jkior
New member
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2004
- Location
- Seekonk MA
Went to replace front rotors and calipers on my 240dl wagon, and noticed that the rubber brake lines were cracked where they entered the steel end fittings. Got the FCP Groton lines, which I would highly recommend (~$9 each, compared to $44 from the dealership), and went to take the old ones off. Stupid here tried it on the driver side without letting the pb-laster soak in for a few days. Rounded those little nuts off quite nicely. I eventually had to cut the lines, cut the retaining clips, and use a box end wrench at the caliper and distribution block fittings.
Then, for the passenger side, someone recommended using a (small) butane soldering torch to heat one side, which should expand the fitting enough to break the "weld." Worked ok for the first fitting I did that way (at the wheel well wall - bleh). Then I tried it on the fittings that are attached on the strut. Thing was, I'd cut the (rubber) brake lines about a quarter inch out from the steel fitting I was trying to remove, in an attempt to get it off with a box-end wrench. So after a while, the brake fluid starts to boil, coming out in these little high-pressure spurts. (The bleed valves in the calipers were closed, so it was basically a sealed expansion chamber inside the short steel brake lines.) What I didn'y realize was that remaining rubber hose was expanding with the heat, until it completely closed off the opening. Which didn't, of course, stop the brake fluid (now trapped inside) from continuing to boil. Oops. All of a sudden - *BANG!* - and I'm like, "HOLY ****, what was THAT?!" while trying to figure out if the pain in my eye was someting serious or just dirt.
What happened (obviously) was that enough pressure had finally built up behind the 1 1/4" or so of rubber brake line to break the glue and blow it out of the fitting with explosive force, bounce off the inside of the wheel well, and fly off into the bushes somewhere. I kinda figured that was what happened (although I didn't really want to stick my head in there to take a look at that point.), so I wasn't nearly as surprised when it happened the second time. The nice part about it, though, was that the shock loosened the brass to steel fitting very well, so it came right off. I was really impressed, considering how much trouble the rest of them were.
Just thought I'd share this experience with everyone here, since the question comes up from time to time - hope this helps someone. The two things I'd recommend are spraying it with the pb-laster for while beforehand, and cutting the rubber lines to get a box end wrench on the steel fitting. You might also (I had to) bend the retaining clips out so you can get the wrench on the full "nut" surface. I don't think I'd recommend the heat method, unless you are prepared and have safety goggles or a face shield, but the mini butane torch worked pretty well. (I tried a full-size mapp gas torch, and it was too general a heating - although it did light up the brake fluid and undercoating quite nicely; something to be careful of.)
Enjoy,
mike (who was idiotically about forty feet away from the nearest fire extinguisher while doing this. . .)
Then, for the passenger side, someone recommended using a (small) butane soldering torch to heat one side, which should expand the fitting enough to break the "weld." Worked ok for the first fitting I did that way (at the wheel well wall - bleh). Then I tried it on the fittings that are attached on the strut. Thing was, I'd cut the (rubber) brake lines about a quarter inch out from the steel fitting I was trying to remove, in an attempt to get it off with a box-end wrench. So after a while, the brake fluid starts to boil, coming out in these little high-pressure spurts. (The bleed valves in the calipers were closed, so it was basically a sealed expansion chamber inside the short steel brake lines.) What I didn'y realize was that remaining rubber hose was expanding with the heat, until it completely closed off the opening. Which didn't, of course, stop the brake fluid (now trapped inside) from continuing to boil. Oops. All of a sudden - *BANG!* - and I'm like, "HOLY ****, what was THAT?!" while trying to figure out if the pain in my eye was someting serious or just dirt.
What happened (obviously) was that enough pressure had finally built up behind the 1 1/4" or so of rubber brake line to break the glue and blow it out of the fitting with explosive force, bounce off the inside of the wheel well, and fly off into the bushes somewhere. I kinda figured that was what happened (although I didn't really want to stick my head in there to take a look at that point.), so I wasn't nearly as surprised when it happened the second time. The nice part about it, though, was that the shock loosened the brass to steel fitting very well, so it came right off. I was really impressed, considering how much trouble the rest of them were.
Just thought I'd share this experience with everyone here, since the question comes up from time to time - hope this helps someone. The two things I'd recommend are spraying it with the pb-laster for while beforehand, and cutting the rubber lines to get a box end wrench on the steel fitting. You might also (I had to) bend the retaining clips out so you can get the wrench on the full "nut" surface. I don't think I'd recommend the heat method, unless you are prepared and have safety goggles or a face shield, but the mini butane torch worked pretty well. (I tried a full-size mapp gas torch, and it was too general a heating - although it did light up the brake fluid and undercoating quite nicely; something to be careful of.)
Enjoy,
mike (who was idiotically about forty feet away from the nearest fire extinguisher while doing this. . .)
