Brake Line failure - 1996 Ram 1500

[004x41500]

Originally Posted by Sheriff420 or at the very least get the rattle can of undercoating spray from walmart. i'm glad they don't salt the roads in NC. ya i know, i mean here in fl we have a ****load of slat in the air, but it does nothing like the road salt does.

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[charlie1935]

I ran the new line to the rear on top of the left frame rail instead inside of the rail and behind the fuel tank.
Coverd all places where it could touch any thing with vacuum hose and secured it with heavy plastic ties.
Don't look professional, but it sure as hell ain't goin' any where.

[004x41500]

hey, there aint nothin wrong with doin it yourself, at least you know its right.

[seabass202]

hard line brake failures can also be caused from corrosion starting from the inside out (just like an exhaust system) as you probably know brake fluid is hygroscopic and the moisture it attracts can be boiled off at the calipers (friction heat) leaving air in the lines causing the mushy pedal. replace the lines and thoroughly bleed the brakes. expect the other hard lines to be suspect as well but if it isn't broke dont fix it.

[khnitz]

That's a good point. With just the occassional use this truck was getting before I bought it, there's a good chance that the brake fluid was never flushed - so it had a lot of time to absorb water from the air.

Another comment - given my background in vehicles (I've owned a lot of German cars), I'm surprised that the brake fluid cover is just a "snap fit". All the other cars I've had have screw-down reservoir caps. Seems to me the snap-fit would be more prone to letting humidity into the reservoir. Also, looking under my volvo's hood the other night, I would say their brake lines are from an alloy, and not steel line. Their fittings also seem softer - like brass or some such.

[khnitz]

Well, I've done some digging, and this is what I've found.

There's a good treatise on brake lines here:
http://www.dimebank.com/BrakePlumbing.html

I'm not going back to plain steel brake line, so the basic stuff at Autozone, etc. is out. That link refers to Bundy line and Kuniper line as options. These options appear to be better than "just" steel replacements, with the Kuniper being the best choice. I was wondering why my VWs and Volvos have never had hard brake line issues, and it seems that Volvo has used the Copper/Nickel alloy Kuniper lines since 1976 in their vehicles. The Bundy line is steel, but it is treated/plated for corrosion resistance.

BUT, I can't wait for Kuniper line to come it, I need to get the brakes done this weekend so we can go camping next week! I'm going to go with Bundyline. This is available from McMaster-Carr, and there is one near me where I can pick it up Will Call.

Another option is pre-formed Stainless Steel lines from http://www.egrbrakes.com/index-main.htm . They quoted $350 for the hardlines, and $200 for Kevlar/SS flex lines. Again, I can't wait the time for these to come in, but this also looked to be a good solution. I'll probably do their upgrade for the flex lines at some point, at least.

So, for someone facing replacement of their rusted, original steel brake lines, the Bundyweld tubing line is available as shown here:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#bundyweld-tubing/=3vyzyx

and the Kuniper (Kupfer-Nickel or Copper Nickel) is here:
http://www.fedhillusa.com/

or there is the SS upgrade mentioned above.

I hope this helps the next person who searches the forums after finding an empty brake fluid reservoir and a puddle under their Ram

[khnitz]

I got under the truck this weekend and replaced the brake line going to the rear axle. I did practice putting a double-flares on the line with a spare piece of line, first. The tube bending went realtively smooth and the final piece looked pretty close to the original. Do make sure that you carefully follow the original routing (above/below the fuel lines, etc.) when you put the new line in.

This did require dropping the gas tank to replace the line and then reinstalling it.

The failure point was just ahead of the gastank, on the outside end of a 90deg bend on the "top" of the line (close to the bottom of the body).

I first drained the reservoir, then wiped it clean of any dirt, and then refilled the reservoir and bled the tanks. The braking performance is MUCH improved, though my ABS and BRAKE warning lights are still on. I need to replace the ABS pickup/Speed Sensor on the rear axle (my speedometer still works, though).

[zman17]

IIRC, a 96 uses the speed sensor on the transfer case for the speedo, and the one on the rear is just for the ABS.

[004x41500]

+1 on the tcase sensor, however ive seen them where both controlled it. but i would also check the wiring to the sensor as well, we had a dodge on the lot, brake warning light was on as well as the abs, and the speedo didnt work, and it turns out that the truck was on a tow truck at one time, and they put the J hook over the wire and axle, and it broke it, we replaced the sensor, but whenit still didnt work, i had to go digging some more, and found that the wire was broke, then fixed it, and the lights went off, and speedo worked, this one was a 98 if i remember correctly. it asl had the tranny sensor as well.

[TIMIDONE]

Could bad brake lines be the issue if my braked seem to get "loose" when they get hot and are used a lot? I replaced the pads and rotors but when I hunt they get loose going downhill for a while.

Yes, I gear down but by the end I almost have to drop them all the way down to stop! When they cool they are just fine. A friend mentioned the brake line. I do loose SOME fluid but not that much. I just top it off when it gets low.