Leaking Brake Connection

[Pfarmer]

A few months back I replaced the two front soft brake lines with the Rough Country set from Amazon. The originals were causing the brakes to stick and were collapsing and cracking. At the same time I ordered the Rough Country line for the rear, and decided to replace it last night. Where the passenger side hard line on the axle screws in, it is leaking.

Two questions #1. I can't get it to stop leaking. Any ideas? Did I do something wrong?

#2. I've done a lot of work on this Jeep. New springs, oil changes, tons of electrical, bump stops...a lot of work. Getting those hard brake lines on the rear axle to screw into the new soft line was hands down the hardest thing I have ever done. I even tried to just to put the old rear brake line back and couldn't get one side to screw in. Is there a technique or tool that helps with this process?

Thanks,
Paul

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Did you really cinch the nut down hard? There's a lot of pressure in those lines, don't be afraid to get after it.

 

[Pfarmer]

Did you really cinch the nut down hard? There's a lot of pressure in those lines, don't be afraid to get after it.

I thought I did, but what feels like too much with a 4" wrench probably isn't too much. I go give it the gusto here in a bit. I was afraid of splitting the flare, but that sounds like it is not an issue???

 

[hear]

I can’t remember, does that piece have copper crush washers?

 

[Pfarmer]

I can’t remember, does that piece have copper crush washers?

It comes with 2 copper crush washers, but the connections are standard flared ends. The washers wouldn't even fit. It looks like the same bag of parts that comes with the front set that needs the two crush washers. I hope I wasn't supposed to use those somewhere. I don't see where they would go.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Be sure you're using a flare nut wrench like this, it gives a more secure hold on the nut when cinching it down.

 

[machoheadgames]

Definitely use a flare nut wrench like jerry posted, a plain crescent or open end wrench is not going to get enough grab. Instead you usually end up stripping the nut's hex shape before you make any progress. Get the proper wrench.

 

[machoheadgames]

I can’t remember, does that piece have copper crush washers?

Washers should be at the calipers, not anywhere else AFAIK. Just flares and fittings at the other joints.

 

[mrblaine]

Washers should be at the calipers, not anywhere else AFAIK. Just flares and fittings at the other joints.

Correct but properly, they are tube nuts and flares, double flares to be more exact. A fitting can be anything like the banjo fitting, or adapter that a tube nut threads into. Not for the sake of this discussion but in case anyone is trying to buy something and can't figure out what to call it.

 

[machoheadgames]

Correct but properly, they are tube nuts and flares, double flares to be more exact. A fitting can be anything like the banjo fitting, or adapter that a tube nut threads into. Not for the sake of this discussion but in case anyone is trying to buy something and can't figure out what to call it.

True, my laziness prevailed. I should have at least said tube nuts but my habit is fittings.

 

[mrblaine]

True, my laziness prevailed. I should have at least said tube nuts but my habit is fittings.

Go to Summit, type in fittings, dig through 10,000 of them for an hour trying to find a 10mm short banjo fitting x -3AN male. Then give up and figure out that because you weren't in the stupid fucking brake fittings section, nothing will ever show up.

 

[machoheadgames]

Go to Summit, type in fittings, dig through 10,000 of them for an hour trying to find a 10mm short banjo fitting x -3AN male. Then give up and figure out that because you weren't in the stupid fucking brake fittings section, nothing will ever show up.

Yeah been there before but with tube nuts. The whole reason I know they are called tube nuts is because of that same game years ago. I realized "brake line fittings" wouldn't even get me there, eventually somehow I stumbled upon the magic name "tube nuts" and always found what I needed easily after. Still not habitually what I call them though.

 

[Pfarmer]

Correct but properly, they are tube nuts and flares, double flares to be more exact. A fitting can be anything like the banjo fitting, or adapter that a tube nut threads into. Not for the sake of this discussion but in case anyone is trying to buy something and can't figure out what to call it.

Thanks, Nothing worse than searching for something without knowing its name. Like walking into a lumber store and asking for a board.