Checking your brake lines for wear and tear
The picture was borrowed from http://www.aa1car.com/
Thank you!
All this news about Toyotas speeding out of control - and brakes not working - got me thinking about my Toyota truck brakes. So I crawled under it this weekend to check them out and when I got done, I thought that our customers may benefit from a quick checklist on what to look for when inspecting automotive brake lines.
Here is the short list of what to look for:
- Spongy, weak hoses
- Hard, brittle hoses
- Cracks in the outer skin of the hose - you may need to bend the hose in order to see this
- Blisters or bubbles in the hose - have someone pump the brake pedal so you can see this better
- Chafe marks - from the hose rubbing against some other component
- Wet stains where the hose is starting to leak
- Obvious bulging or expansion of the hose
- Loose hose mounts or twisted hose
I also put up a page under Technical Info: http://www.hoseandfittingsetc.com/technical-info/inspecting-brake-lines/ with more details.
Happy driving - and braking!
More information on brake lines:
Posted by Marek Bobik
© Hose & Fittings, Etc.