Author Topic: Trouble removing brake lines (Read 3714 times)

dude8383 · « **on:** May 11, 2008, 08:34:41 PM »

Don't know if you guys have seen my project thread but Sam and I are in the middle of swapping parts from one car to another.

We have had some serious trouble with getting the front brake lines off! We've been using flared wrenches but that doesn't seem to be helping at all. I freakin stripped the bolt on the front right and now I'm afraid to do the left front.

Does anyone have any tips on removing these lines other than PB blasting the shit out of them??

Thanks!

nomad · « **Reply #1 on:** May 12, 2008, 11:25:31 AM »

Cut rubber line and put on a box end or socket/bolt extractor?
I've heard that sometimes it's frozen so bad that the metal line has to be replaced or reflared at the minimum.

BrandC · « **Reply #2 on:** May 12, 2008, 11:54:02 AM »

Here's what I do, and it works EVERYTIME. I take a 6-8" long vice grip and clamp the flat edge of the mouth around the flare nut, so as not to mangle it too badly. Just use the fender liner to brace the vice grip and then break the line off. The PB Blaster definitely helps too.

dude8383 · « **Reply #3 on:** May 12, 2008, 12:00:23 PM »

Quote from: BrandC;49146

Here's what I do, and it works EVERYTIME. I take a 6-8" long vice grip and clamp the flat edge of the mouth around the flare nut, so as not to mangle it too badly. Just use the fender liner to brace the vice grip and then break the line off. The PB Blaster definitely helps too.

This is EXACTLY what I plan to do this weekend.

I didn't bring my vice grips to Sam's place so I will definitely bring them along Saturday.

Thanks guys!!

ClodKing · « **Reply #4 on:** May 17, 2008, 07:05:56 PM »

I am actually replacing all the brake line on my car, and the majority of the fittings are frozen solid.

Vice grips will usually work, but a few of the nuts were so frozen and rusted, that the vice grips slowly but surely ate and scraped the nut down to the point where I couldn't get a grip anymore.

So I ended up hacksawing through those ones... You gotta do what you gotta do.

bmwpower · « **Reply #5 on:** May 17, 2008, 10:39:20 PM »

HEAT. Don't go crazy, but you'll need to use heat if PB doesn't work after sitting for a day. I usually like to heat them up somewhat and then hit them with PB. As it cools, the PB is sucked into the threads.

ClodKing · « **Reply #6 on:** May 19, 2008, 01:28:14 PM »

I'm always a little leary about using heat on brake lines because brake fluid is flammable.

But I geuss if the line isn't leaking then you could pull it off pretty safely.