Brake line replacement

[Tom04Suburban]

Well, I just filed my complaint, this is what I wrote.On 8/30/14 I was driving down the road going about 25 mph when a car came out from a street on the left side and pulled in front of me without looking, I pressed down on the brakes quick and swerved to the right to avoid hitting him, he had no idea as I was swerving out of the way to not hit him, he was making his turn, I got on the horn and he just pulled over to the right and gave me a wave as to say he was sorry. Anyway, when I pressed down on the brake fast, it went all the way to the floor, I had total brake failure, all the brake fluid leaked out from the driver's side near the chassis, there was no stopping this truck. I don't see how they can say you are still able to use the brakes, you can't pump them. It is now sitting at the mechanics getting fixed, so far he told me it would be $600-$800 labor, I have not gotten back the truck yet as I write this. The brake lines were so rotted, it was only a matter of time, and I only bought this 9/17/13, The truck originally came from Pennsylvania.

[Tom04Suburban]

I got my truck back today, all new brake lines, 2 new brake hoses in the front, 1 new caliper in the back because the bleeder valve was no good at a cost of $950.00 total. I took the lines home with me, I cannot believe how rotted they were, I bent some of them in half to put in a bag and they would just snap in half like twigs.

[SG Lou]

I just filed my complaint as well. Who knows what good it will do but at least it's on record with the NHTSA

[SG Lou]

So do I go on NHTSA and file a complaint.

I did....

[searay220]

I'm looking to replace all my lines within the next couple of weeks but a little unsure how to go about it. I'm concerned about losing all the fluid in the master cylinder and do you do one line at a time or cut them all out at once? Helpful tips are needed. Thanks

[searay220]

bump

[Gurrzt]

 

Replacing the flexible lines is a walk in the park. What is at issue here is corrosion leading to bursting of the hard lines (rigid tubing) of the hydraulic system. In my entire life (71 years) I've never had a brake line fail until recently. I understand that other tubing - fuel lines, transmission cooler lines, etc. is also corroding prematurely on these trucks.

 

My personal vehicle is a 2005 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab Short Bed 4x4. I bought it new. Since I'm retired and like staying at home, I don't drive it much, particularly in the winter here in NJ. Last week my odometer reached 42,000 miles. The day before Halloween I had to go out to buy treats for the kids. On returning home, while maneuvering my Sierra to park it in my driveway, my brake pedal went soft and oozed floorward. At the same time, I noticed something like steam coming out from under the hood. On investigation I found that a rusted brake line clipped to the top of the chassis had sprung a leak, and was spraying brake fluid onto the hot exhaust manifold.

 

I understand that these lines are not available as replacement parts from GM. They must be fabricated by the dealership mechanics. The hours required to do this not only make the job very expensive but also introduces the potential for TIF (Technician Induced Failure).

 

Steel tubing fittings threaded into alloy components can be a real challenge to remove without ruining the component. And the dealer will use the same steel tubing as the original, meaning that you can look forward to it rusting through again.

 

A complete set of brake tubing in stainless steel can be purchased for about $330. But the labor necessary to install even these pre-bent tubes will still be considerable.

 

To say that I am disappointed with General Motors would be an understatement.

The corrosion your experiencing maybe due to geographically where you live.

 

I live in a very warm, dry state (California) where of course there is no need to salt the roads. I have had vehicles for over ten years (daily drivers), parked outside (not garaged), and have never experienced any rusting of either lines or body.

Edited October 19, 2014 by Gurrzt

[Hecktorx]

Did mine last year on my 03. Bought pre-bent stainless lines from Classic Tube. Also did my fuel lines and rubber lines with dot approved stainless braided.

 

I also have an suburban to drive, so I did the job myself in the garage. That job had a cascade affect. While taking parts off for access, I found a bunch of other parts rotten. And, to get access all the lines, I ended up having to jack the cab about 3" off the frame and pulling the fuel tank.

 

Found 2 worn out body mounts (Metal parts rusted), so I replaced them all. The fuel filler neck was rotten and had to replace that. Treated all the surface rust on the chassis and underbody with rust preventative.

 

The whole job took about 2 months working off and on, also had down time waiting for parts.

[jhm]

Did mine last year on my 03. Bought pre-bent stainless lines from Classic Tube. Also did my fuel lines and rubber lines with dot approved stainless braided.

 

I also have an suburban to drive, so I did the job myself in the garage. That job had a cascade affect. While taking parts off for access, I found a bunch of other parts rotten. And, to get access all the lines, I ended up having to jack the cab about 3" off the frame and pulling the fuel tank.

