wgt31 Posted March 15, 2004 Report Share Posted March 15, 2004 DOES ANYONE KNOW OF A AFTERMARKET SOURCE FOR THE BRAKE LINES ON THE STS. MECHANIC SAYS ALL OF MINE ARE RUSTED THROUGH. GAVE ME A QUOTE OF 450.00 FOR FRONT AND ABOUT THE THE SAME ON THE REAR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted March 15, 2004 Report Share Posted March 15, 2004 Aren't the brake lines made of stainless steel? I find it hard to believe that they have rusted through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAUL T Posted March 15, 2004 Report Share Posted March 15, 2004 Stainless Steel will eventually rust. Any auto parts place will have lines that you can bend to make your own. As long as they are the same diameter any line should work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted March 16, 2004 Report Share Posted March 16, 2004 I don't they should be rusting this quickly. Cadillac has an 6 year rust through warranty. I don't think GM would want lawsuits for faulty brakes after only eight years. You could drive this car on the beach for 20 years, the stainless steel brake lines should not rust. I think the shop might be pulling a fast one. ask to see the old parts if you decide to have the work done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted March 16, 2004 Report Share Posted March 16, 2004 Eight years is a little early for brake line failure in my opinion but if you have a partial brake system failure and fluid is leaking to the ground, it's time for replacement. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgt31 Posted March 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2004 THANKS FOR THE REPLYS!!! BUT I SAW THE LINES AND THEY ARE RUSTED THEY FLAKE OFF RIGHT IN YOUR HAND. HE SAID THE ENDS FOR THE CADILLAC LINES ARE DIFFERENT THAN THE AFTER MARKET AND HE WOULD HAVE TO CUT AND SPLICE THE LINES WITH COMPRESSION UNIONS. DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD STILL HAVE WARRANTY ON THEM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted March 16, 2004 Report Share Posted March 16, 2004 DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD STILL HAVE WARRANTY ON THEM? 8 yrs. old with 170K. Not unless you have an extended warranty. I would be leary about "splicing" them together. Remember, the part behind the splice will be just as old as the part that failed. You should be able to find OEM lines somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rek Posted March 16, 2004 Report Share Posted March 16, 2004 450 for the rear, and the same for the front. That sounds like 900 bucks. You could buy a DELUXE tubing bender, power brake bleeder, brake fluid, brake lines, hack-saw blades, tubing cutter, flare tool, for a lot less than 900 bucks! I've replaced many brake lines. It's NOT fun, but do-able. I cut the lines off at the fitting, and carefully remove them (don't destroy the original bends). I remove the fittings with a six point socket, after a liberal spray job of PB Blaster. I Wire brush the fittings and reuse them if they are OK (don't need adapters that way). I buy the longest length of the proper diameter tubing, and bend the tubing to match the original. Install the fittings, flare the ends. Install the new lines. Bleed the system. For me, if I can do a "job" in less time than it takes to earn the money to pay for the "job", I'm ahead. If you spend two days doing all the lines, and you DON'T clear 900 bucks in two days, you should be ahead of the game. But then again, it's only money... rek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caddynut Posted March 16, 2004 Report Share Posted March 16, 2004 I had to replace the lines on my Seville and they were all steel lines. I just replaced them from the ABS unit all the way back. Splicing them "might" work, but I would just replace them all. Brakes aren't something to mess around with. Watch out because the flare isn't a standard flare"at least on mine it wasn't" I had what they called a European flare end on my lines which they used on the foreign cars. If you plan to take on this project...check the flare type on the end of the lines before you purchase new ones......good luck. 2008 BMW 328xi 2007 Chrysler Aspen 2001 Cadillac Seville STS 2000 Ford Ranger XLT1998 Mitsubishi Spyder Convertible 1996 Saturn SC-11991 Ford F-1501979 Chevrolet Caprice1968 Ford LTD1965 VW Beetle "Herbie The Love Bug Replica** 1961 VW Beetle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted March 16, 2004 Report Share Posted March 16, 2004 HE SAID THE ENDS FOR THE CADILLAC LINES ARE DIFFERENT THAN THE AFTER MARKET AND HE WOULD HAVE TO CUT AND SPLICE THE LINES WITH COMPRESSION UNIONS. The brake lines have the ISO flare - also called a bubble flare. You can buy these brake lines at any auto parts store. It sounds like the mechanic does not have an ISO flaring tool. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAUL T Posted March 16, 2004 Report Share Posted March 16, 2004 The brake lines have the ISO flare - also called a bubble flare. You can buy these brake lines at any auto parts store. It sounds like the mechanic does not have an ISO flaring tool. He will have enough money, when he gets through with wgt31's brakes, to buy a few of them. I would check around for some other pricing. Putting on brake lines is not that hard. It can be frustrating at times but not that difficult. He saw you in a Caddy and assumed you know very little about repairs and I feel he is soaking you. Walk away or haggle the price down!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brando1956 Posted March 20, 2004 Report Share Posted March 20, 2004 I owned a NAPA store for 10 years and sold many lines with ISO flare. They come stock with end fittings attached and range in length from 8 to 72 inches. They are a Balkamp part # and can be special ordered in lots of 10 per each length if your jobber doesn't stock them. They aren't expensive. There are couplers you can use to connect lines and are a Weatherhead or Balkamp # (available in both lines). You can buy a good tube bender for 20 to 30 bucks or a cheapie (good enough for non-pro use) for less than 10. If you want to go the fancy route you can buy the ISO flaring tool through NAPA Service Tools for about 50-60 bucks as I recall. That lets you buy a bulk spool (25 feet I think) of steel line (another Balkamp namber and cheaper than pre-made lines) and custom make your lines without connectors. Either way you should be able to do this for little more than $100. My experience is that the bulk line bends better than the pre-made lengths and looks a lot better than having a bunch of connectors. Whatever you do, don't use compression unions. They can't take the pressure generated by a brake system. You might get away with it if you have perfectly clean lines with no rust and no bends close to the connection but I'd never chance it. This isn't a hard job, but you need time and patience to route the lines properly and end up with a decent loking job. Keep in mind you'll have to bleed the system. I'm putting new calipers on my 96 Seville this weekend and have been told the bleeding procedure is the same as a regular system. However, I wouldn't try to bleed with the brake pedal. It takes forever and there is a real danger of doing damge to the master cylinder and maybe even the ABS controller (a $2,000 part from what I hear). Get a Mityvac vacuum pump with brake bleeder kit for 50 to 75 bucks and do it safer, better, and quicker. That is a one-person operation, with you bleeding each wheel right at the caliper. Does a lot for marital harmony if your wife is the designated pedal pumper---she doesn't have to be involved. The Mityvac can be used for other tests involving vacuum and is a useful diagnostic tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rek Posted March 20, 2004 Report Share Posted March 20, 2004 I have a Mityvac set up. It works OK, but sometimes air can get sucked in, past the bleeder screw threads, if they are not sealed, or loose fitting. This "Power Bleeder" looks like it may work, and it's on the "Cheap". http://www.bmw-m.net/TechProc/bleeder.htm rek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyG Posted March 21, 2004 Report Share Posted March 21, 2004 Compression unions were never accepted by the Pennsylvania state inspection program. They should not be used on brake lines ever. The old terminology, before ISO came along, was the "double flare". Is this different from "bubble flare" or did somebody just have a hearing problem? Never underestimate the amount of a persons greed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rek Posted March 21, 2004 Report Share Posted March 21, 2004 http://www.carcraft.com/howto/50919/index2.html Some info on double and bubble. rek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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