People who travel a lot quickly become interested in the question of how to flare a brake pipe with their own hands. First of all, this is due to the understandable desire of manufacturing plants to save money: in the old days, as a rule, copper was used to manufacture these parts, which is much more resistant to aggressive conditions of existence and temperature extremes. Now they are made of steel, which corrode much faster.
The second culprit of unscheduled wear and tear brake pipes utilities should be considered. Chemical reagents and salt, generously sprinkled to fight, for example, with ice, significantly accelerate the rusting of the metal and reduce the life span of many parts released by the factory. And the third factor that makes it premature to engage in brakes is the infamous Russian roads.
Potholes and potholes create off-design physical stress, due to which the tubes are deformed, or even burst; in addition, they act as a repository of chemical reagents even when the snow has already melted (in spring). All together leads to the fact that the mentioned parts fail not after 70-100 thousand km, as the manufacturer expected, but after 30-50, and even then - in the best cases.
How to flare a brake pipe with your own hands: the process is quite simple, but will require purchase, self-manufacturing, renting or borrowing from a neighbor in the garage a special device for carrying out these works. But if you decide to buy a flaring machine, don't be tempted by the cheapest options available on the market. Yes, you can take a device for 700-800 rubles, but it will definitely turn out to be completely disposable. It has been experimentally established that a more or less high-quality machine cannot cost less than 1800-2000 rubles or even more.
When is it time to change tubes?
Signs to look for a flaring kit are:
- During emergency braking, when you press the pedal, a very characteristic creak is heard;
- Under the same outgoing conditions, a rhythmic vibration is felt;
- The braking distance of your car is noticeably lengthened;
- The brake pedal travel becomes freer, it seems to dangle;
- Leakage of brake fluid is possible (this is especially evident when the car is parked for the night for a sufficiently long time);
- Often there is a significant overheating of the brake drums and premature uneven wear pads;
- In indirect symptoms - car sideways withdrawal during rectilinear movement.
Flaring and its details
Often the main body in the brake tube remains intact, but the structure of its 6-sided head is destroyed. There may be other options: coking threaded connections as a result of liquid getting on them, clogging them, etc. In such situations, if the length allows, you can simply cut off the defective part. But it is better to replace the tube completely if you are going to carry out such repairs. In addition to the flaring machine, you will need pliers, a pipe cutter, a fitting and a drill. From materials - a little acetone.
Having figured out how to flare the brake pipe with your own hands, provide yourself with a minimum of such work for the future: put the copper pipe in its intended place. We assure you: you will have to remember about flaring much less often. Even with very intensive use of the machine, you will not need it sooner than after 2-3 years.
Repair of the brake system often does not only come down to replacing brake pads or replacement-bleeding of brake fluid in both circuits. More complex, requiring accuracy and certain qualifications during installation, is the repair of brake pipes. This often happens when through corrosion or pipe failure due to an accident or brake caliper repair.
Do-it-yourself brake pipe repair and successful connection of the brake pipe to the distribution fitting, tees, brake master cylinder and brake calipers, requires high-quality processing of the end of the tube and the formation of a flange flange, or the so-called "funnel". Get it using the procedure for expanding the brake pipes.
There are several basic funnel options.
- Eurostandard fungus (center). It resembles a wheel tire in shape and is widely used in most cars produced at factories on the Eurasian continent. It turns out the most durable connection option from the above, but is considered one-time. With skillful staging, it can be used up to three times.
- The usual simple funnel, obtained by bending the walls of the end part of the tube with a special tool for expanding brake pipes.
- A funnel obtained by double folding the rim of a tube or a simple funnel. Considered standard in American cars. This type of flaring of the brake tube is obtained from the fungus, upsetting its upper part with the help of a conical mandrel.
The time of using a simple funnel is long gone, first of all, the metal from which pipes were made on old cars has changed. Instead of soft and ductile rolled copper, a strong and hard steel pipe is more often used. If earlier the driver could flare the end with pliers, a wrench and a couple of blows with a hammer, now it is impossible to flare steel brake pipes without a tool.
Note! The high quality of the connection of a flared copper tube into a simple funnel was ensured only due to the ductility of the metal and low pressure hydraulic fluid in contour. Do not try to connect the steel pipe with a simple funnel. Even if you tighten the fitting with great force, the connection will not hold the all-penetrating brake fluid.
How to flare brake pipes with your own hands
The main condition for successful flaring of the pipe end has always been and will be the use of high-quality, and preferably professional, tools. For our cars, Europe-Asia, buy metric flaring kits. The Americans look more than worthy, they sparkle with chrome, but they can slip an inch system. The old Soviet standard for a copper brake pipe is 8 mm, more recent Soviet and Russian versions used a steel 6 mm.
In terms of choice, the most affordable is the Force 656B, 906T2 brake pipe flaring kit, you can use the more elegant JonnesWay kits, or the common Biltema or Licota.
