How to replace brake hose

[supersnake83]

Hello everyone,

I was driving in to school today and my brakes stopped working. I noticed that on the front, right (front passenger) side that I am leaking fluid. My initial thought is that I have a leak from one of the hoses, but I am not sure.

I can't seem to locate the part from a local parts store (aftermarket), so I will either have to order it from a Nissan Dealer or from a local parts store.

Can anyone explain how to replace the hose?

Also, since I don't have any fluid in my master cylinder, do I have to bleed my ABS module? (or have it bled by a professional?)

Thanks for any help.

[GerryO]

In my experience it's more likely that a caliper bleeder valve or piston seal is leaking than a hose, unless a hose has been cut somehow.

If the master cylinder is empty, all four brakes lines/calipers will need to be bled in a specified order to remove all air from the system. You'll need a helper, and it's best to use the proper size flare-nut wrench to loosen and tighten the bleeder valves.

It's a good time to check remaining brake pad thickness on all four wheels too. Another side note; brake fluid damages paint and absorbs water from the air.

[supersnake83]

Thanks for the reply.

I actually forgot to post up about 2 hours after my original post, for when I worked on my car. My problem was the hose. At the the top part of the hose, right where the brake hose screw is, the hose was leaking fluid. My reservoir was about 90% empty.

I did change my hose and I used a standard 10mm open wrench to loosen the brake hose screw. I had my mom follow very good instructions to help me to bleed my brakes.

I only bled the one wheel and my brake pressure had returned to normal. I will still plan to bleed the whole system sometime in the near future, but it will probably be when the weather gets warm again.

Thanks for the help!

Modified by supersnake83 at 11:47 AM 12/31/2009
Modified by supersnake83 at 11:48 AM 12/31/2009

[GerryO]

Nice work and it sounds like the fluid level in the master cylinder never got low enough to cause air to allow air to be forced into all of the brake lines. I should have specified using a flare nut wrench on the brake line connections and not the bleeder valves.