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Emergency Brake Line Repair

Emergency Brake Line Repair

My first trip out with the Long Arm suspension for a little testing caused this trail fix to happen.  I had just come off a section that stuffed the front Drivers tire and rear passenger tire into the wheel wells.  I then dipped nose first into a hole with a very large wall on the drivers side.  Even in 4lo, you ride the brakes a little so you don't hit the wall that runs inches from your side.  Imagine my shock when I pushed the brake pedal to the floor and the Jeep lurched forwards.  No brakes.  Once I got through the obstacles I pulled over to find out that I had ripped the Driver side brake line off.  I had pinched it between the tire and the shock tower when I stuffed that tire.  I now have the Spidertrax spacers in so I don't rub anymore so this won't happen again.  Of course I left my old brake lines at home.  Quick note, if you lose one brake line you will lose all of your brakes, not a very pleasant thing to find out right away.  And of course we all know how well the Emergency brake works on these Jeeps.  I did adjust that later also. Luckily I had ripped the Rubicon Express line out of its fitting and didn't tear up the factory hard line.

The Repair

So I disconnected the factory hard line from the Rubicon Express fitting and then removed the Rubicon express fitting.  I did this since the fitting was stainless steel, and I would not be able to crimp the small tip that was still protruding from it. Looking at the damage
Since the hard line was still in good condition, and I had the fitting that it went into, this would be an easy fix.  This will work on any damage to the flexible hose leading to your brakes, as long as the connection point to the hard line remains undamaged. Tools used
Now that I had it all apart, I carefully cut 2 circles out of a soda can so that they would just fit down into the opening on the Rubicon Express fitting.  Same thing applies if you are using a stock fitting. line plug fabricated
I then inserted one of these into the Rubicon express fitting, making certain that it sat over the raised nipple in the center of the fitting.  I then threaded the hard line into the fitting and tightened it down.  I had someone pump the brake pedal to see if 1 circle would do it.  It didn't.  I then removed the hard line and inserted the second circle.  I then threaded the hard line in and tightened it down. inserting the plug
I had someone pump the brakes a few times to check for leaks.  I didn't have any leaks after the second circle. tightening up the brake line
Then was just a matter of bleeding all the brakes again and being careful for the ride.  Hitting the brakes caused the front end to pull towards the undamaged side, so you had to be real ginger with them.  I now keep this fitting in my tool box just incase it happens again. Me all sweaty
This is what the new RE brake line looks like compared to the old line.  The new line is on top.  You can see how the new line has a much larger swag area where the line connects. brake line comparison top end brake line comparison bottom end
Here is what the part looks like now.  I am going to throw this into the trail bag so that I have an easy fix later.
the modified part
another pic of the modified part

 This page last updated: 16-Apr-2008

Content and Design © 2002-present WanderingTrail,  Ronald Seegert
Common Sense and Safety should always be observed when working on your vehicle or doing modifications. Jackstands, wheel blocks, disconnecting the battery are a few of the basic safety precautions that should be used and may not be mentioned in the write ups on this site. You are responsible for your own installation, these write ups are a helpful guideline and should not be taken as an official installation instruction. My write up may be different from the kits currently out there, so alwasy double check the manufacturers installation instructions when installing anything. I try to keep the site up to date with changes that have occured as I discover them, but may not have the latest unless someone lets me know. If you feel that an install is above your capabilities after reading my write ups, I recommend getting together with a club and getting some help. Only a few times have I needed to employe some actual help from a shop to get something done. Usually welding or A/C work. While I have spent many years working on mechanical systems, I am not an expert, nor do I pretend to be one. I hope these write ups have been useful to you.
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