Well that's a problem! The Roadmaster popped a brake line

"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher) 11/04/2015 at 23:37 • Filed to: I broke it!

0

25

Driving home from work tonight, all of the sudden the brake pedal got mushy. It stayed remarkably consistently mushy the rest of the way home. I never had to pump the brakes or anything, but the pedal travel increased a lot. I limped it home and didn’t hit anything (dual circuit master cylinder FTW!). I quickly grabbed my truck and went to pick my daughters. When I came home, I spotted the puddle underneath the rear end. After the girls went to bed, I headed out to the garage, with the bigger puddle on the floor.

Looks to be coming from the top of the pumpkin.

A view from the drivers side. The picture doesn’t show it very well, but there appears to be a junction block up there. I’m wondering if that’s leaking, or more likely the flex line that goes to it that is leaking.

So, balls. Anybody have any advice on how to get to this thing? I know we have some former B-body owners here. I hope I don’t have to drop the rear end to do it. That would suck.

PS9 > shop-teacher 11/04/2015 at 23:52

3

pfft. Brakes. Who needs those? If you have to slow down, just pop both doors open. They’re about as big as a smart car by themselves, the drag will stop the thing in no time.

Birddog > shop-teacher 11/04/2015 at 23:52

0

That is the worst feeling. Crusty has done that to me three times now.

You should be able to do it if you unbolt the shocks and let the axle hang. The springs might fall out so be careful.

She looks like a typical Midwest car underneath so be careful and expect unforseen expenses.

Urambo Tauro > shop-teacher 11/04/2015 at 23:56

0

I’m not familiar with B-bodies specifically, but if you can jack up the rear by the frame, you should gain some room on top of the axle to work.

Steve in Manhattan > shop-teacher 11/05/2015 at 00:00

1

Ugh - bleeding the system and refilling it. Actual work ... which in my carless state I would love to do.

shop-teacher > Birddog 11/05/2015 at 00:01

1

Heh, the shocks need to be replaced too.

It is very typical midwestern car. I poked the “metal” that the rear bumper cover is attached to, and a big chunk fell off. When I originally bought it, my plan was to keep it a couple years until my youngest is in a forward facing car seat and then buy something with 2 doors and a manual trans. Then I started driving it, and started having crazy thoughts of keeping it for a long time, and maybe even dumping a bunch of money into it. Now that I’ve done some poking around down there, I’m back to plan A.

shop-teacher > PS9 11/05/2015 at 00:01

0

Good plan! Job done!

shop-teacher > Urambo Tauro 11/05/2015 at 00:05

0

I was able to jack it up by the frame, it’s sitting on jack stands on it. There’s still not enough room for me to get in there, there’s just so much crap in the way. I’ll try unbolting the shocks, as Birddog suggested. Hopefully that will get me enough room.

shop-teacher > Steve in Manhattan 11/05/2015 at 00:06

0

Well, if you can make it to O’hare, I’ll pick you up and you can help me out :)

Urambo Tauro > shop-teacher 11/05/2015 at 00:19

0

Good plan.

If it the flex hose turns out to be fine, and it’s a steel line that’s leaking, see if your parts store of choice carries NiCopp tubing. It’s very easy to work with, and has excellent corrosion resistance.

shop-teacher > Urambo Tauro 11/05/2015 at 00:22

0

Will do, thanks for the tip!

Birddog > shop-teacher 11/05/2015 at 00:23

0

The belly of my beast looks much the same. Midwest cars are a bitch.

Odd story below.

Look for cars/trucks that can’t meet California standards. The last “SJ” Cherokee Chief I had I snagged for $750. But it was in California. So, there was shipping to Chicago. $1400 because it technically didn’t run. But, I sold that rust free beast for a healthy profit when it eventually got here.

RallyWrench > shop-teacher 11/05/2015 at 00:34

0

That could have gone a lot worse, glad you got home safely. I'd get a floor Jack under the pumpkin & disconnect the shocks from the axle for better access. When this one is fixed stand on the brakes violently to see if anything else bursts, the other lines are likely in similar shape.

pip bip - choose Corrour > shop-teacher 11/05/2015 at 00:38

0

only ever problem i’ve encountered with brakes is master cylinder failing when coming upto a red light.

shop-teacher > Birddog 11/05/2015 at 07:14

0

That is a good tip. I was thinking about southern cars, but something that’s getting kicked out of Cali has big extra price dropping factor

shop-teacher > RallyWrench 11/05/2015 at 07:15

0

Good tips, thank you!

shop-teacher > pip bip - choose Corrour 11/05/2015 at 07:19

0

Sounds like a code brown moment!

pip bip - choose Corrour > shop-teacher 11/05/2015 at 07:23

0

it was sort of , luckily for me dual circuit brakes and a loooong pedal but i was still 120km from home , so i drove very carefully , went to get car fixed on the Monday.

as my car was an unusual build (1978 Holden Torana with 4 wheel disc brakes) getting said master cylinder was a pain in the arse.

genuine was obsolete , non genuine none at the time in any companies warehouse.

eventually got one.

then sold car not long after.

BigBlock440 > shop-teacher 11/05/2015 at 07:47

0

Run a new line and completely bypass it? I had to do that on my truck because the line ran in the frame rail next to the gas tank. At least until I changed my fuel tank straps, then I was able to tuck it back in.

Brickman > shop-teacher 11/05/2015 at 08:52

1

I’d replace all the brake lines. You never know where there’s another weak point waiting to burst.

shop-teacher > Brickman 11/05/2015 at 09:11

0

As much as I don’t want to, that’s probably the smartest thing to do. I’ll have to look into that.

crowmolly > Urambo Tauro 11/05/2015 at 09:28

1

I think NAPA stores carry Cunifer which is another brand of the same type of product.

crowmolly > shop-teacher 11/05/2015 at 09:29

0

Daily car or part-timer?

If it’s a part time driver I’d do all the lines in nickle/copper with new flex hoses. And probably a rear end service. Be prepared for the nuts to be frozen and the lines to pretzel as you try and loosen them.

shop-teacher > crowmolly 11/05/2015 at 09:48

0

Part-timer. I’ve been basically driving it every other day, but I’ve got my truck to daily.

I know you’re right, I just need to work up the courage to do all the lines. I’ve never done any brake line work before. There is a LOT of rust under there, so i know every last one of them will fight me.

crowmolly > shop-teacher 11/05/2015 at 10:02

0

I’d start hitting the tube nut on the body-mounted flex hose (that connects the brake line on the body to the rear system) with PB or Kroil for a few days in advance.

Also, make sure you get the tube nut threads and flare style correct. Do not be intimidated by that- it’s just careful selection to keep you from having to make runs to the parts store.

shop-teacher > crowmolly 11/05/2015 at 10:28

0

Will do! Thanks for the advice!