Rusted brake line coming from the ABS module is leaking brake fluid

[RJPS]

Squishy brakes kept getting worse until I could finally see where the leak was coming from (see pic). Started out at local shop where mechanic didn't want to replace the whole line but just the piece that was leaking. Then spent half my day running from place to place just to find out that no one carries the hard metal and none of the mechanics want to do the hard work of bending it to fit. Been filling the brake reservoir about every few miles while I'm out driving....ie it's badly leaking now! Luckily the previous owner replaced 3 of the 4 lines, but guess which one is leaking?

I'm handy and I'd like to do the work, but where do I find the preformed piece I need? I don't think I have to skill to bend properly it all the way from front to back.

What have y'all done to fix the rusted out hard metal brake lines on your 2nd gens?
Are there any aftermarket fixes?
Stainless steel braided lines that would work?

Appreciate any/all feedback!

 

[TobyU]

Usually there is no pre formed line. You don't have to be so precise when bending. The typical armor tough line that AUtozone or wherever carries is fairly kind proof.
You can get a small tubing bender but you really can just do it with hands.
Just start at the end and get it enough to push down into the area it needs to go and have the bent end sticking up ans curves so you can thread it into the abs block.
You have to be careful starting them. Has to me almost perfectly straight and you always do it by fingers not a wrench until it is seated then snug plus a little bit more with a wrench.

The problem is often on fords the line is 3/16 or 1/4 (usually 3/16) but the end fitting on one end at ABS is larger than the standard 3/16 line end.
They should have a box of adapters you can use so take the end out of abs with you to store to match it up. It has to have the conical seat at bottom for a sealing surface for the new line to seat and crush into. Like a union.
It's not rocket science but a lot of crawling around underneath and annoying.
You can actually do it most times without having to cut any new lines or flare anything. Just measure carefully and get just slightly longer than needed and route in in zig zag to even loop to take up extra length.
Pump fluid through the line BEFORE you connect the rear end of it. It can take a lot of pumps. Then bleed whatever comes after it (caliper or wheel cyl)

I have had to use old ends before and flare them onto new line.
Did EVERY inch of line on a 95 Town Car about 3 years ago. On the ground in 10 degree F temps. Sucked, but it still has great brakes.

 

[RJPS]

Thanks TobyU!
I bought the steel line from PepBoys and the tools to bend and flare. I'm really surprised that there isn't any preformed aftermarket parts, well at least I can't find any. Another surprise is that the Chilton's I have doesn't even have a brake line diagram. How does that even make sense?
So I'm enjoying my sunday funday pretending I'm lounging by the pool but really just getting up close and personal with my Expy's undercarriage. In fact now that I've spent some time under her, I've got a LOT more questions about pretty much everything!
Thanks again!

 

[RJPS]

Update: Toby, you were right, running the brake line was a PITA, but totally doable. Unfortunately none of the auto parts stores, Ford dealers, etc had brake line nuts that would seat to the bottom of the ABS module. I found what I thought were the appropriate screws to fit in my ABS module...... NOPE!
Stripped that puppy right out. Now my $500 brake line job is a $1000 job with a new aftermarket ABS module. From what I understand there are no options once you strip an ABS plate. Not sure where to go from here.......

 

[TobyU]

Update: Toby, you were right, running the brake line was a PITA, but totally doable. Unfortunately none of the auto parts stores, Ford dealers, etc had brake line nuts that would seat to the bottom of the ABS module. I found what I thought were the appropriate screws to fit in my ABS module...... NOPE!
Stripped that puppy right out. Now my $500 brake line job is a $1000 job with a new aftermarket ABS module. From what I understand there are no options once you strip an ABS plate. Not sure where to go from here.......

