworn that at the brake line end of the line I ran that I just screwed it in just fine. And I would've assumed that end would be 3/8" too and not 10mm. Unless the guys at Advance Auto gave me 3/8" and kept saying 10mm.. hell, I dunno even know anymore. Just going to have to try to leave work a little early today and see if it bolts up and if not I will be cutting and putting new fittings on the ends I guess.

[jim34]

If your lines threaded in to the rubber lines all you should need is an adapter I have one here that I keep a few spares of for those m/c and prop valve connections so you can use standard 3/16 lines, the pack says 1/4 x 3/16 brake adapter the # on the pack is 327818.1 I cant remember where I got these but it was either autozone or advance auto and they both have them but a lot of times the store runs out and no one cares enough to reorder them. You should be able to tell if its what you need when you see it though.

[tb007]

auto zone has a flaring tool in their loan a tool program thing, i think it's a $15.00.
o, the whole re ordering thing with the brake line adapters, people sell them as the wrong part because theyre in a parts bin and people cant read correctly, or put things back in the right slot, so those are constantly messed up at most auto zones. have fun with the lines, anytime i do lines i just grab a 25 foot roll (carquest always has it) and flare my own and re use my line nuts whenever possible
tb

[sorny]

I finally got the lines ran. I found out that the person at the parts store gave me a variety platter of lines. Out of 4 lines, 2 were bubble flared (1 metric, 1 US), 1 double flared with US fittings, and 1 double flared with Metric fittings. So out of 4 lines 1 was right. I took them all back (after ripped them back out from under the car) and they were very apologetic -- spoke to a manager -- and swapped them.

Installed them, went fine this time.

Now my problem is that the line I replaced won't bleed. Maybe I haven't given it enough time. My assistant pumped and held the brake and I bled that line I replaced maybe 15 times and I got a dribble of fluid/air at first then nothing. I tried bleeding the other lines and got quite a bit of air out of them but still nothing on the new line. I checked for leaks and didn't see anything. Maybe I just have a TON of bleeding left to go since it's a new line. Apparently its at least getting pressure or something because something did come out the first few times i bled, although it was like a teaspoon of fluid total and a couple of air bubbles and I assume that was fluid probably stuck in the caliper and not new fluid filling up the new line.

Is bleeding a brand new line this hard or am I doing something wrong? The line I replaced was the longest one so I started with it and was going to work my way to the shortest line. When I bled the drivers side rear (the next longest line) a TON of fluid and air came out. But almost nothing from the pass. side rear.

Sorry for the long post but I'm about to pull my hair out. I hate bleeding brakes.

[jory]

Try this method. Open the bleeder, then have somebody press the brake and hold it, then close the bleeder and repeat. This method works good when you've replaced sections of lines.

[Avenger]

What Jory said. You'll be surprised at how long it can take the fluid to get through that line.
Doing my Duster with all new lines was fun. Took the better part of a week, the ones for the rear discs were just crazy to bend.