Do brake hoses really fail internally?

Long story short rebuilt my calipers replaced pads/rotors yet the front left is dragging again. I’ve read that this brake hoses can fail, restricting flow, sometimes acting as a check. Bought a new set and will change them this weekend. Anyone actually have a hose go bad on you causing this problem? In honesty there quite possibly is still some air in there too cuz my stepson was helping pump them and he was beginning to aggravate me. Could air be contributing? Seems to me it could as the negative hyd pressure should actually pull back on the cylinders some. Air might prevent that. Just tossing it out there. Thanks

 

I’m not sure with the lines being crushed but I do have a tip for bleeding brakes yourself.

get some clear tube to slip over the bleeder, and run it into a container (an old water or gatorade bottle works well). Something clear so you can see when it’s getting full. Put the other end of the hose in the bottom of the bottle, and put some brake fluid in there. The idea is to keep the hose always under fluid so it doesn’t let air in. Crack the bleeding and press the brakes a few times. Go out and check the hose to make sure you don’t see any air bubbles. Repeat if necessary. Chris fix did a good video on it if you want I will find it. I have used this method twice and it works great when you are working alone.

edit: forgot to mention leave enough hose so it goes above the bleeder then down to the bottle. I like to do this just so the air has somewhere higher to go.

 

I was considering picking up a bleeder tool from harbor freight. If not I will do the bottle/hose trick....

 

Had an issue on an older truck with pass side front dragging, was told about this potential problem and replaced all three flex lines (DF, PF and Rear Axle). Didn't inspect the old lines but can say that I haven't had the issue since (3yrs ago).

 

I plan on slicing them open... I’m leaning more towards still air in there though but the hoses are 20 yrs old....

 

If a hose were to go bad, I would think you'd see it, either in the form of leaking, or a bulge in the tubing.

What does your brake pedal feel like? Is it firm or squishy? If it's firm, there's not likely any air.

I think more likely you'd have a blockage from gunk that got stuck in the line. That's much more likely than a line failure. Take them off and douse them in brake cleaner in a jar and see if any chunks come out. You might not see anything as the brake cleaner may just dissolve it, too.

Who knows...

Did you get steel braided lines?

 

Brake lines can definitely go bad causing all kinds of problems. I would also recommend replacing all of the brake fluid while you are doing this.

 

it's be hard not to replace it all, lol

 

Yes. Or the rebuilt caliper could have a problem.

Unlikely to cause dragging. Air is more likely to cause a mushy pedal.

 

OE brake lines can and do fail internally, especially on older vehicles that were shipped with DOT 3 fluid. DOT 3 is toxic, and absorbs moisture. General Motors ( I haven't looked in a long time ) vehicles all come with a maintenance schedule that recommended replacing the brake fluid every 30000 mi
Steel brake lines and DOT 4 or 5 . are a good alternative.

 

Don't forget about the BPV valve on the rear axle axle when bleeding the brakes, too. That also gets bled

 

What ever you do don’t get the hand bleeder. I got one and it was a better paperweight.

Do you have a pic where this is located?

 

This is the bpv bracket on the back of the rear axle...if you follow the line up from there you'll see a bleeder valve for it

Edit - you have a 2nd gen so it may not be the same as 1st gens

 

mines a first gen, thanks for the picture of the bracket, whoever lifted it never added that. I will deal with that this weekend too

 

Yeah, the reviews on Harbor Freight are horrible lol... I guess I gotta smoke something and teach the kid to listen to me (even though hes 30) maybe he was playing on his phone

 

Yeah the bracket helps return some of the rear braking power back to normal after you lift it

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wwq1Vlk4Wg

 

Lmfaooooo hahahhaha too funny and too true amigo mio

 

Braided lines?!? Ehhhhhh , out of my paygrade, but yeah, there’s some squish cuz I couldn’t spend another second trying to explain to my adult step kid the concept of pump vs hold... lol I know I gotta straighten that out but was wondering about the hoses as well.

 

Will it increase the rear braking cuz I have relatively none now But when it’s under the knife this weekend doing the axle bearings, seals, brakes etc so figured I would add it.