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Brake line rust out. Replacement advice?

hurleyii

Full Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2016
Messages
20
2005 Avy 1500 Z71 LT
OK my passenger side brake line blew out yesterday. I ordered the 5 piece kit from dealer. Any advice or videos to help make my life a little better? Looks like its going to be one hell of a job.
 
Brake lines are not fun. When Chevy built the trucks, they welded the frame together, installed the brake lines and then built the truck around them (that's my opinion).

Start spraying the fittings with PB Blaster, do this several times for a couple of days prior to trying to remove them.

Make a diagram of the ABS module so you remember what line goes where. There is limited working room there so you will most likely have to remove all of them to get to others.

I removed the fender liners up front just to give me more room and better visibility.

I'm sure others have additional pieces of advice or tips,
 
Well don't try to get the old ones out of the clips, cut the old lines and slide them out of the clips.

Good luck.

http://www.acdelcotechconnect.com/includes/videos/videos.jsp?videoId=3984919360001
 
This instruction sheet should come with your lines, it's general instructions so your install may be a little different

http://www.acdelcotechconnect.com/pdf/Brake-Pipe-Kits-Available-ACDelco-TechConnect.pdf
 
(y)
Awesome article and thanks a bunch. I started my morning  with a drive wash since it was covered in mud. I came home and went to work on her. I decided to remove the electric fan to help with the passenger side removal and boy what a great idea that was. I ended up removing 3 of the PS hoses as before installing the passenger side as well . With those items out of the way it took us about 45min maybe to navigate the passenger side brake line in to its position. It was a little on the long side so the actual hook up took more time then the navigating it into place. Truck now back on her frame and waiting for the morning sun for me to torq her down and bleed brakes, the PS and install the splash shields.

Again thank you sir for all your help you saved me lots of cursing and made my day not so bad for having to work on my DD . Hopefully with some Amsoil FUEL efficient ATF in the power steering will see better MPG to.  Been on my to do list.

By any chance  does anybody have body mount torq specs for the body to frame bushing bolts and radiator core support?


Nothing and I mean nothing came with my lines. They where not even tagged as to what line was what. So think of that when future people are removing there old lines . Don't just go cutting g away at them !!!!
 
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I ended up having a brake shop put a coupler in the right front line because I could not get it in without bending it up real bad.
 
MS03 2500 said:
I ended up having a brake shop put a coupler in the right front line because I could not get it in without bending it up real bad.

I was expecting problems (compression couple was my plan)  but by pulling out the fan assembly you'll see its a pretty easy install if you pull PS hoses to. I actually had it in and had to pull it back out because I missed getting it under the battery cables. I tried unhooking them but that is not an option as the power jump block is not a multiple pieces wired unit .  So out it came.
I would recommend putting a nice blanket over your hood though as mine I'm sure got dinged up.

I'd also like to make a note that i removed my plastic engine splash shield on the front left wheel. Behind it was a pile of mud and uck just soaking wet sitting there waiting for the winter salt to rust my truck out.
 
OK I nut and bolted everything AMD went on test drive ! Epic fail!!!  :E:
I discovered on inspection I installed the front lines to the pump backwards. Left is on right and right is on left .I'm going to change it out. Will I need to bleed the whole truck again. Or just front brakes.
 
It was fun wasn't it. :laugh:
 
Dalefan said:
Brake lines are not fun. When Chevy built the trucks, they welded the frame together, installed the brake lines and then built the truck around them (that's my opinion).

Start spraying the fittings with PB Blaster, do this several times for a couple of days prior to trying to remove them.

Make a diagram of the ABS module so you remember what line goes where. There is limited working room there so you will most likely have to remove all of them to get to others.

I removed the fender liners up front just to give me more room and better visibility.

I'm sure others have additional pieces of advice or tips,

Exactly what I'm in the middle of. Popped the ABS to left front line. All others looked awful. Got GM 'coated' hardline kit. Pulled off the left rear fender well as well. All old hardlines out (in pieces). New rear & right front in now. Threading rear was much easier then wrestling right front line in. The rest should be easier.
 
