Ok this is my problem (one of many), this actually happened awhile ago but I haven't been working on the car lately so I haven't posted anything about this at least not in depth. Ok anyway heres the situation I was attempting to remove the right front brake hose (both hoses need replacing) I used a flare nut wrench which obviously did no good it was of the appropriate size as none of the other sizes I had would fit (don't remember the size off hand), ended up stripping the flare nut attempting to remove it even with the Flare nut wrench! I used a bigger flare nut wrench and counter held the hose that didn't work, I sprayed it with rust penetrant (before I even started) let it sit for about 10 minutes that didn't help It's almost as if somebody used thread lock on the fitting not even the vice grips will get it i'm basically at a dead end here I can't replace the hose without taking the whole metal brake line off and that will be a royal pain. All this just to replace a stupid hose I did everything correctly and the fitting still ended up stripped it's like a donut now, haven't messed with the other side yet I fear the same result there, the brake hoses are in bad shape so they really have to be replaced. Is there any possible way to break this sucker off without taking out the whole brake line?
i don't know what brand the wrench is but some of the cheep ones don't do good on stuff you don't want to strip even crapman are no good its like they grip right on the points get a good snap-on or mac and it should not happen again been there done that now i use snap-on to remove all the hard to get stuff
The wrench I used was a Great Neck, AutoZone brand. Normally I don't buy tools from AutoZone i usually get em at Kragen and i've never had a problem with Kragen (Alltrade) tools. I probably should have bought this flare nut wrench there too but I guess I wasn't thinkin that day . Oh well lessons learned I guess. As for the vice grips they'll grip it to a point right now but I can't seem to get them to grip it hard enough to break it loose they slip it is just one stubborn nut no wrench in the world right now will grip it cause it's too far gone so I have to figure out what i'm gonna do. I've never used Snap On tools before are they expensive? Price is one of the main reasons why I don't have any Craftsman tools. I'm gonna try and attack the other side hopefully it'll come off without a problem, don't need two headaches .
Snap On tools are expensive but you can buy just what you need but you will prob spend 20-40 bucks on one wrinch if you just get the ones you need basic sizes you use the most you can go to there web site snapontools.com when i worked on cars for a living i spent a lot of money on there truck and the Mac tools truck
Also when breaking loose bolts, a good swift, hard rap with a hammer on the end of the wrench will break a bolt loose tons better than just trying to exert pressure.
Well the other side wouldn't budge either tried dousing the area with WD-40 that didn't help, and I didn't wanna strip it like I did the right side so I backed off it's basically fused on there like the right side is I'm guessing cause the car sat so long in dirt, mud, and gravel gonna take some special tools here. The one's in the back broke loose without a problem (when I went to change the rear wheel cylinders) didn't even need rust penetrant all it took was an 11mm open end wrench and that was it. I may just get the hoses done at a (dare I say that S word) Shop later on down the road, I mean the hoses while they do need replacing will work for now since the car is not a daily driver they aren't swollen anywhere and they don't leak at all but I know they won't last forever, I can hold preasure on the brakes and the hoses will perform fine, it's just the rubber outside coating in some places is worn and theres alot of dirt on them much like the rest of the undercarriage. It's more or less the fact I don't trust them, a friend of mine knows a dismantler he should have the tools to break it loose so I'm gonna try and get him to come over and take a whack at it if he can do it all that'll cost me is a couple of beers which is alot cheaper then a brake shop . As for the hammer I tried that here but there wasn't enough clearence with the spindle in the way to get a good wack I thought about removing the spindle but that seems like a lot of needless work.
My suggestion would be to go to Autozone and get this stuff called PB Break Loose. It's in a kinda yellowish can. Works wonders on everything!! I don't really like WD-40...not good for much of anything but okay on everything... I would also suggest getting a pair of vice grips with some really rugged teeth and cinching those things down as HARD as you can and trying again. Personally i haven't had much luck with flare nut wrenches, especially cheap ones. I usually can get away with a standard wrench using the PB break-loose.
I think I know the stuff yer referring to CAcollo the one with the As Seen on TV logo? I got that stuff (cannot stand the smell of it either) I used that on the right side flare nut I appologize I should have noted that in my previous post , anyways that stuff didn't work either. I even let that one sit over night and tried again the next day and still nadda. I just used the WD-40 to see if I'd have better luck. I did see this other set of Vice Grips at AutoZone the other day it was a 3 piece set I almost bought it but decided not i'm thinkin if I buy more vice grips I'm gonna get a smaller pair a much smaller pair mine are rather large and it's tough to get them in there with the spindle there so it ends up gripping the flare nut on a slight angle (not enough to compromise leverage but still). It's also a pretty old pair i've had them for about 7 years and they've seen their day. Thanx for the help anyways though much appreciated I'm beginning to think Flare Nut wrenches are a waste of money I bought them cause I was affraid i'd strip the nut with a standard wrench thats the irony of the whole thing.
What side? It's pretty easy to run new front brake lines if all else fails. The driver side line is one short piece up to the p-valve. The passenger side is two pieces and disconnects by the shock tower. You will need to get an adapter to connect the pre-flared brake lines to the Maverick brake hose - NAPA has them. When I converted to disc I ran all new lines both front and back using the kit the company sells on eBay for $40. Wasn't as hard as I thought ... Dan
another option... I think vise-grip makes a special plier that clamps around the "hex" of a rounded off nut/bolt. I've got a pair (that we loveably call "nut-grips") that will take almost any rounded off bolt or nut loose. Got ours at Wal-Mart.
dmhines , well it's the right side thats rounded off but the left side don't wanna budge either I didn't want to strip that one so I did not continue trying. Just got back from Napa actually they pretty much said the same thing but the hardest part of all is gonna be getting the old lines out they showed me the special tube bender tool needed to crimp the new lines into place it's only $7 so I see no point in renting it i'll just buy it when I get money . The passenger line is the main one I was worried about. I didn't see the adapter at Napa but I was really only interested in whether they had a tool for stripped nuts i'll inquire on the adapter if I decide to change the lines which right now looks to be my only option. Meantime i'll take mavman's advice and check Wal-Mart out I could use a pair of those special vice grips .
Hey Joe the passanger side steel line is short too. There is a conector right behind the shock tower passanger side engine compartment. just in case you do need to.
You can probably get the lines you need already flared and ready to go - most auto parts places have 3/16 brake lines in many different lengths.
