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

[moparedtn]

2004 Ram SLT hemi 4x4, aka "Bert":

Bought new way back then, been a fantastic truck ever since....until today, that is....
As I went to slow down for an upcoming red light (with light traffic, thank God) I go for the brakes,
when something then proceeded to "pop" - with the accompanying pedal heading for the floor FAST
- at speed.

Needless to say - that was a bit of a surprise.

Much frantic stomping of the emergency brake ensued as I looked for something soft to ground that 5k+
pound "plane" into - which wound up being a front yard of a local business.
I get out and look under the hood - nada.
Looking under the left front, however, THAR SHE BLOWS - brake fluid pouring out from somewhere behind
the wheel, lickity split.
Duo-system safety systems my ***!
Now with zero brakes and zero fluid (not to mention, the emergency brakes now shot too), the only recourse
was to call for a rollback - something I'm just not used to doing in my life.
I get the thing home and tear into it and here's what I discover:

See it? A friggin HOLE, right there in the drivers' side caliper hose!
The amount of corrosion was stunning - we don't live in "salt country"...


What kind of cockamamie rig is this? Metal bracketry to attach the hose to the FRAME
even before the connection to the metal lines?

The junction on these things at the frame end has a small metal line with flare coming to it
from below AND above??
Well, the "below" one didn't fight coming loose....
but the top one sure did, despite PB Blaster and repeated attempts at hold-backs.
Twisted the end right off her, I did....so I need to do something about that, too.
Ok, discovered the hose is readily fetchable (from what I find online, this has been apparently
a "known" issue with these trucks??). I'll fetch a decent one and effect repair, BUT...

I'm seeing others using compression couplings to put the top metal line back together on these
from where they had to twist theirs off as well.
That just seems janky to me.
Is that advisable?
Otherwise, reckon I have to fetch a factory line replacement.

Oh....and this truck just fell a couple pegs on the "last truck I'll ever own" board.

 

[Fran Blacker]

Ed that sucks! Compression fittings don't that's a good idea.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Convert that top line to AN. Use AN -3 or -4.

 

[khryslerkid]

I thought it was going to be "I didn't bother to use jack stands" again thread.

You said hole in the brake hose. Looks like the steel line? Anyway the material being use for the last ten plus years is garbage, no matter what part we're talking about. The whole brake line for your truck is available from front to back. I'm not too keen on the compression fittings but I've seen them being used. Myself I'll go with a double flare with the correct fittings. They sell the individual sections of lines as long as you can get to both ends. This is what happens when you find someone has used a compression fitting as one end wasn't easy to get to.

Glad you escaped any tragedy, physical or personal property damage. That's the brakes!

 

[moparmarks]

Glad your okay Ed.

 

[moparedtn]

Ed that sucks! Compression fittings don't that's a good idea.

What I'm thinking too...

Convert that top line to AN. Use AN -3 or -4.

Naw, going back stock for stock, since I have no idea about all that "AN" stuff all I can do is
get in trouble with it.

I thought it was going to be "I didn't bother to use jack stands" again thread.

You said hole in the brake hose. Looks like the steel line? Anyway the material being use for the last ten plus years is garbage, no matter what part we're talking about. The whole brake line for your truck is available from front to back. I'm not too keen on the compression fittings but I've seen them being used. Myself I'll go with a double flare with the correct fittings. They sell the individual sections of lines as long as you can get to both ends. This is what happens when you find someone has used a compression fitting as one end wasn't easy to get to.

Glad you escaped any tragedy, physical or personal property damage. That's the brakes!

If I'm being honest here - ok, I did consider tearing the thing apart without a jack
stand under it out of a rage-fueled need to GET AT THAT SUMBEECH...
but in the end, I surrendered to common sense and added one before commencing work.

Yes, Cap'n Obvious, the hole is in the metal part of the hose - and that's what it's called,
front left brake hose.