Done !

Well there's your problem - There's a bunch of this under there....

click for big...


...and the culprit..


Background : Late Thanksgiving night my wife decided to take kids shopping and took the Avalanche which she rarely does, only because I had her car. At 10:00 PM she called me a said the pedal hit the floor as she was exiting the highway. She managed to navigate traffic by downshifting and using what little pedal was left, and she managed to limp it to a relatives house a few miles away. I retrieved it that night and limped it the 30 miles home using a combination of downshifting, parking brake, and planning waaayyy ahead. ABS->left front line popped and the rest looked awful.

I'd bought the GM 22932594 last spring in anticipation of doing this as dealer quoted $1200+ for just the hardlines. I figured the flex hoses were old too so I got a Classic Tube SBH6057 braided stainless flex hose set.
I replaced every brake line EXCEPT the two hardlines on the rear axle & the 2 from the MC to the proportioning valve which looked great.

Total project time ~ 14 hours by myself in my driveway with mostly hand tools & truck on 4 stout stands with wheels off.

Some notes / things learned

- Almost everything brake related is 9/16" - NOT 15mm - Do yourself a favor & get a quality 9/16" flare wrench if you don't have one. Banjo bolts are 11mm - Bleeders are 10mm
- Trace your lines and diagram ABS connections. There's a lot of mis-info on the net.
- Diagram bundles like ABS are over frame & front left frame area
- Check your bleeders before you get going. 2 of mine were not bad & loosened. 2 took an hour each of torching (propane), cooling, PBBlasting, tapping, etc..to save. If you snap one, its better to have that new caliper ready.

- Remove front splash guard - under rad - 5 bolts
- Remove left front wheel well - eleventy billion push fasteners, clips, etc...some on backside
- Remove left rear wheel well shield - 6 screws
- Remove spare tire & tuck cable/hanger up out of the way

- Ripping out out all of the old lines took ~ 3 hours - many, many clips, some which have mysterious opening methods - I cut & broke lines into manageable pieces. Some snapped like little twigs - yikes.
- At the ABS unit I cut all 5 lines about 1/2" from the nuts then used a socket to remove.
- Rear line -> flex junction - Snapped off line at nut & used a socket & long flex extension to spin off nut- I could sit under bed with just enough room to work, but it was very tight & awkward.
- Rear axle lines at distribution block would twist with nut. Had to repeatedly torch , tap, PBBlaster to free them.

- I installed new lines in this order - Rear, right front, left front, front MC, rear MC.
- Feed the rear in from the left wheel area to the front taking care to route correctly over/thorugh harnesses, clips, openings,  etc..
- Right front is tough - Feed it toward the rear down by the exhaust then work the front to the right. Be patient.
- The bundle over the frame by the ABS unit is a pain.
- 'Pre formed' lines are not exact. I did much hand massaging of bends to get fittings into perfect position. (I like to have the line flare centered, straight, & relaxed in the hole before turning nut)
- If you get every line into every factory clip, go buy a lotto ticket. The lotto has better odds. I spent way too much time doing this & I think I missed 3-5 total (out of what, 40 ?). Due to inaccuracies in the 'pre form' lines, some aren't even close
-  Get a stubby 9/16" flare wrench (or just a stubby 9/16" open end) = Invaluable for ABS area and above rear diff.

Flex lines
-  SBH6057 kit fit perfectly
-  Corrosion / blooming of alum rear calipers where banjo bolts are. Fitting couldn't seat against caliper. These leaked first time & I had to remove & clean area and also used slightly thicker copper washers.
-  Rear flex lines at caliper go with little cut out facing away from caliper or else it hits the caliper.
-  Both front A arm hose bracket bolts snapped when I just breathed on them. Could not drill out bolts. Drill holes in brackets & zip tied with beefy ties. Will outlast ownership.

