Hi Listers,
I had a nice scare yesterday. One of my brake hoses wore through and
ruptured.
Yes wore though . .it was being rubbed by a part of the suspension.
Thankfully when the hose got thin . .it make the pedal feel a little mushy.
Sure enough . .when I gave it a harder stab . . the pedal gave way.
I was very close to home and the brakes hadn't given out totally . . . so I
went ahead and drove home cautiously . . . engine brake and hand brake and
followed other cars at a very safe distance.
Once I got in the driveway, I gave another hard press on the brake pedal . .
. the soft pedal slowly went to the floor and then it gave way and I heard
a "Squiiiiiiiishhhh" as the fluid starts spraying all over the front
suspension.
I'm almost 100% sure that I had the wrong hose on there. It was too long.
Unfortunately I'm my own DPO in this case. I've had the car for 15 years or
more. So if the wrong hose is on there. I put it on.
When I switched from the stock skinny tires to the wider mag wheels, I had
to make arrangements to hold the brake line away from the tire / wheel.
I checked them periodically, and didn't notice any abrasions.
I guess putting the car into daily use for the last 8 months (figure around
150 miles per week) eventually rubbed the hose enough.
Stupid stupid stupid.
So I dug up another hose and put it on.
It was different. Significantly shorter. Seems to fit much better without
the need for any sort of tie back retainers.
(you can bet I'll be checking them frequently though)
I know the end that attaches to the rigid brake line goes through a bracket
on the frame and is held there by a lock nut. Then the big flared nut on
the end of the brake line snugs up to it.
That's all easy enough to see.
The end where it connects to the caliper: The old line had a FLAT
shoulder on it and a soft metal sealing washer to make the seal against the
face of the fitting on the brake caliper.
This part doesn't look right (as I said. .I'm my own DPO)
What's the connection at the caliper supposed to look like?
Does it seal by bottoming out in the bottom of the threaded hole in the
caliper?
If so, is it supposed to have a lock nut on it?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Scott Tilton
1963 TR4 everyday
Leesburg, VA
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