Did A fitting you were trying to put in not go in straight and cross thread? Or was it over tightened? Or was it not the right type of threads and was forced in? Everything has to go in with finger pressure only as you are assembling it.
I think I mentioned part of this in one of my first post on this that sometimes you have to actually use the old fitting if you can't find a new one on the brake line to fit. Often the fittings on the brake line are smaller than the fittings on the ABS modules. You can also buy the same fittings in a package. I bought a five or six pack from Advance Auto Parts a while back and they are a 6 mm or something but they are the larger fittings that go around the smaller brake line the same as the ones in the ABS module. This was on a Town Car. I did one just three or four years ago on and older Ford box truck and it's fitting that goes right into the master cylinder one of them had a larger line piece and that's the one I was able to use one of the adapters. The O'Reilly here has an entire box with 15 or 20 different adapters in it. That's the ones I mentioned you have to make sure the bottom has the conical seat just like a union so it will screw in and seal just like a piece of brake line would. You can't just screw in something Hollow with threads for the bottom won't touch or it will leak as soon as the fluid hits it. The threads are allowed are never enough to seal on brake lines. There has to be that compression conical sweating action at the bottom where it squeezes down and matches the end of line that is flared over in a bubble flare.
If the threads are buggered up you can find a tap and clean them up but if they are fully stripped out and you can't get the proper size fitting to tighten up enough to hold pressure then there's only really two options. You might be able to top it out with a slightly larger tap to a fitting that you can buy that would seal out and put that one in but that's just a chance that may or may not work. The better way is to replace it. I would just replace the aluminum block module part from a salvage yard with another one.
That's not the type of part that's really readily available or commonly purchased for repairs so they're not going to be cheap new.
Many junk yards will sell you anything off a car as long as you're willing to take it off. That would be a situation where you would just cut the lines and leave them in with wire cutters and take the whole unit if you can't remove just the aluminum top part with a couple of screws. This could be a cheap 20 to $50 part at a junkyard.
Brake lines and hydraulic fittings are touching things and you have to get them perfectly straight and start them with your fingers only to make sure you don't cross thread them. If they are cross threaded or you over tighten them there's going to be problems.

 

[TobyU]

They probably sell those ABS pump modules on eBay for a couple hundred dollars but I haven't ever priced one. Sometimes the aluminum block part can be removed from the rest of it from the picture you posted it doesn't look like yours would be easy to take apart. Or possible. A good used one or one off of eBay would be your best bet and make sure when all the lines go back in that you finger thread them in until they see and then snug them plus just a bit more.
Edit: just glanced over eBay. Looks like there's lots of them available just all used at Auto Recyclers and going rate being right around 40 to 50 bucks for one shipped to your door. Some cheaper some eighty to a hundred. Just have to make sure you get all the right parameters with the traction assist without 2 wheel drive 4 wheel drive or all that stuff. But there's plenty out there available.

They don't really go bad that often but the ones that do on the Fords typically is the Electronic Module part on the side part of the unit that gets moisture in it and cause your ABS light to stay on but the brakes still work fine it just have a light and the ABS doesn't pump. But not a super high failure rate. No way would I pay dealer prices for what they would certainly want for something like this. Or what a Motorcraft when would be if it's still available.

 

[dpr2245]

Thanks for the junk yard tip!

 

[Al Steel]

Update: Toby, you were right, running the brake line was a PITA, but totally doable. Unfortunately none of the auto parts stores, Ford dealers, etc had brake line nuts that would seat to the bottom of the ABS module. I found what I thought were the appropriate screws to fit in my ABS module...... NOPE!
Stripped that puppy right out. Now my $500 brake line job is a $1000 job with a new aftermarket ABS module. From what I understand there are no options once you strip an ABS plate. Not sure where to go from here.......

Yikes! yeah when you have 2 different metals going together like that (brass into aluminum) the harder one always wins, which is why you gotta be darn careful with those stupid ABS blocks. Worst part is that you can't even re-tap the threads b/c the clearance between the line holes won't allow you to go 1/16" over without weakening the block, let alone finding a new brake line fitting to fit the newly cut threads. My rule of thumb when going into aluminum or other soft metals is 1/16th of a turn past hand tight. For a brake module.. lightly hand snug it, pump the brakes, if it leaks, 1/16th turns until the leaking stops.

+1 on the junkyard trip. Shouldn't be that hard to find since I'm pretty certain they used the same module for several years and on the F-150s/Expys/Navigator.