When they tell you it's time to replace your brake lines...

[Toomanyhobbies]

And you don't listen because you don't want to spend the money and figure you can put it off a little longer, don't do it.


I have a double switchback driveway and the pedal went to the floor at the first bend. I think because of the snow, the rears must have just locked up and slid down the hill when I hit the e brake. I bailed into my front yard and into a small tree and pushed my bumper in a bit. The next stop was in my neighbor's pool 50 feet below the second switchback.

Many of our trucks are getting old and need stuff, and dropping $1,200 on a brake line job is completely unsexy, but if they tell you that you need it, remember me...

 

[TheAutumnWind]

Rockauto has a stainless steel hardline kit for $160ish iirc. Well worth it if you live in an area with salt...

 

[HiHoeSilver]

There are really nice sets from Inline Tube

 

[Scottydoggs]

i would have chucked in reverse and floored it long before that tree was a thought of damaging the bumper or more.

done it before, ill do it again if need be.

 

[Toomanyhobbies]

i would have chucked in reverse and floored it long before that tree was a thought of damaging the bumper or more.

done it before, ill do it again if need be.

Well the bumper already had a dent in the same spot. My truck has about 195K on it and while the paint is good and the body doesn't have any dents, the bumpers are far from perfect. A bumper is A LOT cheaper than a new trans...

I am getting the SS lines.

 

[RaiderRodney]

 

[Chubbs]

i would have chucked in reverse and floored it long before that tree was a thought of damaging the bumper or more.

done it before, ill do it again if need be.

say what? throw it in "R" while going forwards @ 20mph clip?

 

[Scottydoggs]

if your brakes are locked up already or abs is kicking in, ive done it, better then killing people in my book. happened 3 times coming down a hill to a light snow plowing, hit ice truck picked up speed, what you to do? id rather not kill anyone with a 8 foot fisher plow.

id not just toss it in R at speed for no good reason, but from what the op was saying he was going slow still in snow, with out a second thought in his case, right in to R, once it stops forward motion lock it down. and he was in snow covered ground, wheels will spin, not like on dry pavement where yeah your gonna tear something up.

 

[M1Gunner]

You’re already in a dead slide... throwing it in reverse would actually just speed it up. That’s a horrible idea.

 

[Scottydoggs]

You’re already in a dead slide... throwing it in reverse would actually just speed it up. That’s a horrible idea.

ill agree to disagree there. it works. aka ive had to do it.


edit, your in FL, what you know about snow?

 

[slowride]

I hear ya. My 04 Suburban had a rusted brake line give out 2 weeks ago while driving down I40 on Friday afternoon. Made the last 50 miles back to town with no brakes. Not a good feeling. Its in the shop now getting all new SS lines

 

[Chubbs]

Well the bumper already had a dent in the same spot. My truck has about 195K on it and while the paint is good and the body doesn't have any dents, the bumpers are far from perfect. A bumper is A LOT cheaper than a new trans...

I am getting the SS lines.

Are you replacing the hard lines only? It would be a fine time to get the caliper flex ends done too. SS, of course. Currently, there is a discussion on another forum linking the info to the original manufacturer that all or most of the big names supposedly use in their packaging. I think it's like $50-60 for the kit. The flexible ends of the brake lines is the actual service item. It's been said braking is noticeably improved as the degradation of OEM tubing allows it to stretch, therefore decreasing line pressure at the caliper assembly.

I don't know about you but I'm all about the most cost-effective solutions. If you go drop your truck off somewhere and tell them to have at-it, yeah they can charge you a THOUSAND $$$ for anything. If this is your DD then you gotta do what you gotta do. Personally, I'd find an alternate means of trans' while I get my $200-worth parts 2-day, next-day, whatever... And find someone or someplace that will install by their hourly rate if I wouldn't/couldn't do it myself. It wouldn't be a big deal but we are talking $500+ you could be saving.

Edit: the garages I'm familiar with charge a good $90-$100/hour on labor rate. These guys are getting your parts from Oreillys/autozone/BapGeon/WorldParts/etc same places we all have access to; they don't keep this stuff on a shelf in the back ready-to-go. They mark-up the prices however much they want or think the going rate is. Last time I had a truck in the shop 4-years ago I saw what they charged per-part and when I searched the cost online and figured that plus their discounts, I had this strong feeling that I'd been assaulted, Nevermind the $100/hour labor.

 

[rockola1971]

ill agree to disagree there. it works. aka ive had to do it.


edit, your in FL, what you know about snow?

It snows in FL too...Atleast it did in Pensacola the first day I reported there in Nov 1996 and it snowed just southwest of Jacksonville while I was stationed there too from 1997-98.

My line popped a pinhole just as I had to get on the brakes hard because some ******* ran a stop sign right in front of me.

 

[Scottydoggs]

i got 30 years of driving in snow, real snow, not a fl dusting that cripples the area.

snow plowed for 25 years.

i blew a line once in a my first plow truck and nailed a van in traffic. pos 80 power wagon, got to start somewhere... fixed that one in a napa lot in a snow storm. did a lot of repairs to that pos in storms too it seems, i know i did every U joint in the snow outside on my back...

 

[HACK BLOCK]

I blew a brake line once and slammed into a cop car. obviously I blamed them and they paid me lol

 

[rockola1971]

i got 30 years of driving in snow, real snow, not a fl dusting that cripples the area.

snow plowed for 25 years.

i blew a line once in a my first plow truck and nailed a van in traffic. pos 80 power wagon, got to start somewhere... fixed that one in a napa lot in a snow storm. did a lot of repairs to that pos in storms too it seems, i know i did every U joint in the snow outside on my back...

LMAO Real Snow? In NJ? Im born and raised in central IL and ive been driving in the REAL snow for 30yrs too.

 

[Scottydoggs]

lets face it, FL dont have snow, a inch tops means nothing here. life goes on. same for you. but down south its a shut down.

id love to see them with a 10 inch blizzard like i got here a few weeks back.

 

[Teeroy78]

You Americans are so cute...

For anybody who remembers SCTV:

And if my gentle ribbing offended anybody,

Toomanyhobbies: that really sucks, I'm sorry to hear that. Thanks for using the situation to warn others!

 

[jimweis]

GM stocks the lines at a highly reduced price due to the old ones being crap. My set was under $200 Teflon coated and in stock, mine is rare it is AWD. I was told stainless don't flex or bend as easy for installation, or are in two pieces with a coupler.

 

[steve45]

I didn't think the computer would let you shift to Reverse if you had any significant forward speed, but I've never tried it. Of course, shifting to Park won't do anything, as the parking pawl will just bounce off the teeth of the ring on the output shaft.