Brake line plug

[sermis]

Anybody know the size of the fitting on the 3 way block on the rear axel?
I have a wheel cylender leaking and don't have time to fix it as I have a recovery on Monday. I was thinking of just removing the brake line from the block and putting a plug in as a temp fix. The vehicle I am going to tow has full air brakes so it should not be a big problem to stop.

 

[WillWagner]

Steve, I think it is 1/8 flare.

 

[rizzo]

I have looked for plugs and the only ones I found were home made. I have heard of two ways. take a cut off line and fold it and hammer flat and fold and hammer flat a few times. the other is a cut line brazed shut.

 

[Crazyguyla]

it's 5/16 or 1/8 flare. The only place i've seen them avalible is Pep Boys. They were located int he fitting aisle.

 

[doghead]

In an emergency(and I mean when you have no other choice), a small pair of ViceGrips can pinch the steel line closed(sacrificing the line of course). Leave them on. Take a camera to take pictures!(might be an interesting trip if you are driving and towing with a compromised brake system). Personally, I would fix them first or postpone the trip.

 

[Jake0147]

Remove the flare nut, insert an appropriately sized flat headed nail into the fitting or the line as appropriate, and re-install the line. It's got me home with more than one rotten old pickup, which probably use much higher PSIs in the brake hydraulic system.

Or better, instead of plugging the single line to the damaged section, you could remove the other two and install a simple flare nut union?

Or best... fix the brake correctly in the first place. Missing one axle's worth of brakes, you do still have brakes rated way more than what you will weigh, but should something go wrong, your fault, somebody else's fault, equipment failure, or acts of god, even if inoperative brakes weren't a factor, I wouldn't want to be the one trying to explain the difference between inoperative brakes and incorrect but "good enough" brakes...