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Hey all,
Just looking for opinions here. I’ve got an ’04 Explorer with 152k on the clock and it runs great. Its my fiancés daily driver and as I want to keep her safe I’m wondering about if I should replace all brakeline’s or just the rubber extensions that go to each caliper or if I should just hold off and wait for a leak. With 10 years and this many miles I just don’t want the brakes to fail some day. I’ve taken it for a drive recently and the brake pedal feels ok but a little soft and all rotors/pads are recent. Opinions?
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The condition of the brake pipes can probably be judged by the condition of the rest of the underbody of the vehicle. If she lives in the rust belt it could be a good idea. Also, has the brake fluid ever been replaced. Brake pipes can rust out both from the outside and the inside – from the inside if old fluid has gotten wet.
Replacing brake pipes is something usually too difficult for the DIYer unless very determined and having it done professionally is expensive. Brake Hoses, not a bad idea, but these days with all cars having abs one must be careful not to let air get up to the abs system. Change a hose and then quickly bleed it out. I know of owners who have gotten air up into the abs and have spent days trying to get it out.
Maintenance and inspection is always a good idea.
Thanks for the response. Yes we live in central Mass and I don’t have a garage, definitely in the rust belt. I’ve replaced the brake fluid a few times and I’ve bled the lines a few times as well. The frame isn’t rusty, but I haven’t really checked the lines recently. I’ll take a look, but replacing the rubber hoses is probably a good start I guess.
I’m in the rust belt and have not had any brake lines rust through, even in 15 year old cars.
Although long ago I had a VW Rabbit where the line rusted through even though it ran inside the car!
I would leave them alone, in most cars the line are run through the most inconvenient places and a lot of the securing clamps and bolts will be rusted stuck and break off.
If a line rusts, it’s usually very gradual leak, not something to be too scared of.
Thanks for the reply. My only experience was on my 99 F250 plow truck where the line completely blew suddenly and I found I had no brakes at all when plowing into a snow bank (luckily not on the highway), but maybe I’ll just keep an eye on them. I didn’t really realize how big of a deal it is to replace them. Thanks!
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