The flaring tool kit includes:
- a screw rolling press and a clamp, with which the vise bars are tightened and the metal of the brake tube is deformed;
- two detachable vise bars with six to seven holes with cones into which the tubes for flaring are clamped;
- cutting device that allows you to cut the end in a strictly perpendicular direction;
- a set of mandrels and cones of various diameters for the formation of fungi.
When choosing a flaring kit, pay attention to the following points. First, the screw pairs of the screw-nut of the press and clamps must be black matte. This indicates heat treatment and hardening of the helical surface. In a cheaper version, chrome plating is used.
Secondly, the accuracy of the calibrated holes in the vise bars. Typically, the inner surface of the cones is covered with a protective oxide film based on phosphates. Such a coating facilitates the sliding of the deformable metal along the inner surface of the matrix.
Thirdly, all calibrated holes have a numerical marking of sizes, indicating the units of measurement - millimeters or inches, punched by a chasing to a depth of 0.1 mm, without additional chrome plating or coloring. Alternatively, the entire structure may have an oxidized coating. Non-working parts can be painted with plain light paint.
Advice! If funds allow, choose a kit in which the roller press is equipped with an eccentrically mounted working cone. In such a device for flaring brake pipes, there is a limitation on the size of the pipe fitting performed, that is, the cone will not expand the edges to a larger diameter than necessary.
The procedure for expanding the brake pipes with a fungus with your own hands:
- select a device from the set for precise perpendicular trimming of the end of the brake tube, inserting it into a hole of the appropriate diameter, tighten the screw and wrap the cutter a couple of times until it stops;
- there is also a sharp semicircular saw for removing internal chamfers and burrs;
- after filing the end of the brake pipe with a file, we put a fitting nut on the pipe and fix the end in a vice with a clamp, observing the size of the outlet of the end of the pipe above the vise plane;
- add a couple of drops of “brake” to the end of the tube, insert a mandrel of the appropriate size and press the edges of the tube with a press, getting a fungus.
Important! With high-quality flaring, there should be no scratches or imprints of the vise parting line on the pressed surface of the metal of the tube.
If, according to the conditions of flaring, it is necessary to obtain an American version of the fitting, a cone is inserted into the clamp, and the edges of the upper part of the fungus are pressed under the matrix cone. Sometimes a ratchet is built into the design of the clamp, which allows you to limit the force applied to the surface of the fitting.
If flaring needs to be done quickly and in a large number of points, in the case of copper pipes, a simpler tool is used - tongs and a swivel roller.
The ductility and ductility of copper does not require much effort to deform the metal, so it is faster and easier to flare the end with the force of the hand. Due to the compactness of the device, the pliers can be used for expanding brake pipes directly on the car, in conditions where it is difficult to work with a standard set.
Features of flaring brake pipes
Steel brake pipes, unlike copper ones, have practically no ductility margin, so fungus and a funnel can result in the formation of a large number of microcracks. In this sense, the rolled edge of the fungus remains less sensitive to the presence of microcracks, if, of course, they are located only in the region of the hole. If cracks have formed on the periphery, in the widest point of the fitting, this option is definitely subject to rejection.
For the American double funnel, it is often possible to use only a copper brake pipe. In extreme cases, if there is an urgent need to expand the steel tube according to the American standard, the procedure is performed in two or three stages. At the first stage, after cutting and filing the end of the tube, it is expanded under the fungus. Further, the resulting variant is subjected to short-term annealing by heating with a burner, which makes it possible to remove a significant part of the stresses in the metal. The third stage will be flaring at an intermediate angle of 25-30 o, instead of the prescribed 45 o, and re-annealing. The final flaring is performed last for the desired funnel size.
If possible, before performing the flaring of the tube, it is worth practicing in obtaining a steel American funnel on an unnecessary cut of a pipe made of a similar material.
The video shows the process of expanding the brake pipes:
Trouble-free operation of the brakes is perhaps the most important factor that affects the degree of safety. traffic and car use. The basis for the immediate repair and replacement of brake pipes is the slightest suspicion of a violation of the operation of these simple but important parts of the braking system.
Failure of the supply pipelines leads to the failure of the entire braking device, and can lead to the most unfortunate consequences. Strict supervision of the tightness of the brake pipes and the places of their connection with the actuators is the basis safe operation vehicles.
The company ″Tehkom″ manufactures brake pipes in Moscow and the Moscow region. Own products of the company ″Tehkom″, which it produces for braking systems of various vehicles, according to technical specifications in no way inferior to products of well-known brands.
Production of brake pipes for foreign cars and domestic cars, in the company's workshops equipped with modern technology, takes just a few minutes, while the cost of manufacturing is much lower in price compared to standard factory-made products.
The company ″Tehkom″ uses only proven steel and copper pipe parts. It is possible to equip with any kind of tips and flare tubes for connecting elements of brake systems with hydraulic, pneumatic or mixed drive, for almost all car brands.
The service for the manufacture of brake pipes includes:
- Recommendations of specialists on the choice of material depending on the type of car and its operating conditions.
