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My #$%#% 2004 Ram Tried to Kill Me Today

So Ed, did you ever determine why the dual circuit system failed you? Was part of it already broken and you were running on half the brakes for awhile, or what?
I liked your above post about the small town shop fabricating a new matching brake line. :)
Thanks - and as far as any of my assumptions about there being any dual safety circuits go....I reckon there isn't? :rolleyes:
 
Awesome!! Your lucky to still have a source like that, we don't & haven't for at least ten years.... Good to hear your close to back on the road.... I'm sure I don't need to tell you, take the time to check the whole system, don't want a repeat performance.... Glad to hear you got out of the whole thing unscathed.... And yes 100% it should have a dual system...
 
Awesome!! Your lucky to still have a source like that, we don't & haven't for at least ten years.... Good to hear your close to back on the road.... I'm sure I don't need to tell you, take the time to check the whole system, don't want a repeat performance.... Glad to hear you got out of the whole thing unscathed.... And yes 100% it should have a dual system...
Thanks!
Yep, I'll be going through the whole she-bang soon, as it's past time for rotors and pads anyways.
Got to figure if one line has failed, more are to follow.
Funny thing about when it failed, though - something popped and the pedal went to the floor right now.
From that point, no amount of pumping would bring any of it back - and I burnt the dang emergency brakes
down to the nub getting him stopped from there.
 
Ah hell, ya shoulda just threw it in park.
 
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Ah hell, ya shoulda just threw in park.
that boy aint right.png
 
Heck, there must be 4 or 5 stores like that left in America....
 
Couple things - first, glad you're OK.

Next - brake lines can corrode and rust from the INSIDE as well as the outside. Drop some DOT on your paint job and see what it does - nasty stuff. Flush your brakes every 2 years or so to get all the crap out.

Next - replace both sides. As noted above, if one side went.... You should be able to find some stainless upgrade parts from someone like FineLines or something, I'd think...at least ask them if they have 'em or can make 'em if you give them a part number. I know I got a set for a '92 XJ Cherokee I had years ago, when I went through the same "POP - oh ****" situation with it.

Next - 2 wheel ABS was pretty standard "standard equipment" on trucks for a while, because the *** end is so light. It was rear-wheel ABS to keep the back from walking around on you, if the option sheet didn't call for 4 wheel ABS.

Finally - thanks for the nudge (I know this is why you did it!), my '01 2500 Cummins (4 wheel disc/4 wheel ABS) has been nudging right under braking lately. With 289k on it, I'm sure the rubber hoses are starting to deteriorate and I know my RF caliper is dragging a bit (pad wear) - also a sign of rubber deterioration and "flapping" inside that keeps pressure from bleeding back to the MC. I need to get after that, especially since I just added a cargo trailer to the stable for my audio production company...bigger shows, more gear....
 
UPDATE 6/4/22:
Ok, so I head out to the shop first thing (after biscuits, of course - we ain't heathens, for heavens' sake)...
Prep this, clean that, line stuff up, get the pre-bent line wrangled into position (removing the wheelwell liner
is a MUST for me when doing this stuff!), CHECK.
Get the new hose line and hard lines in place, snugged down, into appropriate brackets and nailed. CHECK.
Start thinking about fetching the wife and filling the reservoir - it's BLEEDING TIME, right?
Uhhh, nope... there's a small puddle on the floor, but not under where I've been working. :mad:

Then I see it - the hard line right NEXT to the replaced stuff - and it's dribbling some now, too.
Well, of course it is....
Turns out, that's the one coming from the ABS unit next to the battery and down to a junction block on the
frame behind all this front stuff I've been working on.
I reckon that explains why I lost ALL brakes when the event occurred...
There literally were two failures happening at the same exact time (what're the odds?).

