tool for brake line couplings

fredsub · Post by **fredsub** » Sat Nov 05, 2005 7:20 pm

is there any better tool than the open 10mm spanner ?
The coupling is just getting rounded

.......the coupling have been dry for some time (an ABS unit) but i've have done plenty of penetrant on it!!

adam_rxturbo · Post by **adam_rxturbo** » Sat Nov 05, 2005 7:45 pm

you can get 'flare nut' spanners, which have like 3/4 of the circle with a gap just wide enough to slip over the brake line. They are the tool made specifically for the job - maybe about $5-20 from repco.

Otherwise what i have found, is that instead of starting on the bolt in the direction of un-doing it, go to tighten the bolt first. What this does is cracks the tension/corrosion in the thread, then you'll find that it winds off backwards with no hassle at all! And you are actually less likely to round the hex by tightening it before going straight to loosening it! Hope this helps - its helped me every time

Cheers
-Adam

PeeJay · Post by **PeeJay** » Sat Nov 05, 2005 7:53 pm

If you can get a good grip on it use a big shifter and give it a whack with your palm. This seems to work if you are careful not to round the thing!

adam_rxturbo · Post by **adam_rxturbo** » Sat Nov 05, 2005 7:58 pm

hahaha that just reminded me of something else - its probably best not to use a shifter - but if you can get a big enough one in there, you'd get more torque onto it compared to a little open end 10mm spanner. However if it has jsut as slippery of a grip, the greater torque will simply mean a greater rooting of the hex!!!

What i had just remembered is that if you are having trouble with one that has already started to round, is to use Vice grips!! Mixed with the tightening before looseing technique is unstoppable

Cheers
-Adam

fredsub · Post by **fredsub** » Sat Nov 05, 2005 8:54 pm

but if you can get a big enough one in there, you'd get more torque onto it compared to a little open end 10mm spanner. However if it has jsut as slippery of a grip, the greater torque will simply mean a greater rooting of the hex!!!

thats what I thought too, yep stuffed it up worse....

hey thanks, "flare-nut" spanner, sounds promising, don't think I ever saw such things before, will have to enquire, I do like using the correct tool for the job

adam_rxturbo · Post by **adam_rxturbo** » Sat Nov 05, 2005 9:01 pm

hehehe, yeah well if you've managed to round off the hex, the flare-nut spanner will also become useless - because it requires that hex to grab...

But all is not lost, like i said, if you get some vice grips on there, they should come loose without a problem at all. And in the past i've found that once you get the lines off, you can pretty easily beat/squash/whatever the hex back into place. For typical bolts i just squash the hell out of the flats in a vice

makes the hex like new again! But i wouldnt go squashing the hell out of a brake line bolt hex - or else it would collapse. But im pretty sure you can restore the hex atleast enough to be usable again.

Also, remember not to do them back up desperately tight - ive seen that happen a lot, and it just multiplies the difficulty of pulling them off for the next person. Just think about it, they're only little bolts with small threads, nipped up firm is all you need

Cheers
-Adam

BaronVonChickenPants · Post by **BaronVonChickenPants** » Sat Nov 05, 2005 9:37 pm

My vote is for vice grips, once u've got it off I would file two opposing sides flat so that u can do it back up again with a smaller spanner.

Jordan.

daza · Post by **daza** » Sun Nov 06, 2005 8:28 pm

I have also heard the "flare-nut spanner" called a "Pipe spanner" if you go looking for one.

fredsub · Post by **fredsub** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 10:28 pm

the "flare-nut spanner" worked brilliantly,

that I didn't know of them b4, so thanks for the suggestion.
Set of 3 cost $18, just a made in Taiwan set.
Filed problem flares flat b4 trying em,

adam_rxturbo · Post by **adam_rxturbo** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 10:58 pm

glad to have been of assistance

Cheers
-Adam

Subarooted · Post by **Subarooted** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 11:11 pm

And in the past i've found that once you get the lines off, you can pretty easily beat/squash/whatever the hex back into place. For typical bolts i just squash the hell out of the flats in a vice makes the hex like new again! But i wouldnt go squashing the hell out of a brake line bolt hex - or else it would collapse. But im pretty sure you can restore the hex atleast enough to be usable again

I wouldn't recommend doing that - sorry adam_rxturbo..... if you have buggered the shape of the hex then this means the steel has already yielded plastically and will not behave with the same strength properties as before. You'll proabably be able to do it up again - because tightening bolts generally requires less torque, but when you come to undo them again they'll deform on you again. Just get some second hand lines from a wrecker.

adam_rxturbo · Post by **adam_rxturbo** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 11:29 pm

yeah, i understand what you're saying. And i did suggest not to do that to brake lines as they'd probably collapse. When explaining it i had typical bolts in mind, rather than brake line bolts. As the standard bolts are a lot tougher and can be pretty well squashed back into shape without much of any hassle - even under the torque of the rattle gun. Just something i've picked up along the way of my apprenticeship

But yeah, brake lines are a tricky business. They pretty much have to be done right the first time, otherwise you'll hit troubles for sure

Cheers
-Adam

wagonist · Post by **wagonist** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 1:56 pm

Bought a set of pipe spanners about 8 years ago when I did my first subie conversion. Now I guard the mwith my life 8O

DO NOT BUY THE SUPERCHEAP 10mm version though. There is not enough metal on it to stop it flaring out under tough conditions.
The larger ones are ok as you'll only need them for AC pipes, but buy a good 10mm version though.

adam_rxturbo · Post by **adam_rxturbo** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 1:59 pm

yeah even the repco ones arent too tough - they're good for normal conditions. But if you get a lot of weight on them they snap easily - mainly the 12,15,17 ones i think... I cant remember which, but i know i snapped the bosses ones 3 times

but the good thing about repco is instant replacement no questions asked.

I now have a snapon 10-12 one which costed me somewhere between $20-50 and you can practically jump on the end of it

But repco ones should be a-ok for regular use!

Cheers
-Adam

fredsub · Post by **fredsub** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 9:49 pm

yeah went to have a look at SUPERCRAP, for pipe bender and flaring tools...the stuff they got belong in a cheap plumbers hardware store - its for copper tubes only. Are they serious? Last time I checked brake/fuel lines are
steel.

Ended up getting a fragram set, looks nice, haven't really tested it real hard yet tho.