Hey guys,

It's been awhile but I'm still driving my Dakota. It's been pretty good, except today when I got in it to drive it, I noticed the brake pedal sank. So I got out and found a puddle of good ol dot 3 under the gas tank area. Got underneath and saw what looks to be a section of the brake line that has rusted through.

My question is this: Can I section in like a foot or 2 of new brake line, or should I just replace the whole thing? My concern is that the rest of the brake line is rusty too, so it might not hold well. I'm also concerned about getting the brake line fittings loose, as it's a northern truck and pretty rusty under there. Normally I'd just go through and replace all the lines (it probably could use it), but I'm away at school, so my tool and workspace options are limited.

Here's a blurry picture of it. I'm sorry about the blur, I was holding a flashlight with my teeth and trying to dodge brake fluid:

IMAG2836_zps08cd91a0.jpg

Thanks guys.

 

I would replace the whole line and avoid the problem later down the road. Replacing break lines isn't fun.

Play it safe and replace the whole line.

I'm glad I did in both my Dakota ans y corolla I owned less than a year ago.

 

Yeah, that's what I was leaning toward. I was looking at it this morning, and it looks like the front of the line, up by the proportioning valve is gonna be a pain to get to.

Does anyone know what size that line is? I'm still deciding if I'm going to do it myself, it's currently at the local shop getting an estimate... I have a feeling they are going to want way too much though.

 

The line may be available from Dodge, already bent correctly and with the clips in place.

It's easier than bending your own of course you pay a premium for that.

 

Yeah, I'd just bend my own... I just got a call from the shop and they want $645 to fix it. They said the tank needs to be dropped. /is that true?

 

To do it correctly, route them like OEM, yes. You could pull the bed instead. It's a lot easier to do it from above than from below.

 

Well, I really don't know what to do. I can't drop the tank or take the bed off, I'm already pushing it by trying to do an oil change in my apartment complex (they don't like us working on cars here). On top of that, I don't think the bolts would come off easily, they're all very rusty. I tried loosening the fitting at the rear and it didn't move. To pay $645 for a brake line on a truck that's worth MAYBE $1,500 is insane, not to mention the fact that the other lines look to be about ready to give way soon too.

 

Splice it. Just make sure you're into a solid part of the line.

 

The whole line is rusty lol. Pretty much what you see in the picture is the way the entire line is, front to rear. Would it hold?

Edit: Thanks for your help by the way Dan

 

You might get lucky and find a good clean section.

The other option, replace the entire line in sections so you can get around the gas tank. You'd have at least one splice and may not be able to use the same clips to secure the line but as long as it is secure and not in a position to be damaged you could do it.

It's not that messy a job, it's just time consuming. $645 is a lot. Try another mechanic.