Dodge Caravan Brake Lines

I own a 2000 Grand Caravan and recently the brake line going to the back
brakes split in half and dumped all the brake fluid out. These brake lines
are built to fail.

Under the driver's feet and under the floor is a box. Out of this box comes
two flexible brake lines which after a foot or so are crimped onto the
regular steel brake lines. At the crimp point the steel is cut in, with
water and time this rusts and becomes a real weak point leading to the line
snapping there.

I lost all braking when the line snapped. Luckily I was in my driveway and
got the car stopped with the emergency brake. If I had of been out on the
highway and traveling at speed, I would have wrecked the car trying to stop
or worse.

Has anyone else had this problem?

"ed westlund" > wrote in message
news:Ruaxf.302950$ki.220556@pd7tw2no...
> I own a 2000 Grand Caravan and recently the brake line going to the back
> brakes split in half and dumped all the brake fluid out. These brake lines
> are built to fail.
>
> Under the driver's feet and under the floor is a box. Out of this box
comes
> two flexible brake lines which after a foot or so are crimped onto the
> regular steel brake lines. At the crimp point the steel is cut in, with
> water and time this rusts and becomes a real weak point leading to the
line
> snapping there.
>
> I lost all braking when the line snapped. Luckily I was in my driveway and
> got the car stopped with the emergency brake. If I had of been out on the
> highway and traveling at speed, I would have wrecked the car trying to
stop
> or worse.
>
> Has anyone else had this problem?
>
>
Yup I have seen it several times, and everyone I have repaired was due to
rust. And the reason why it rusted was because someone sold rust
protection/undercoating/soundproofing or whatever they call it to the owner
and it trapped all the water in the flex line and corroded it. Do you have
this on your vehicle?

Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

"maxpower" > wrote in message
...
>
> "ed westlund" > wrote in message
> news:Ruaxf.302950$ki.220556@pd7tw2no...
> > I own a 2000 Grand Caravan and recently the brake line going to the back
> > brakes split in half and dumped all the brake fluid out. These brake
lines
> > are built to fail.
> >
> > Under the driver's feet and under the floor is a box. Out of this box
> comes
> > two flexible brake lines which after a foot or so are crimped onto the
> > regular steel brake lines. At the crimp point the steel is cut in, with
> > water and time this rusts and becomes a real weak point leading to the
> line
> > snapping there.
> >
> > I lost all braking when the line snapped. Luckily I was in my driveway
and
> > got the car stopped with the emergency brake. If I had of been out on
the
> > highway and traveling at speed, I would have wrecked the car trying to
> stop
> > or worse.
> >
> > Has anyone else had this problem?
> >
> >
> Yup I have seen it several times, and everyone I have repaired was due to
> rust. And the reason why it rusted was because someone sold rust
> protection/undercoating/soundproofing or whatever they call it to the
owner
> and it trapped all the water in the flex line and corroded it. Do you have
> this on your vehicle?
>

Wait just a cotten-picken minute here, Glenn. a SINGLE brake line snapped
and he lost ALL braking? Did the feds change the law requiring independent
braking systems for front and rear? Did master cylinders suddenly go back
to
being a single resivour rather than duals? What's going on here?!?!

Ted

"Ted Mittelstaedt" > wrote in message
...
>
> "maxpower" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "ed westlund" > wrote in message
> > news:Ruaxf.302950$ki.220556@pd7tw2no...
> > > I own a 2000 Grand Caravan and recently the brake line going to the
back
> > > brakes split in half and dumped all the brake fluid out. These brake
> lines
> > > are built to fail.
> > >
> > > Under the driver's feet and under the floor is a box. Out of this box
> > comes
> > > two flexible brake lines which after a foot or so are crimped onto the
> > > regular steel brake lines. At the crimp point the steel is cut in,
with
> > > water and time this rusts and becomes a real weak point leading to the
> > line
> > > snapping there.
> > >
> > > I lost all braking when the line snapped. Luckily I was in my driveway
> and
> > > got the car stopped with the emergency brake. If I had of been out on
> the
> > > highway and traveling at speed, I would have wrecked the car trying to
> > stop
> > > or worse.
> > >
> > > Has anyone else had this problem?
> > >
> > >
> > Yup I have seen it several times, and everyone I have repaired was due
to
> > rust. And the reason why it rusted was because someone sold rust
> > protection/undercoating/soundproofing or whatever they call it to the
> owner
> > and it trapped all the water in the flex line and corroded it. Do you
have
> > this on your vehicle?
> >
>
> Wait just a cotten-picken minute here, Glenn. a SINGLE brake line snapped
> and he lost ALL braking? Did the feds change the law requiring
independent
> braking systems for front and rear? Did master cylinders suddenly go back
> to
> being a single resivour rather than duals? What's going on here?!?!
>
> Ted
>
>
Well Ted if your driving a car and you hit the brakes and have pressure then
all the sudden the line breaks and now the pedal goes to the floor you may
as well say you don't have any. What this OP wrote happened to me in a
customers car after I did a front brake job and road tested it. The line
blew, the cust was ****ed off at us until I asked him what would have
happened if it was his wife driving when this occurred.

Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech


What does the feds have to do with it???? The 91-93 Mini
Van/Dynasty/NewYorker (STILL ON THE ROAD)with the "Bendix 10 system"
Loose the pump and you have no brakes period!!!! loose the Dual function
pressure switch and you have no brakes, the relay....no brakes......etc

"maxpower" > wrote in message
...
>
> >
> >
> Well Ted if your driving a car and you hit the brakes and have pressure
then
> all the sudden the line breaks and now the pedal goes to the floor you may
> as well say you don't have any.

OK I see what your saying. He had brakes, he just thought he didn't
because it felt like he didn't - so he didn't pump them or press hard enough
to get the working circuit to actually do any braking.

I had one circuit on my '68 Torino start leaking, and you are right, it is
surprising how much less braking you have when your down to 1 circuit.

Ted

"Ted Mittelstaedt" > wrote in message
...
>
> "maxpower" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > >
> > >
> > Well Ted if your driving a car and you hit the brakes and have pressure
> then
> > all the sudden the line breaks and now the pedal goes to the floor you
may
> > as well say you don't have any.
>
> OK I see what your saying. He had brakes, he just thought he didn't
> because it felt like he didn't - so he didn't pump them or press hard
enough
> to get the working circuit to actually do any braking.
>
> I had one circuit on my '68 Torino start leaking, and you are right, it is
> surprising how much less braking you have when your down to 1 circuit.
>
> Ted
>
>
Not a good feeling at all. I'm getting ready to replace all the steel lines
in my 67 mustang. They are looking kinda shaky on the outside

"maxpower" > wrote in message
. ..
>
> >
> Not a good feeling at all. I'm getting ready to replace all the steel
lines
> in my 67 mustang. They are looking kinda shaky on the outside
>

Did the 67 have dual tanks in the master? I guess it did but I think
it must have been very early, I recall the 65 didn't.

Ted

Ted Mittelstaedt wrote:
> "maxpower" > wrote in message
> . ..
>
>>Not a good feeling at all. I'm getting ready to replace all the steel
>
> lines
>
>>in my 67 mustang. They are looking kinda shaky on the outside
>>
>
>
> Did the 67 have dual tanks in the master? I guess it did but I think
> it must have been very early, I recall the 65 didn't.
>
> Ted
>
>

Probably; it was right about then that they were mandated. They started
to become optional around 1962-63ish. (I'm speaking of American cars in
general; I don't know exactly when the Mustang got the dual master
cylinder.)

nate

--
replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

"Ted Mittelstaedt" > wrote in message
...
>
> "maxpower" > wrote in message
> . ..
> >
> > >
> > Not a good feeling at all. I'm getting ready to replace all the steel
> lines
> > in my 67 mustang. They are looking kinda shaky on the outside
> >
>
> Did the 67 have dual tanks in the master? I guess it did but I think
> it must have been very early, I recall the 65 didn't.
>
> Ted
>
>

Yea, they still seperarated the front and rear.

On Fri, 13 Jan 2006 01:32:41 -0800, "Ted Mittelstaedt"
> wrote:

>I had one circuit on my '68 Torino start leaking, and you are right, it is
>surprising how much less braking you have when your down to 1 circuit.
>
>Ted

Ted,

Your two circuits would be front and rear, lose the front and you
lose quite a bit.

These newer Mopars use two circuits in diagonal.
(reservoirs are equal)