Bleeding
- Used a little hand pump vacuum thing - Took a while for fluid to get to rear & right front. When it did, it was nasty for a bit then cleared up as the new came along.

Pedal now feels fantastic ! Test drive was awesome.

ABS light is on. I plan to have local shop 'exercise' the ABS unit & bleed everything again to get any air out of the unit. Hopefully that'll cure the light. (or...since the pedal feels so good, I may just wait a while and see if light goes off on its own!)

And, that's the end of the giant post !
Hope this helps somebody.





 
GREAT write-up Spindle!  Thanks for taking the time to document what you learned!  (y)
 
enoniam said:
GREAT write-up Spindle!  Thanks for taking the time to document what you learned!   (y)

Sure.  Hope it helps somebody because as these trucks get older, more are going to need this.
I will add - You will need lots of rags/towels !
Every time I clipped a line, juice started pouring out....
I wonder if the brake fluid scalp rinse I got will make my hair grow back!?!
 
MS03 2500 said:
I ended up having a brake shop put a coupler in the right front line because I could not get it in without bending it up real bad.

This is the reason why I like to just buy a roll of brake tubing and some unions and flare nuts from NAPA or wherever, and make them myself.
I have made so many damn lines that I can practically do it in my sleep. One can work wonder with the flare tool once you've had a bit of practice with it.

CarMech1969
 
Spindle said:
ABS light is on. ....

Little update...

I never solved the ABS light on from back in Nov. I didn't have ABS, but didn't care that much as stealership wanted $120 to pull codes and I didn't search that hard for an alternative.
I had checked all connectors for ABS in Nov. and all looked good. I was afraid that somehow my jiggling things killed those oh-so-delicate solder joints in the ABS module.

I had driver side front hub go bad and had to replace it. During disassembly I found that the ABS sensor wire connector was not fully seated. After replacing the hub (& firmly plugging in the connector !!) and starting the truck, I still had an ABS light UNTIL...I drove 100 feet and the light went out. ABS works now ! Yay me!
 
Glad to hear you fixed it.. Sometimes it's can be so simple..
 
Would you guys recommend anything to prevent these lines from rusting.  I hear there maybe other spots on these trucks that I should rustproof as a preventative measure?
 
The fuel lines are just as susceptible to rust as the brake lines. If you live in an area that salts or sands the roads in the winter then the first thing is to make sure you do a under body wash after the winter and then check for any areas that need paint, frame coating or look like they be starting to rust and treat those areas as needed.

The Boeshield T-9 is good for brake and fuel lines, soak everything with it every few years depending on the severity of your winters.

The Eastwood heavy duty anti rust is great for touching up the frame coating.

https://www.theruststore.com/Rust-Prevention-C4.aspx

http://www.eastwood.com/paints/rust-solutions/prevention.html

http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-heavy-duty-anti-rust-in-black.html
 
Because I used to actually get paid to fix cars, and because I'm sometimes a cheapskate, I wouldn't pay to replace brake lines :cool: however, 2 things... First, yea, it's a b#$%h! Second, when I replace them, screw taking the old ones out! Cut the ends, leave the old ones in, and run the new ones next to them!  >:D
 
MS03 2500 said:
This instruction sheet should come with your lines, it's general instructions so your install may be a little different

http://www.acdelcotechconnect.com/pdf/Brake-Pipe-Kits-Available-ACDelco-TechConnect.pdf

Guess I should have read the instructions I posted a year ago.

Removed the inter wheel well and boom there it is in your face.

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I found a port layout if you still need one. It also has the complete R&R instructions..

It's a pdf so I would have to email it to you...
 
Thanks Randy the PDF in the quoted post gave me everything I need I hope, but if I need any additional instructions I'll give you a PM.

It seems pretty simple, they say to get to the rear line unbolt the body mounts and lift the body 2 inches and it is reachable instead of dropping the gas tank.
 
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