Off that line came too and over to the real auto parts store I ran yet again, where Mark just smiled and held
out his hand...
This one cost me $19. When I started to remind him of how much the last one cost, he just grinned and said
"keep poppin' 'em". :lol:

It's all back together now and some preliminary pumping of the pedal is once again producing some pressure.
We'll bleed them once we get back from weekly errands in town, one of which will be....
Yep, you guessed it....
Buying some more damn brake fluid!!:rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
I've popped 2 brake lines on my 95 3500 both times on the boat launch ramp, I think this thing wants to be a submarine!
 
UPDATE 6/4/22:
Ok, so I head out to the shop first thing (after biscuits, of course - we ain't heathens, for heavens' sake)...
Prep this, clean that, line stuff up, get the pre-bent line wrangled into position (removing the wheelwell liner
is a MUST for me when doing this stuff!), CHECK.
Get the new hose line and hard lines in place, snugged down, into appropriate brackets and nailed. CHECK.
Start thinking about fetching the wife and filling the reservoir - it's BLEEDING TIME, right?
Uhhh, nope... there's a small puddle on the floor, but not under where I've been working. :mad:

Then I see it - the hard line right NEXT to the replaced stuff - and it's dribbling some now, too.
Well, of course it is....
Turns out, that's the one coming from the ABS unit next to the battery and down to a junction block on the
frame behind all this front stuff I've been working on.
I reckon that explains why I lost ALL brakes when the event occurred...
There literally were two failures happening at the same exact time (what're the odds?).

Off that line came too and over to the real auto parts store I ran yet again, where Mark just smiled and held
out his hand...
This one cost me $19. When I started to remind him of how much the last one cost, he just grinned and said
"keep poppin' 'em". :lol:

It's all back together now and some preliminary pumping of the pedal is once again producing some pressure.
We'll bleed them once we get back from weekly errands in town, one of which will be....
Yep, you guessed it....
Buying some more damn brake fluid!!:rolleyes::rolleyes:
The plus side of this better that they both crapped out and no accident. One fix not having to double dip on repairs. How are the other lines?
 
The plus side of this better that they both crapped out and no accident. One fix not having to double dip on repairs. How are the other lines?
No sir, I managed to both bury the parking brake and find a soft place to land (that old "constantly look for an escape"
method of defensive driving, amplified by some years of racing).
Thank the Lord...that could have been WAY worse.

MINOR UPDATE:
As of this evening, wife in tow, the garage trip to bleed the brakes began in earnest...
Started with a minor leak at one of the flare connections on the newly-made hard line;
I had to about bury that one before it finally started behaving, making me nervous.
Once that was dealt with and fluid topped off, away I went under the truck, 11mm socket and box wrench in hand.

The fluid that came out of all 4 corners was pretty disgusting at first, so I kept running the bleed until it looked
pretty again each time.
At the same time as watching for air, I was also surveying the entire rest of the underside of the truck - watching,
eagle-eyed (ok, old goat-eyed, but it's what I got to work with so....), looking for other leaks or soft spots.
Bleeding was uneventful, though - and successful.
Wife (the ever-faithful pedal-pumping assistant) said "it's not gonna get any harder than that".
Of course, I retorted "that's what SHE said..."

Oldest joke in the book - but she sympathy laughs at it, every single time. :thumbsup:
 
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I very much appreciate that. :)

This morning doing some more research on the thing, it's now confirmed I have two wheel ABS;
the ABS unit and types/numbers of lines on the truck say so.
I just find that odd for some reason, but ok...
My 2006 4wd had 4 wheel ABS, this 2007 only has it on the rear. It must have been an option that was not checked off?
 
My 2006 4wd had 4 wheel ABS, this 2007 only has it on the rear. It must have been an option that was not checked off?
From the little research I've put into it, I'd say that's correct sir.
 
