Has anyone ever had the problem of their brake hose not coming free from the hard line? The PO obviously had some trouble with it because the metal tension "spring" is all out of shape. The nut on the hard line is a 7/16. No metric wrench I have will fit it. I don't remember what the other side was, but I would swear it was metric. Maybe the PO just mated an American thread with a metric and cranked it together? Not good. Any suggestions? How involved is it to change out the hard lines for the front brakes?

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1982 300CD Petrol/Black Leather

If you have to cut the hard line, one option to replacing the entire line is to install a union in a convenient location and just replace a short piece of the line. (Sometimes you can flare the ends at the cut and just use a union, depending on how much "slack" there is in the hard line.) Especially if the problem is on the right side.

It shoud be metric, Germans dont use SAE. Make sure you use a flare nut wrench on or you will strip it.

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1981 300D 147k
1998 VW Jetta Tdi 320k
2001 Dodge Ram 2500 141k
1979 300D 234k (sold)
1984 300D "Astor" 262k(sold)
Mercedes How-To and Repair Pictorials
I love the smell of diesel smoke in my hair

You should first try cutting off the rubber part of the hose and giving it a good heating. This may loosen her up. Also are you using some type of liquid wrench or anything?

A helper to hold one of the wrenches steady will make a big difference.

When I started the job of changing out the hose, I put a vice grip on it, figuring that I am just throwing it out anyway so any damage is irrelevant.

But, last night I figured that I should just go with the old hose until I got around to changing the whole steel line from the master cylinder. I put the new caliper on the old hose and hung it with a wire hanger.

This morning, I went in to check on it. It was leaking where I clamped the vice grip on too hard! Rats!

I decided to just try changing out the brake hose and seeing what happened. During this whole time I had PB Blaster soaking on it, so I put a vice grip securely on the top nut and cranked on the hose with a 17MM. It cracked and came loose. So far, so good. The hose then threaded straight up and sealed. No drips. (Not yet, anyway.)

The top nut might have been an American thread, but it apparently was so messed up that it is now metric.

That is still a project I will want to do in the future, but thankfully it is now pushed back until it becomes a problem. I'll just have to keep an eye on it.

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1982 300CD Petrol/Black Leather

What Diesel Giant said is true, every bolt/nut in a Mercedes is metric except for the AC system. For some strange reason all AC hose fittings are SAE. They must have gotten a great deal on the GM compressors and fittings.

Dave

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1970 220D, owned 1980-1990
1980 240D, owned 1990-1992
1982 300TD, owned 1992-1993
1986 300SDL, owned 1993-2004
1999 E300, owned 1999-2003
1982 300TD, 213,880mi, owned since Nov 18, 1991- Aug 4, 2010 SOLD
1988 560SL, 100,000mi, owned since 1995
1965 Mustang Fastback Mileage Unknown(My sons)
1983 240D, 176,000mi (My daughers) owned since 2004
2007 Honda Accord EX-L I4 auto, the new daily driver
1985 300D 264,000mi Son's new daily driver.(sold)
2008 Hyundai Tiberon. Daughters new car