 

Found 2 worn out body mounts (Metal parts rusted), so I replaced them all. The fuel filler neck was rotten and had to replace that. Treated all the surface rust on the chassis and underbody with rust preventative.

 

The whole job took about 2 months working off and on, also had down time waiting for parts.

Had local garage replace mine. dont have a second vehicle so needed a one day job. i mentioned the pre-bent lines and he said it takes longer because of what you had to do, jacking the body, dropping the tank. he used NI-COP alloy lines. Nothing was leaking but being a 2001 i didnt want to play Russian Roulette.

[Hecktorx]

Had local garage replace mine. dont have a second vehicle so needed a one day job. i mentioned the pre-bent lines and he said it takes longer because of what you had to do, jacking the body, dropping the tank. he used NI-COP alloy lines. Nothing was leaking but being a 2001 i didnt want to play Russian Roulette.

Yeah, I did mine too before they failed. The worst part about it, the lines were fine except for the right by the anti-lock controller.

 

Even though it looks factory stock with the pre-bent lines, if I was going to do it over, I would definately buy a flaring tool and make my own.

Edited October 22, 2014 by Hecktorx

[Rich2011SierraSLE]

I was told by someone (don't now remember who) that the complete, pre-bent kits now sold by GM are made such that you don't have to remove the gas tank or lift the cab and/or bed to install.

 

Anybody know if this is true?

[jhm]

I was told by someone (don't now remember who) that the complete, pre-bent kits now sold by GM are made such that you don't have to remove the gas tank or lift the cab and/or bed to install.

 

Anybody know if this is true?

Dont know but I first went to a dealer and aske about the pre bent lines he said they make thier own, same as the local garage told me. BTW, dealer told me cost is about $2000.00 My town garage did it for $600.00.

[slemmer]

Knock on wood - since new I've had my truck oil sprayed annually at Krown and the coating they spray underneath stays wet all year long. I wiped off a section from the affected areas and so far no corrosion whatsoever.

[HeyJoe]

Just stumbled across this thread. I'm a Philadelphia-area driver, so I deal with snow and salted roads. A few years ago, while driving my 1999 Silverado, I encountered a wrong-way head-on vehicle on a stretch of divided secondary highway, 50mph, at night. Hit the brakes and the pedal went to the floor. Cars alongside me in the lane to my right, divider on my left, had no room to maneuver. Pumping the pedal had no effect. Saw a small gap in the divider between eastbound/westbound lanes and light traffic on the other side so I took it. Traded a definitive head on crash for a possible one. Rubbed the truck against the low divider on the passenger side to slow it down. No one hit me and friction stopped me. Chewed up my tires a bit, but that was about it. Wrong-way driver never stopped.

 

Brake line was blown out, with spray coming from behind the driver's side front wheel when I pumped the pedal. There was no perceptible braking action during the incident, even though I suppose the rears had to still be working. The truck had just passed state inspection a couple months earlier, and the dealer told me it appeared that the line had rotted out from the inside. He showed me the line, and there was no sign of external corrosion.

 

Based on that, we decided to replace 100% of the lines on the truck, and yes, I had to have them custom fabricated. Some shop out in Arizona did the work, not sure what the name of the place was. All stainless, and rather pricey. Very labor-intensive work to install everything, too. Total bill came to about $2k.

 

Head-on brake failure was pretty scary, but at least I was able to avoid an accident. I don't see how GM can argue that this wouldn't be a serious safety issue.

[Belo]

looks like i'm in the club. unfortunately the previous owner did all the lines but used the same crappy oem tubing. This time I just need to replace the rear 1/4 line.

 

i've order e-z bend copper nickle and a rear center hydraulic line. I'd like to only have to bleed the rears (if I can get that abs nut out). My reserach shows a 1/2-20 fitting up front at abs. Has anyone used a 1/2-20 bolt or plug to prevent draining the MC? everything is really rusted on this truck so i'm going to pick up new fittings for abs and for connection to rear center hydrualic line

http://www.autozone.com/brakes-and-traction-control/brake-line-fittings/ags-brake-line-fittings/chevrolet/silverado-1500-4wd/2003/8-cylinders-v-4-8l-sfi/843434_156893_3048_90188_92959/

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008Y8SHKA?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027ABNUC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=667777&cc=1412075(looks like this might already have fitting but I'm unsure)

 

thoughs on plug and parts? want to do this in one shot as hunting season is hear and this is real inconvenient.

Edited September 28, 2015 by Belo