GAAAH broken break line at the Proportinating valve

[Darkness_is_spreading]

I had blown the old line, a few days ago when crusing, so I've been spending some time to resolve the issue.

I've found the problem line, as it was pissing fluid like and arterial bleed. So I now have fun removing this line,  :evil:  the problem isn't at the master, but at the proportinating valve, I cannot remove the damn bolt for the life of me.

I've tried penetrating fuid, a brazing torch, and it still won't budge, these may be the original lines on the car based on the heavy coating of rust and undercoating.

What can I do to remove this bolt ?

[fspGTD]

Disassembling old brake fittings... I feel your pain!   :x

If you can get a closed head wrench over the nut, hold it gently with light hand pressure and tap the end with a hammer to try and break the rusted fitting free.  Otherwise you can use an open head wrench or a flared nut wrench - use whatever wrench has the least amount of slop against the nut.  Soak the nut in penetrating lubricant first (both on the threads and on the inside of it, between it and the hardline.)

If you round off the nut, you can always break out a fresh pair of vice grips with sharp teeth, clamp the nut and hammer on that.  That usually does the trick for me.  The hammering seems to help break the rust free.

Not a bad idea to reassemble these tube nut fittings (be they old or new...) with a coating of anti-seize on both the threads as well as in between the nut and tube/flared end.  It helps keep the water (and rust) out and make them a LOT easier to remove the next time.  Brake fluid is hygroscopic so will attract and hold water like a sponge, and can really promote rust.  Good luck!

[LeeG]

antisieze in brake hydraulics = bad  

But I do the threads on bleeders and such, just keep it away from the sealing surface.  Brake line connections benefit from a good shot of paint after assembly, get enough on there to seal between line and flare nut and to seal flare nut threads.


I reach for the vice grips sooner rather than later with old brake lines.  Get good ones though, not cheap knock offs.

[chrissev]

What can I do to remove this bolt ?

1. cut the brake line really close to the fitting.
2. file the edges of the fitting to remove all the rust (but don't damage the metal, you just want to make it into a nut again)
3. I believe those things are 10mm, so install a 10mm socket on it, then install an adaptor or adaptors to bring it up to the size of fitting that a breaker bar uses.
4. Install an extension, then a breaker bar on the extension.
5. Hold the proportioning valve firmly with a big pair of pliers, and crank on the breaker bar.  The fitting will come out.

[Methanolab]

I just had the same problem. I broke all four lines off right at the pressure regulator and unbolted it from the car. I put it in a vise, added liquid wrentch, and hammered a tight fitting socket on to the flare nut or what was left of it. They all popped out. The plungers were also stuck so I worked them over, you can pull the springs off the end of them and grab 'em with needlenose pliers and work them back and forth. Then everything looked good inside. The thing was covered in rust so I put the old flare nuts back in and wire wheeled it and painted it so it wont rust again anytime soon.  I had to replace the steel lines to the rear and spliced into the lines from the master cyl. with flare nuts, a female to femal coupler, and a flaring tool. Don't use brass compression fittings the brake lines run at something like 1200-1400 psi.