I'm going to rip the fender liner out of there next and get at the other end of the twisted
off line to see about removing it from that end, then taking it in with me to come up with
a "bendable" replacement rig hopefully - or end up buying a factory exact replacement.

Thanks my friend - yes, the thought has occurred to me that this could have ended up
VERY badly and again, I am thankful.

 

[moparedtn]

Glad your okay Ed.

Thank you very much, my friend. Dodged another one I reckon.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Put a tack weld on the hole!



Just kidding, don’t do that!!

 

[Richard Cranium]

I had the right front brake line fail on my old Dodge work van at a jobsite about 75 miles from home. I was able to flatten the line, fold it over and crimp it with vice grips to get back. It was scary every time I hit the brakes as it wanted to pull hard left.

 

[1967coronet]

Glad things didn't go from bad to worse Ed.
Our Napa here stocks pre flared brake line with the ends on it.
Comes in several lengths from 6" to 48"
Ck. Your parts store , this stuff is bends nice by hand.
If 48 won't make the trip with all the little bends you can grab a barrell flare connection to hook a long and short pc. together.

 

[OH71RRunner]

When I had my 06, I had a similar problem with the brake line. Replaced the line far enough back from the rot with new line and ends.

 

[moparedtn]

Upon further review, it appears this line/hose has been rotting inside the heavy rubber "protector" sleeve for a while now.
This thing was a damn time bomb...

 

[1 Wild R/T]

As others have mentioned don't use compression fittings... I've seen it done, it's not rated for the pressure & I sure wouldn't want to risk my life or someones else's.....

This is from the Legris website, they are the part of Parker Hannifin that makes all sorts of fittings...

Brakes under normal application are in the 3-400 PSI range... In a panic stop 12-1500 PSI... Not a risk I'm gonna take.... As has been mentioned either a new full line from Dodge which in my experience you won't be able to get... Or standard repair lines available at most parts stores....

 

[ESOXER]

I like that Nicop line, bend it with your hands flare and done. Only used it on short sections.

 

[moparedtn]

Decided to go back out there and rip the inner fender liner out and see what's what...
while the lower hard line to the caliper hose fitting is fine, the upper one got all twisted
despite my best efforts (the corrosion evident on everything is quite eye-opening).

Very weird how this thing is plumbed, what with a hard line coming to the hose fitting
from both under and over the frame. From what I've seen of the Mopar diagrams, 4WD
units are only supposed to have a single hard line coming down to here, not two??
Beats me, but here's the entire bent up line off the truck now - and it's got two different
sized fittings on the ends:

This is the end that goes directly into the rear port of the master cylinder (!).
Reckon that means only 2-wheel ABS?


....and our twisted-off end that goes into the top of the 3-way connector for the
caliper hose (I have the "nub" too, which is different than the other end fitting and
seems like it's the same size/type as the other hard line still on the truck - the one
that comes up from underneath on the caliper hose 3-way connector).


There's the whole shootin' match. If the end fittings can be reconciled,
I reckon a store-bought stick of whatever size this is will do just fine.

Still sort of confused that this line goes directly from master cylinder to
the left front caliper, though?
Maybe the right front caliper is fed off that bottom hard line that's still on
the truck?
It would pretty much have to be, I imagine...

 

[khryslerkid]

Are you sure it's coming from the MC and not the ABS module?

These lines are reproduced by several manufacturers. I believe you use NAPA.

 

[5.7 hemi]

That’s a bubble flare, most people won’t have the correct tools to make that.

 

[moparedtn]

Are you sure it's coming from the MC and not the ABS module?

These lines are reproduced by several manufacturers. I believe you use NAPA.

Dude, I know what it was screwed into...

That’s a bubble flare, most people won’t have the correct tools to make that

We shall see tomorrow, I reckon.

 

[demonram]

The main thing is you’re alright! We’ve all looked at things (whether it’s automotive or numerous other situations)where we say or think, WTF! Glad you used ye old jack stand too!

 

[5.7 hemi]

Bubble flare or DIN/ISO flare