2001 GMC Yukon factory brake line metal?

[KR66]

Anyone know if the factory brake lines in a 01 Yukon are steel or stainless steel? My Yukon has 360000 miles on it but I just moved to the Michigan Upper Peninsula lots of snow and salt unfortunately I'm trying to figure what I need to replace that's factory to prevent as many failures as possible. The lines look new now but if they are steel I know I'll be replacing them in a couple years. My thinking is replace anything I can that will be difficult to remove once the Salt DOT dumps on the roads getting to the parts. I'm using Fluid Film on the frame and underbody to buy as much time but brakes are not something I play around with especially when I need to drive across Winsconsin to Costco in Duluth MN they have some serious hills in Duluth. Anyway I can't find what the brake lines are made of I know the exhaust is stainless steel but the brakes I'm not sure. Anything else you know of that Salt will damage quickly let me know I really want to make her last a few more years before needing to find another clean body to swap the new transmission and perfect engine into. I know Michigan is a bad state for rust. Thanks

 

[Big Mama]

Looks like they were regular steel but new ones are stainless steel

 

[Fless]

If you need to remake any of them you can use nicop.

 

[tom3]

Brake lines are basic steel, and your fuel lines are also. If you can get under there and wash it off really good once in a while you can prevent a lot of rust, every thing rusts underneath in the snow/salt belt.

 

[Big Mama]

Just wondering for those of you in heavy salt areas. Is there any type of coating you can spray on them to prevent rust?

 

[strutaeng]

Just wondering for those of you in heavy salt areas. Is there any type of coating you can spray on them to prevent rust?

Probably just an epoxy coating. Doesn't even have to be a paint, since there's hardly any UV exposure...epoxy primer would work.

Epoxy literally stops vapor migration, so it's very effective to mitigate corrosion.

A regular old fashioned alkyd oil based coating also works, almost as good.

 

[NoReverseYukon]

The first brake line to start leaking on mine was the one that sits on the top of the fuel tank. Not easy to get at that one to give it a good coating of protectant. And pay attention to those stupid plastic clips that hold the lines - they also hold the water/salt/etc in direct contact with the lines - stupid design that should be removed in salt country.

 

[vcode]

Anyone know if the factory brake lines in a 01 Yukon are steel or stainless steel? My Yukon has 360000 miles on it but I just moved to the Michigan Upper Peninsula lots of snow and salt unfortunately I'm trying to figure what I need to replace that's factory to prevent as many failures as possible. The lines look new now but if they are steel I know I'll be replacing them in a couple years. My thinking is replace anything I can that will be difficult to remove once the Salt DOT dumps on the roads getting to the parts. I'm using Fluid Film on the frame and underbody to buy as much time but brakes are not something I play around with especially when I need to drive across Winsconsin to Costco in Duluth MN they have some serious hills in Duluth. Anyway I can't find what the brake lines are made of I know the exhaust is stainless steel but the brakes I'm not sure. Anything else you know of that Salt will damage quickly let me know I really want to make her last a few more years before needing to find another clean body to swap the new transmission and perfect engine into. I know Michigan is a bad state for rust. Thanks

Spray the lines with Fluid Film or something similar twice a year and you will be good to go for a long time.

 

[noodlesandsam2]

There was a recall on the 01's and some 02's due to the lines being made of spun sugar. I had that - uncoated steel lines - rotted out. I had Stainless Steel lines done on the 01 back in 2011? Good until I let it go in 2023. It cost $1200 to do it, on top of parts - not fun. I've done NICOP - American Grease Stick - odd name - good product. you can form by hand - did that one the Mini, and BMW. Do that, and you never look back. Also keep an eye on Fuel lines and the evap.

 

[tom3]

And that NiCop can be double flared pretty easily, big help when stock lengths won't do it.

 

[grizzlyak]

The first brake line to start leaking on mine was the one that sits on the top of the fuel tank. Not easy to get at that one to give it a good coating of protectant. And pay attention to those stupid plastic clips that hold the lines - they also hold the water/salt/etc in direct contact with the lines - stupid design that should be removed in salt country.

Just had that happen to me. 2001 265k miles.

 

[grizzlyak]

There was a recall on the 01's and some 02's due to the lines being made of spun sugar. I had that - uncoated steel lines - rotted out. I had Stainless Steel lines done on the 01 back in 2011? Good until I let it go in 2023. It cost $1200 to do it, on top of parts - not fun. I've done NICOP - American Grease Stick - odd name - good product. you can form by hand - did that one the Mini, and BMW. Do that, and you never look back. Also keep an eye on Fuel lines and the evap.

I bought my 2001 new and never received a recall notice for the brake lines. Just had my rear line from ABS to rear axle junction rot out. Shop bent and ran one themselves without removing the fuel tank. Not sure what they used.

 

[noodlesandsam2]

The recall was regionalized to rust belt states ( New England, some Mid Atlantic is where I fell ( NY ). They did not want to honor it. Notice that I paid for it. I will say that the 2002 that I have now has much better lines ( he lived in south NJ, so it gets less salt than my old stomping grounds.

 

[grizzlyak]

Thanks for the additional info. Fortunately, we don't use salt here in AK, at least not that I know of.

 

[rockola1971]

Anyone know if the factory brake lines in a 01 Yukon are steel or stainless steel? My Yukon has 360000 miles on it but I just moved to the Michigan Upper Peninsula lots of snow and salt unfortunately I'm trying to figure what I need to replace that's factory to prevent as many failures as possible. The lines look new now but if they are steel I know I'll be replacing them in a couple years. My thinking is replace anything I can that will be difficult to remove once the Salt DOT dumps on the roads getting to the parts. I'm using Fluid Film on the frame and underbody to buy as much time but brakes are not something I play around with especially when I need to drive across Winsconsin to Costco in Duluth MN they have some serious hills in Duluth. Anyway I can't find what the brake lines are made of I know the exhaust is stainless steel but the brakes I'm not sure. Anything else you know of that Salt will damage quickly let me know I really want to make her last a few more years before needing to find another clean body to swap the new transmission and perfect engine into. I know Michigan is a bad state for rust. Thanks

You have a 01 vehicle with 360K on it and the brake lines arent rusted to death? Where did you store it, the moon?

 

[Fless]

You have a 01 vehicle with 360K on it and the brake lines arent rusted to death? Where did you store it, the moon?

That was the OP, who hasn't been on here since New Year's Day 2026.

 

[noodlesandsam2]

Cars from the South are just different. I bought a 2001 BMW 330 convertible - in 2023. It lived in Delware and Virginia - it was well maintained - I got 12 years of Maint history. This had 171 K on it - now 184K. The threads on the exhaust bolts are clean. The underside is the same color as the the rest of the car. not one bolt was seized. and this was not a garage queen.

 

[OneofFew]

Just wondering for those of you in heavy salt areas. Is there any type of coating you can spray on them to prevent rust?

The Lines are coated from factory. The issue is scrapes and scuffs will take that coating off and there you go off to the races.