Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Rusted brake line

[Dick R]

Need some advice , has any one replaced the brake line that goes from up front back to the proportioning valve on the 98 3/4 ton ? do we really have to drop the tank to get at it or have you Dodge owners done something else for plumbing the thing ?

 

[EKlem]

You don't need to drop the tank. It isn't very hard to snake a new line in behind the tank with it in place. You will need to find a different way to attach it but that isn't bad. Mine blew during exams last spring so I ran to napa and got a couple of pieces of line and it went quick. The only problem that I had was getting the bleeders open.

 

[Dick R]

EKLEM , did you cut and patch the steel line ? it looks to me that it is one peice to the front of the truck and did you run it right into the porportioning valve or the stub line leading out ?

 

[PRattenbury]

I got a wild hair, ripped the bed off, tank out, and replaced all the lines at once. I bought rolls of steel. I took the old lines out (fuel and brakes) in one piece. I laid each one on the ground and duplicated the bends , and then flared the ends. Then I put them all back brandy-new. Of course, I cleaned up all the rust and crap on the frame and suspension, and painted everything with Chassis Saver before I put the tank and bed back in.

 

[Dick R]

I wish I had a place to remove the bed and do that but I will be under the truck with junk falling in my face , if only I would have thought of this when I had the tank out to replace the sending unit and of coarse now it is full of $3. 41. 9 a gal fuel , looks like I will have to fire up my 15 ford t to chase parts , that thing never fails .

 

[EKlem]

I made the run in two pieces. Getting a one piece break line in may be a trick but in two pieces it is quite easy. I put the line behind the tank, then bent it once I got it out the other side and made the connection just ahead of that. The reason that it was two pieces is that I was in a time crunch and that is all napa had.