My days of doing my own work are past, so I'm not looking for DIY but here's the thing.
Yesterday I uncovered the '03 vert and backed out of the driveway. The pedal went to the floor but it did stop. Then I noticed the thin trail of brake fluid from under the back of the car.
I wasn't going to go to my usual mechanic, about 20 miles away so I went to the guy about 2 miles down the road. Nice guy and seems to know his stuff but he took one look and said I'd have to take the car to the dealer because there's a special computer needed to bleed the brakes and he doesn't have it. He did pour abot a pint of brake fluid in (gratis) but reminded me that doesn't fix anything. So I have an appointment with a dealer 3 days from now and will have the car flat bedded there but is this for real? You need a special computer to change brake lines? The mechanic led me to believe the scanners are very expensive and only available to authorized GM shops.
I did a little internet research and found some info on the Tech 2 scanner. Doesn't seem like such a big deal. Amazon sells them. Maybe I should have called my regular mechanic but it would still involve getting a flatbed.
And do you really need this to change the lines?

 

You do not need a computer to bleed your soft brake lines.

You do need a computer (tech2 or similar, including knockoffs) to cycle the ABS. If your fluid leak has made it so your ABS needs to get cycled to fully flush the fluid, then you do need a computer. Plus it's good to do once in a blue moon anyways.

 

Thanks gimp.
Next question: When I picked the car up the service advisor said the lines in the back of the car had worn--not rusted--through. Caused by rubbing I assume. So what are the brake lines rubbing against and how can this be avoided in the future?

 

I personally have not seen stock soft-line fail by being rubbed through, on a stock C5. I could see it if the wheels are significantly different (offsets/widths/etc). If anyone else has, I'd love to hear the details.

My knee-jerk reaction is to say you should pay $60-ish for a pair of SS lines. Standard interior, stainless steel braid, and usually clear chafe-guard. Probably cheaper than stock replacement lines anyways. If I were worried about rub, I would inspect it once in a while; if I actually saw evidence of rub on the brand new lines, I'd probably try to put on something like a bit of tacky red paint in the area and see where it's transferring onto.

 

My C5 is stock.
I would have liked SS lines and hoses but the dealer said I'd have to buy them from a 3rd party and wait for delivery. Meanwhile my car was sitting on their lot.
Well, the car is 17 years old. If these lines last another 17 that'll be fine (I'll be 88 by then).

 

Darn J. your five years younger than I and I'm still bleeding my own brakes. What the heck am I thinkin?

 

The brake lines are isolated from all contact by plastic clips. If one of the clips that supports the lines id damaged oir gone and the line contacts the body or cradle, it can rub through over time.

IF, I were ME, I would have wiggled under the rear and put my eyes on the leak area and seen why it rubbed through.

Have the Stealership ship show you the line and why it got damaged.

Bill

 

I agree with BC. When I first bought the C5 and saw the conversation on SS break lines, I asked my go to Mechanic whether should I change, he said it was a waste of money. He opined that most time the break lines that fail are due to someone rerouting them incorrectly or from a missing or broken clamp.

 

I just bled (flushed) original brake fluid on my 2002 a few weeks ago. As gimp mentioned, the only thing a Tech2 (or similar) helps with is cycling the ABS. Basic brake bleeding on our cars follows the normal process of bleeding each line until clear fluid flows. I've since acquired a Tech2 so I'll do another flush in the Spring that includes cycling the ABS.

 

Tell the first mechanic you went to that the tech 2 is available for under $300 shipped. For that generation of GM vehicles it's almost too cheap now not to have one. I'm pretty sure there are other brands it works on as well.

 

Well, kind of after the fact now. My usual mechanic probably could have handled it but he's about 30 miles away. Then there's the issue of actually fabricating the steel tubing. Could be the local guy didn't want to drop the trans and bend new lines. I dunno. It's done. $700 + towing.

 

Everything working good and pedal feels good?

 

I think we need some clarification, here. What went bad, the steel, "hard line", or the flexible "brake hose"? The hard lines to the back of the car, are retained by a series of clips, so they remain stationary. They shouldn't be "rubbing" on anything. The hoses, however, flex and move as the suspension rises and falls, as you drive, as well as turn with the front wheels, as you drive around corners. They, too, are somewhat retained by clips, as mentioned, as if the clips fail, the hoses can come into contact with moving parts, and then wear through.

Stainless brake hoses, as mentioned, are actually stainless steel sheathed, rubber hoses. The shielding provides two benefits. First is obvious, abrasion resistance. The second is the sheathing also acts like a "girdle", and prevents the internal pressure from expanding the hose, so you get ALL of the pressure pushing against the brake pads, rather than expanding the hose itself, first, then applying pressure to the pads.

 

It was the hard steel line.

 

Kent, I agree with those that suggest you really need to find out what exactly caused the hard line to fail. It could just be some miscommunication between the mech and the service writer, but if a hard line fails it's typically from corrosion and not rubbing, so you'll want to get to the bottom of that.

If it was due to rubbing you really want to identify the culprit before it happens again. It can't hurt to get the back of the car in the air and look for the new line that was installed. Then trace it's path to see what may have caused the problem. This is something you could also discuss with your 'usual mechanic' the next time you take it to him for an oil change. He'll already have it in the air and finding the new line should be simple for him. He can then let you know if there is anything you need to be concerned with and address.

BTW, changing the flexible lines to quality Stainless Steel braided lines is a worthwhile modification. Not only will it typically result in a firmer brake pedal (although not easy to feel with power brakes), but they will last the life of the car. Check with the folks on the C2 and C3 Forums who are doing brake jobs. One of the first components most often suggested to replace is the fabric flex lines, especially if they are original to the car. They deteriorate internally, not just externally and can act like a check valve which can lead to pulling to the side when brakes are applied or even overheating of the brake buy not releasing pressure fully when the brakes are released.

Good luck... GUSTO