Whole brake line replacement 95 Tahoe

[phatz_hatz]

Hello all, went to leave my house today pressed brake pedal and it went to the flooooor. Get out and found brake fluid leaking out of steel brake tubing. Has anyone went through the trouble of replacing every brake line with the Dorman brake line kit on rock auto. Figure if I’m going to change that leaking one might as well replace them all. Hoses as well. Does anything need to be removed in terms of gas tank. Just want to know what I’m getting my self into so i can prep properly. Thank you in advance for any input.

 

[OBSandaNNBS]

Hello all, went to leave my house today pressed brake pedal and it went to the flooooor. Get out and found brake fluid leaking out of steel brake tubing. Has anyone went through the trouble of replacing every brake line with the Dorman brake line kit on rock auto. Figure if I’m going to change that leaking one might as well replace them all. Hoses as well. Does anything need to be removed in terms of gas tank. Just want to know what I’m getting my self into so i can prep properly. Thank you in advance for any input.

You are lucky it failed in a stopped position! I was on the road in my 97 Suburban, luckily I managed to stop in time. I knew exactly where it had failed too, as soon as I felt it pop.

Limped home at 15 mph (split system), stuck a Solo cup under the leak and chewed the cud. Like you mentioned, I figured if I was gonna have to bleed the system, I'd make it worth my while. I ordered the Dorman stainless line kit along with everything south of the master cylinder except drums.

I was rather impressed with fitment. It went together quite nicely. They give you a coil covered line for the rear axle, ostensibly to protect from abrasion, which I thought was nice. One line running under the engine bay to left front wheel was a little off but I managed to get it to work. FYI the fittings are not stainless, but zinc coated steel. That could matter in 5 years.

I don't think you'll have to remove anything you aren't replacing. I didn't. You may want to see if you can crack the bleeder screws before ordering. You will want to/need to get new hoses, don't forget the rear one...
Consider calipers and wheel cylinders too if they are old, or if your fluid is extra gnarly.
I've enjoyed the peace of mind since replacing them. That was about 5 years ago.

It's not too bad of a job. The looped lines coming off the master can be a real pain To faniggle into place. You may have to unbolt the master from the booster. If you don't need to replace the calipers or wheel cylinders, you don't even need to jack the truck up.

PS brake fluid dissolves Solo cups.

 

[OBSandaNNBS]

Also, you technically need a bi-directional scanner to bleed the abs module. There is a little nipple valve you can use instead. I'm not sure how well that works because my ABS has been non functional for a decade. Truck stops fine though!

 

[phatz_hatz]

You are lucky it failed in a stopped position! I was on the road in my 97 Suburban, luckily I managed to stop in time. I knew exactly where it had failed too, as soon as I felt it pop.

Limped home at 15 mph (split system), stuck a Solo cup under the leak and chewed the cud. Like you mentioned, I figured if I was gonna have to bleed the system, I'd make it worth my while. I ordered the Dorman stainless line kit along with everything south of the master cylinder except drums.

I was rather impressed with fitment. It went together quite nicely. They give you a coil covered line for the rear axle, ostensibly to protect from abrasion, which I thought was nice. One line running under the engine bay to left front wheel was a little off but I managed to get it to work. FYI the fittings are not stainless, but zinc coated steel. That could matter in 5 years.

I don't think you'll have to remove anything you aren't replacing. I didn't. You may want to see if you can crack the bleeder screws before ordering. You will want to/need to get new hoses, don't forget the rear one...
Consider calipers and wheel cylinders too if they are old, or if your fluid is extra gnarly.
I've enjoyed the peace of mind since replacing them. That was about 5 years ago.

It's not too bad of a job. The looped lines coming off the master can be a real pain To faniggle into place. You may have to unbolt the master from the booster. If you don't need to replace the calipers or wheel cylinders, you don't even need to jack the truck up.

PS brake fluid dissolves Solo cups.

Wow this, was amazing. My front calipers are just about a year old. Did whole brake in the front. Haven’t touched the drums yet. how many hoses are there all together. I only see the front left and right on rock auto and the center hose in the rear. There’s no hoses for the rear i assume. And i saw that trick with the lil nipple on the abs module, which when i did my front brakes woulda been nice to know. But thank you for this information as now I’m 100% just gonna do everything.

 

[OBSandaNNBS]

Wow this, was amazing. My front calipers are just about a year old. Did whole brake in the front. Haven’t touched the drums yet. how many hoses are there all together. I only see the front left and right on rock auto and the center hose in the rear. There’s no hoses for the rear i assume. And i saw that trick with the lil nipple on the abs module, which when i did my front brakes woulda been nice to know. But thank you for this information as now I’m 100% just gonna do everything.

You are very welcome. We gotta keep 'em going!
Three hoses. The rear center is the third. Don't get the cheapest ones.
If you do the drums and shoes, make sure you take pictures of the drum hardware. They can be tricky, and also they are mirror images of each other (not the same)...also a brake drum tool kit is worth its weight in gold...or $25 at least! Link below.
Let us know how you did or if you got more questions.

Amazon.com: Lyhubmh 8 PC Drum Brake Tool Kit, Brake Spring Tool Set with Brake Spring Compressor, Adjusting Tool & Brake Spoon, Complete Drum Brake Kit for Brake Service with Spring Pliers, Spring Replacement : Automotive

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[Eman85]

I use NiCop lines and make my own lines. I would look closely at all of the lines and you might not need to replace all of them. If you buy a flaring tool you can splice the lines and replace the rusty section and use line nuts and a coupling. Replace the 3 brake hoses while you're at it and do yourself a favor and don't touch the ABS module. I've worked for dealers, had my own shop and owned quite a few of these trucks and just a basic brake bleed and you're good to go. All brake lines are before the fuel tank, pickups are the ones behind the fuel tank.
If you want to make the brakes better do the google about upgrading the MC to a later model MC, it makes a world of difference in the pedal. Plenty of videos and articles on the upgrade.

When you look at the brake lines take a good look at the fuel lines, they are known to rust and leak. I used nylon on the last ones I did, easy to work with and never rust again.

 

[OBSandaNNBS]

If you want to make the brakes better do the google about upgrading the MC to a later model MC, it makes a world of difference in the pedal. Plenty of videos and articles on the upgrade.

Just when I think my mods/upgrade list isn't getting any longer...
Thanks