Spliced brake hard line
 

I'm replacing the rubber brake hoses on my 78 k5 blazer- got to front passenger side and saw this repair on hard line done by PO. How safe/unsafe is this? The rest of the hard line is in very good shape. I have searched other threads and read the warnings of compression fitting vs. other repairs but don't know what kind of repair this is. Just wondering if I should replace the entire line. Thanks.

Re: Spliced brake hard line
 

are you referring to the rubber hose, clamp, and barb fitting?...if so I wouldn't drive it a inch til it was fixed properly...
if your talking about the flare style union below it and its a sae flare then there's no problem..

Re: Spliced brake hard line
 

Thats not a flare union. Its a compression union which I wouldnt use on any brakeline. Those are compression nuts on both ends-if it were an actual flare union, each end would be a tube nut threaded into a much longer union. Judging by the pita of the immediate area, I can see why the PO opted to go the easy route instead of pulling a whole section of line out, then bending/flaring as needed for a proper repair.

Re: Spliced brake hard line
 

finally got it on the big screen where I can see it clearly..and correct...that's a compression union ...(the union that looks to have a brass nut on it)...

Re: Spliced brake hard line
 

It looks in the pic that there are two sizes of lines being joined. I think the smaller line with the 90* bend is the original. You need to trace the larger line and see if there is a matching compression joint somewhere else that goes back to the smaller line.

Probably should put replacing that on the list of things to do. If it fails during an accident, the investigation might assign blame to that failure and leave you liable even if the other driver caused the wreck.

Re: Spliced brake hard line
 

I will order new line today and get replaced- thanks guys.

Re: Spliced brake hard line
 

ive done compression fittings in the past on brake lines, i really dont like to though. and ive seen some previous repairs where the brake line before and after it are rusted to heck and the compression still held.

only way i would really do one now is if it was a old piece of crap vehicle you would only want to get another year out of or something.

Re: Spliced brake hard line
 

I don't want to give anybody a high degree of confidence in a repair like this, because if done improperly, it can be dangerous. And compression fittings are MUCH easier to do improperly.

But I've seen small compression fittings like this handle well over 5000psi. Average brake line pressure is about 700psi, with peaks nearing 2000psi during hard braking. I might risk a repair like this if I had no other options (and replace as soon as possible).

However, if I was going to take a guess, if you DID manage to get a good fitting capable of 5000psi, I'd estimate it would drop to less than 1000psi if you pull it apart and re-assemble it.

Re: Spliced brake hard line
 

In some states that require inspection, that would be an immediate fail.

Re: Spliced brake hard line
 

Spliced brake hard lineI have to agree 100% as said can be inspection fail or illegal. Because some people can't do some thing right or should not. Ever one learns from the +"s & the -"s people make or should.