anyone have experience doing brakes on a truck

[mjn12]

So i have a truck that I use occasionaly to haul junk - never really drive it much. Recently one of the brake lines ruptured in heavy traffic - no accident and it happened only a half mile from a brake and muffler shop. I little bit of abuse to the transmission and e-brake got it there with no accidents.  They want $1200 to work on the truck - they refuse to touch it unless they replace all four rotors as well.  The rotors aren't great but I've seen worse and the truck can limp along with the old ones  This truck is on its last leg as it is, and I'm not investing the cost of the truck into a brake repair.  Its only used for short hauls with a bike in the bed or maybe a 4-wheeler. 


Long story short I'm thinking about just replacing the line myself but I want to know how painful of a procedure this is.  Working on the bike has inspired me to work on my car too but I've never touched the brakes.  Is it simply replace the line with a screw on fitting at each end, refill and bleed or is there a lot more to it than that? The truck is a '98 6cylinder f150. 

[GeeP]

Probably a brake hose, not a hard line.  Simple remove and replace job.  Make sure to bleed the lines after completing the repair.

A '98 on it's last leg?  I gotta see a photo of this...

[spc]

Yep as long as it's a hose, it's just like on a bike, well not just like it's a lot bigger and all.........  If it's a hard line it's still similar you just have to work the line in.  If it's a hard line the dealer will charge you a shaZam! ton for it. you can buy generic aluminum ones at NAPA but you have to make sure all the couplings match, and you have to bend it    I gotta see picks of this 98 on it's last leg too!!!

[mjn12]

I'm farrrr to lazy to take pics of that thing, sorry. 

It served all its life as a work truck for some company, got 150k + on it, transmission is a little funny - could probably use a rebuild. It has been broken into so the dash is jacked from the stereo being stolen. Its banged up inside and out and had a hard life.  I'm just doing what I can for it and running it till something big fails. It only cost 500 bucks plus a totaled firebird (my younger bro wrecked the firebird).

[Jughead]

150K+ on a Ford f150 with a 300 6 Worn Out ??  It's Just now getting Broken in.My Dodge Dakota is going to turn over 290,000 in 300 Miles.I'll trade you even right now.

Just take your rotors and Drums off and take them to your Local Autoparts and Have them turned.After they are turned they will let you know if they are out of Spec and You can Just replace the ones you need.The rear Brake setup on an F150 is a Little tough to work on.The fronts shouldn't be any trouble.

[cafeboy]

Brake lines are easy if you get the preformed ones if not you have too make the bends and make it fit.  Rear brakes on a Ford are not that bad at all and WOW a 98 worn out I have a 95 Tacoma with 236,000 and it still runs and drive like new.

[scottpA_GS]

I replaced the rear lines on my Toyota on the side of a road and it wasnt hard at all. I got the stright pieces from autozone for about $3-12 depending on length. Then I bought the bender for about $4. just disconnect your old lines get some zip ties and follow the old lines routing, bleed and done  .

You can get pieces to replace just the bad sections but then you need a flare tool etc.. It's cheap and easy to replace the lines from front to back 

[X-ray]

If it is a hard line the hardest part will be seperating the bad line from a section of line that's good.  The junctions usuall rust together and sometimes you will ruin the good part just trying to seperate them.  Also If you decide to do this,  Make sure when your bendeing the lines DO NOT crease them.  Make shallow bends.  It doesn't have to look factory. It just has to work.   

[cafeboy]

It doesn't have to look factory. It just has to work.   

+1

[mach1]

ok i think i should add my 2 cents since i used to work on cars all day. replaceing the brake lines are easy anyone can do it. i dought you broke the hard line but who knows. as far as getting the hose and hard line apart its i bit hard, the lines to tend to get stuck over time and using a normal open end wrench will most likley strip the soft fittings, i will suggest using flare wrenches they are made to grab more than just two sides and make your job alot easier IMHO. its a simple R&R job remove the old lines and replace with new. Bleeding you have two options you can add some new fluid with the old or flush the enitre system. when you take the cap off the master cyclinder and the rubber bushing is swollen then you need to flush the whole system cause you have water in your brake system. if the rubber is ok then you can just add new fluid and bleed the brakes but you will need two people unless you have the tools to do it alone. How to bleed the brakes get you partner to get in the car fill the master with new fluid and close the cap have him pump the pedal till he feels some resistance, have him hold it down and starting from the rear first brake the bleed screw loose letting the air out continue this until all you get comeing out if fluid the proceed to the next tire when done move to the front of the car check your fluid and add if needed the do the same to the front tires once your done check your pedal with the car running(with the car off you pedal can be hard btu when you turn the car on it can drop) if it droppes repeat everything again till the pedal is at normal high and hard. did i miss anything hmmmmmmm not sure i have not done this in a long time so i hope this helps. sorry about the punctuations and misspelling and grammer.

ok 1 thing i forgot when bleeding the brakes each time you wanna bleed have him pump the pedal four times and on the fifth have him push down and hold, crack open the line let the air come out the close the fitting then he needs to release the pedal and repeat never release the pedal with the fitting open, you wont wanna spongy pedal. once you get some fluid out of the lines and your partners leg is tired have him get out so you can gravity bleed the lines open the master cylinder cap open all the bleed lines and let gravity push the fluid fomr the master into the lines and bleed the air.

[FearedGS500]

poor 98 .. i man i had a 98 F-150 with a 4.6 V8 stick in it ! god i loved it .. i was stupid for trading it in for my eclipse :| but we live and learn . man go to autozone or somthing and get them parts . front rotors with pads will probly cost you 80 bucks . if your lucky .  the rear ones wont be that much  . if there drums then  you mind spend 50 bucks for the two drums if its the disk your looking at about 160 for all pads and rotors . dont short your self . fix it right  i know its a a junker but dont sale your self short . its better to spend a little extra then to have to spend way more then what its work if you hit someone or something

[cafeboy]

poor 98 .. i man i had a 98 F-150 with a 4.6 V8 stick in it ! god i loved it .. i was stupid for trading it in for my eclipse :| but we live and learn . man go to autozone or somthing and get them parts . front rotors with pads will probly cost you 80 bucks . if your lucky .  the rear ones wont be that much  . if there drums then  you mind spend 50 bucks for the two drums if its the disk your looking at about 160 for all pads and rotors . dont short your self . fix it right  i know its a a junker but dont sale your self short . its better to spend a little extra then to have to spend way more then what its work if you hit someone or something

+1