I have a 1996 Cherokee Country. Is it possible that I could use flexible brake lines for my brakes? I don't know much about how they work, but I have a "broken" line and it is leaking. I don't wanna spend time on bending the lines because it takes a while for me, and I feel more safe knowing I didn't kink the line or anything like that. Thanks for all the responses ahead of time.

 

You have a broken hard line? You really need to get a replacement hard line from the dealer. That's the right way to do it. Brakes are a life and death scenario, so I'm not going to recommend that you Jerry-rig it.

If it was just a leaky rubber line, I would say just go to NAPA and get a NAPA OEM replacement, but since it's a hard line, you're looking at a dealer exclusive part.

 

my 00 had no back brakes. the long line from master to rear axel was rotted. i was lucky to find a guy at autozone who knew his stuff. 2 or 3 flares he said! i took my bad ends in and he matched up everything with the right flares. it took 2 pieces with a coupler and they had it all. worked fine. i pumped juice thru the line till it ran out the rear fitting i left loose. tightened that and had solid pedal! still do 6 mo. later i figured id break the bleeders as i always did. its great as is.

bending aint bad unless its a short bend. cheap benders usually get it done.

btw get the best coated line , it will last longer than original.

you might even find stainless.

 

If its a hard line it needs to stay a hard line,Reason being if you use a lot of flex line your brakes will not work as good and have a softer pedal and have to push it longer.

 

Well, I can't find a leak from inspecting it while someone pushed the pedal. I filled the master back up with some fluid and on my way to work from school it worked a lot better. Back then when my other line bursted I replaced it with a regular double flare line from Bumper to Bumper and it worked good for a bit. Just today I felt it being a little spongey. Do you think the brake lines could of been dry over time and just kept sucking fluid from the master and then the master went dry? I did bleed them when I replaced the new line, I just don't know if I did a perfect job.

 

Could be a rear wheel cylinder that is leaking and won't show unless you pull off the rear drums.

 

True... Could check that out.

 

If it is leaking replace the rear shoes and clean the drum good.

 

The hydraulic brake system is a sealed system. If you lose fluid, there is 100% a leak. If you cannot locate the leak from any of the lines, definitely pull the drums like andrew suggested and check the wheel cylinders. Should be dry inside the drum.

 

fill the master. pump about 6 times. check every new connection with a paper towell for wetness. if wet,wipe it good and repeat.
seems my a z guy used a different flare than double. mine are solid after 6 mo so he got it right.
you might also just not be tight enuf.

 

I just went with a preflared straight line from O'reilly's, think I used a 50" piece, that was the closest to the stock one at ~42 inches, and bent it into shape with one of the cheap little tube benders they sell, probably the easiest way to do the job without going through a dealer to get the pre-bent one.

 

Someone I know did this. They are not alive today. Do not recommend.

 

yeah, some guys should not work on cars. some forum guys are better than the pros.

 

I use NiCopp for brake line replacement. Very easy to bend and flare, and won't rust.

 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with replacing sections of brake line with unions and a new flared line. Just make sure all your lines are double flared. DO NOT USE COMPRESSION FITTINGS.