Posted on 06/11/2014 3:38:23 PM PDT by jazusamo
Never could understand why the brake lines aren’t made out of stainless steel tubing. Tremendous hydraulic pressure builds up in these lines to operate the brake system. Doesn’t take much corrosion to compromise their integrity.
Stainless steel tubing is a pain to work with. if you have your car checked over on a regular basis its easier and cheaper to go with coated steel line.
I agree...It would add cost to the trucks but if they wind up having to recall these to replace them it’ll cost them much more in the long run.
Gee, I thought women were sooooo much better at leading than men.
And its harder to get a good seal with stainless. I just had this problem doing a fuel line on a ford flat head v8. it was a pain.
I have noticed on the foreign cars that their lines are some kind of ceramic coating like the new coated screws for PT lumber.
I’ve bought galvanized steel lines at the auto parts stores and they tend to corrode pretty badly within a year here in the snow belt.
I’ve double flared some SS lines without a heck of a lot of trouble over the years. It’s a softer alloy for bending. Hell, we used to use 1/8” copper lines on our dune buggies for brake lines and never had a problem.
I change my brake fluid anually, spray the underside with anti-corrosion cleaners. I regularly crawl under my truck to change oil & inspect. I also live on the coast & haul max loads in the mountains.
Think I’ll go crawl under my truck right now.
Also, this is a truck that GM sold with failing Firestone tires.
It’s a 2004 car. What do you expect. About 6 years ago, my daughters 1999 Mercury Sable had the same failure. She was driving, lost brakes and put he car into a spin so she could hit the curb. She was only a block from home. I drove it real carefully to the mechanic. Brake lines rusted out.
I never called Ford, nor a lawyer. I got my checkbook and had the car repaired.
The cars in question are now ten years old. Maintenance is the responsibility of the owner, not the people who made it a decade ago.
In her defense, at her level, she should not have to be concerned about brake lines. But she gets tagged for it.
Now wait a minute...is the failure due to the INTERIOR of the line, or exterior?
we used to use 1/8” copper lines on our dune buggies for brake lines and never had a problem.
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VW based dune buggies have drum brakes ,, and very low brake operating pressures.. thin copper won’t work for discs.
I had a mid 90’s Chevy that the rear brake lines rusted completely through ,, not very fun at all ..
Factory brake lines are pre-bent ,, I like the idea of a soft stainless or continuing with mild steel but powder coat it... the plastic powder coat is flexible , permanent and won’t flake off if the line is re-bent.
My guess would be the exterior. Interior should be moisture free.
You are dealing with high hydraulic pressure when the brakes are applied. Lose some thickness on the lines due to corrosion and they will burst easily.
Ditto.
I just got new copper-nickel brake line tubing to re-do the lines in our 1966 Mercedes Benz Unimog.
Popped a line a couple of years ago.
Mercedes, BMW, etc., from what I've been told, have gone to copper-nickel lines as they last a lot longer and are easier to work with.
These dopes with 10 year old vehicles need to get real and realize they have to maintain them.
Replace the brake lines and change the fluid often.
Why would they want a broad for CEO? She should bring coffee to the board meetings and then leave.
Yikes! Hope you’re in your flame suit. :-)
I'm no fan of GM, but I agree with you on this.
Maintenance is the responsibility of the owner ,, agreed ,, but what is a maintenance item? What if the cars frame rusted out ? Is that a maintenance item in your book? Rust prevention isn't rocket science and GM has been the rust king for decades...
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Listen to yourself , your unimog had plain steel lines and they lasted almost half a century... and unimogs are filth encrusted off-road beasts and that dirt collects moisture and your lines still lasted 50 years.
We’re hearing reports of 6 year old cars/trucks with lines bursting from uncontrolled corrosion ... THAT’S A MANUFACTURING DEFECT pure and simple... Should it be caught in an inspection ,, YUP ... Should GM fix safety items like this for a reasonable amount of time for free ,, YUP.
The “copper/nickel” BMW brake lines you mentioned are stainless steel ,, those are the two ingredients you add to steel to make stainless.
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