Ironically enough, the van died in front of a shop that probably has the
best remaining Vanagon mechanic in the area. Unfortunatly I don't
particularly care for the owner.  Anyway, I'm going to have him replace
anything that looks rusty once I get a chance to talk to him. It's a busy
(and very $$$$) shop and they might not get to it until Thursday.  I'm going
to have him replace it all if necessary, I'm not messing around with bad
brakes.

Thanks again for your help.

Bryan

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Ken Wilford
Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2009 10:05 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Brakes completely died.

Yes, I agree with Allan 100%.  Many folks are driving around with bad metal
brake lines and have no clue until the one day they go to step on the brakes
and they are no longer there.  Not a good feeling to have.  A much better
feeling is taking a few moments from your busy day, getting a piece of card
board, and lying under your van and looking around with a flash light.
Trace the metal brake lines from the wheels back to the center of the van
and then along the frame up to the front.  You are going to have to drop
your spare tire in the front to look above it but the effort is worth while.
If you do find you need some new lines the easiest/cheapest way to to buy
them premade from NAPA or another flaps.
You will need to measure your old lines, then go to the store.  You need
lines with a bubble flare on the end and if you are not sure of the size
take an old piece with you to check it against the new line.  These premade
lines will already have the fittings on them and the ends made.
You will not be able to get the exact lengths of the original line, DON'T
PANIC!  Just buy the next size longer and if you need to you can bend it
into a loop.  If you need a longer piece you can get a union from them and
use two shorter lines to make a longer one.  You don't need to follow the
path of the old line if you don't want to.  Who is ever going to see it or
care?  The main thing is that it works and that you route it in a way that
keeps it from being damaged.  Tie wrap it in place where there are no
supports already and then bleed the system and you should be good to go.  A
couple hours of work and less than $100 in new metal line could save your
life and the lives of others.  It is worth it.  If you have never inspected
your brake lines do so ASAP especially if you live in rust prone areas or if
you have already had problems with power steering lines rusting out, etc.

Hope this helps,
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
www.vanagain.com

Allan Streib wrote:
> On Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:47 -0400, "Mark" <mbrush@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
>
>> Yep - sounds like a rusted brake line.  To find it, crawl under the
>> van to the spot where you think the leak is - bring a light - then
>> have a friend push on the brake pedal for you (i find that friends
>> are one of the most important tools in the kit :)).
>>
>> I repaired a rusted brake line with some patience - still need to
>> road test, though...
>>
>
> The proper repair is to replace the entire section of brake line that
failed.  And, if one was rusty enough to blow out, likely others are also...
might want to have a good look at all the lines in the system.
>
> Allan
> --
> 1991 Vanagon GL
>
>