I know everyone likes pictures, so here's a few last ones - sort of a "before and after":
brake fail 9 - rear hard line from ABS to junction.jpg
More hard line rot (notice how they've all been in those protected/sleeved areas?); this one is the line
from the ABS controller to the junction for the rear brakes.

brake fail 10 - another failed hard line.jpg
Still more rotten hard line - and again, in and under that protective sleeve stuff.

brake fail 11 - new stuff installed and tight.jpg
The view from the left front wheelwell now. New caliper hose/metal line, new fabricated
line from that up to the rear port of the master cylinder and the newly replaced rear brake
feed from the ABS box above.
All snug, no leaks evident, all bled. Knock wood.
I've left it all open like this overnight for one last look-over in the morning, then I'll replace
the wheelwell liner and go for a white-knuckle test drive.
 
You made a comment that could shed so light on this exciting event....

"Turns out, that's the one coming from the ABS unit next to the battery and down to a junction block on the
frame behind all this front stuff I've been working on."

Any chance some battery acid leaked onto the brake lines & found it's way inside the rubber sleeve????
 
You made a comment that could shed so light on this exciting event....

"Turns out, that's the one coming from the ABS unit next to the battery and down to a junction block on the
frame behind all this front stuff I've been working on."

Any chance some battery acid leaked onto the brake lines & found it's way inside the rubber sleeve????
The truck came new with a sort of battery "insulation blanket" that I've kept in it over the years, for just the
reason you've mentioned - I figured it's there to absorb anything acidic that might try to escape; there's no evidence
IMO of this being specifically a battery corrosion caused situation.

In fact, for being a "southern truck" since new, the amount of corrosion underneath everywhere that I've seen the last
couple days is sort of appalling...there's surface rusting of the frame and even the emergency brake cable at the rear
axle is quite deteriorated.

No, instead I'm chalking this up to a)inferior parts supplier quality when new and b)where the truck usually sits in
semi-retirement (driven a couple times a week these days) as being the likely culprits.
The huge, open carport I built over a decade ago to shelter the truck and my tractor from the elements now appears to
be an environment where unimpeded humidity/ground soak has been slowly corroding the underside of the truck instead.
Totally open on all sides and with a gravel floor, it now appears there's unintended results to such sheltering.
 
The battery "insulation blanket" is there to keep most of the acid contained in case of total battery failure. It's useless. I had a 2002 and two , 2004's. I kept the 4 door 2004 till about three years ago. When I sold it it still didn't have rust around the rear wheel well lip and the bottom looked great, rust free. I have always had yearly unlimited car wash packages for all my cars from these car wash places and they stay looking new everyday of their lives. Most importantly the bottoms get bottom blasted weekly. My truck stayed out in my driveway everyday of it's life in the open with the weather on it, good or bad.
The huge, open carport you built over a decade ago to shelter the truck and your tractor from the elements now appears to
be an environment where unimpeded humidity/ground soak has been slowly corroding the underside of the truck instead.
Totally open on all sides and with a gravel floor, it now appears there's unintended results to such sheltering,............. that's exactly what happened!!

My Coronet sits on a carpeted garage floor for that reason and I only wash it once a year and to keep the dust off it and looking new, I use a cheap light weight car cover. The idea is to NOT trap moisture in or around my car. You wash those old car, top and bottom constantly, they'll fall apart if parked inside a dark moist garage.

I know a guy who bought two early 80's Corvettes, new, one he drove everyday for about 90 thousand miles and sold and the other was to be a replacement when the time came. When he went to use the other vet, which had 4800 miles on it, it was shot underneath. The radiator, everything rubber and everything that could rust or rot, did. It sat in a garage, about 4 inches off the ground everyday of it's life. It had cobwebs covering the whole bottom. It cost a fortune to fix. That's where I learned my lesson. I will say when you opened the door the interior smelled brand new and that was about it!! LOL. He used one of those Big dollar California waterproof moisture trap car covers on it too, no thanks.

My truck four years ago, except I dropped it 2 inches right after this picture was taken. Sold three years ago. The other 2004 was a two door, short bed 4x4. Two door was useless to me, that's why I had two 2004's, another lessen learned.

PICT0280 - Copy (2).jpg

My cheap Budge car cover and carpet under my car. Remember, I bought this car cover to fit loose and only for dust. It's 5 years old and was on another car before this one.

333.jpg
 
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