I'm trying to change my rear center brake hose, but I can't budge the nut on the double flare / hard line instead I'm starting to round the flats. Any suggestions on removing 37 year old brake fittings without completely demolishing everything? I would appreciate it. on a side note it seems like every time I do any mechanical work it becomes a royal pain in the @$$... I'm starting to run out of energy and get muscle cramps when I'm only geting started... aaaggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! sorry for the rant...
Heat...cold water...Try turning fastener...Heat...cold water...Try loosening fastener...Heat...penetrating oil (it will pull some of the rust out as it cooks off) Try loosening fastener...If you rounded it off badly...Vise grips...Good luck!!!
Squirt them with PB Blaster and use a very good quality line wrench. I had some cheap ones and they rounded nuts off. Bought a set of Craftsman professional wrenches and they are much better.
pB Blaster works for me and used with a little heat, will usually break it free. I have a set of Knipex pliers that work wonders. You are likely going to have to replace it once you round it off.
I hit the threads with some PB Blaster I wounder if I should of also shot some where the line goes through the nut... I got a checker brake line wrench which started to round the threads. If I have to replace the nut I would have to cut and re-flare the line wouldn't I?
Yea, then it might not be long enough. If you have to cut and reflare anyway, I'd just make a new one. Get a length of pre-flared line from the parts store and cut it to length, that way you only have to flare once. Definitely hit the hole in the nut where the line goes in. That's usually where it seizes unless it's cross threaded.
Cut the line off and use a 6-point socket on the flare nut. This worked great on rusted brake lines for me. http://www.harborfreight.com/micro-torch-42099.html Heat the female fitting, not the nut.
MY rusty ones up here I cut the flex hose off at the fitting. Heat the hose at the fitting. USe a good line wrench. Snap on or nothin for me with line wrenches. When it cracks free remove the body clip. Spin the flex hose off the brake line then deal with the fitting seized on the line. Heat the fitting and apply penetrant to free it up. ITs an everyday thing up here in this trade. Big note: HEating flex lines will cause them to blow out of the brass fitting. Thats why I cut them off first. If it blows its just a small piece of rubber instead of the whole hose. Where safety protection and have a spray bottle on hand if the brake fluid ignites.
I hope I don't have to reflare, I don't have the tool for it or a extra nut... the front brakes and when I replaced the lines to the devider block on the axle housing when i converted to rear discs didn't have this bad of a problem... thank you for the suggestions. I'll try again and see where I'm at.
If you do, pull it off & take it to the parts store, the Oreilly here rents the flare kit& has nuts in stock. Some of the kids that work there don't know what they are, but that's life in the modern parts house.