- Cutting pipe sections to the desired length. The size is determined by the catalog or by the sample of the product that is out of order.
- Selection of the appropriate type of threaded tip or other type of fitting.
- Rolling of tube ends for the most common types of connections used by both European and Asian vehicle manufacturers. These are, respectively, the ″fungus″ and ″inner cone″ types.
- Bending tubes according to a template or sample.
The price of products to a rather small extent depends on the number of operations performed, since they are all produced on modern semi-automatic equipment and the complexity of the process is relatively low. The main influence on the cost is exerted by the material and dimensions of the products. Steel parts are cheaper, but rust rather quickly, especially in winter, when roads are sprinkled with various chemicals.
In addition, rigid steel brake lines are quite difficult to fit on site. Despite the higher cost, preference should be given to the manufacture of copper brake pipes, which are practically not subject to corrosion, are durable and, thanks to the plasticity of the material, are easy to install even in the most inaccessible places.
The lion's share of accidents on the roads is due to the failure of car brakes. A common cause of such failures is damage to the brake pipes. Be vigilant and even with the most insignificant, at first glance, their malfunction, contact the Tekhkom service centers in Moscow. The company will provide fast and high-quality production of tubes for brake systems of any car. Do not endanger your life and the lives of others.
The horse is not iron. Although it is called so by pensioners, the car is only partly made of steel. The rest is plastic, rubber, glass and non-ferrous metals, which require special treatment. Today we will talk about how to properly handle copper and aluminum tubes, with which a modern car is simply slashed.
Non-ferrous metal tubes in car systems
We will not touch the radiators yet, this is a separate issue. Let's take an interest in the tubes that are responsible for the operation of the brake and fuel systems car. Rotten brake pipes are not only a problem for old Soviet cars, but also newer foreign cars that have traveled along roads generously sprinkled with salt and all kinds of chemicals for several years. Tubes become unusable primarily due to the fact that they are affected by an aggressive chemical environment. In winter, under the wheels of this environment, it is full. Under human pavement salt leaves the roads along with the snow, and on our roads, it can lie until the next winter.
Causes of broken brake pipes
But this is not the only reason for the wear of sealed tubes. From salt, they only rot, and from constant strong constriction of fittings, improper fixation, kinks and kinks, they receive severe mechanical damage incompatible with life. The fault in this is not pipes, but would-be craftsmen who do not know how to properly handle soft or brittle metal. One way or another, the time comes to replace the tubes, and if the desired configuration is not found, which is almost impossible, then you have to make the tube yourself. Cut off the desired piece, put on fittings and flare. And you need to be able to do this. Do-it-yourself flaring of brake pipes is not a difficult task, fast, and inexpensive.
Brake pipe flaring kit
Bare hands will not be able to prepare a copper tube for use. To do this, you need to have at least minimal equipment. The metal, although soft, but the end of the tube must exactly match the landing cone, otherwise we will not achieve the tightness of the system. Ideally, a machine is used to flare the tubes, which we need to buy, but if we have the opportunity, we can use a home-made kit, which once made, we will use for many years. And it will come in handy more than once, believe me. Here is his drawing.
He does not represent anything complicated. This is a bed made of two corners with a thickness of 5 mm and a shelf of 32 mm. The length of each corner is 100 mm. The drawing shows that the set is adapted for tubes with a diameter of 9 and 12 mm. The bed itself is completed in ten minutes with a grinding machine, a drilling machine and a grinder. Both corners are fastened with two M8 bolts, holes and chamfers are drilled in assembled form. The mandrels will either have to be ordered from a turner, which is not at all problematic, or you can grind it yourself. But with the help of such a set, any tube turns into a perfectly prepared part. The flaring process takes place in exactly the same way as with the use of a machine, which we will discuss next.
Brake pipe flaring machine
the simplest machine for expanding tubes will cost you 600-700 rubles. But it will not be the highest quality product. We would recommend not to go below 1800, otherwise there is a chance to waste your money. We showed several sets and machines in the photo. One of them is more expensive, the second is cheaper, but they have the same essence.
The machine consists of a bar that holds the cabin. Actually, our homemade set also has the same structure, only branded sets are included without fail:
More expensive models have even more equipment, but we will consider only the most minimal configurations.
Flaring can be of three types, but the first two are of little interest to us, because they are mainly used in refrigerators and air conditioners. The expansion takes place as follows:
Thus, we get a neat flared brake pipe, which can be safely replaced with an old, failed one. We can’t say that a tube flaring machine should be in every garage, but as a rule, the most valuable things are those that are not always at hand. Keep track of the status brake system and good luck on the road!
If you have your own car, then you simply have to study its design and mechanisms from time to time, so that in the future, if it breaks down, you can repair it yourself. And in general, every motorist should understand cars, at least within the limits of his car, and in case of the slightest deviation from his normal operation, he was able to prevent the failure of any part or the whole mechanism in time. For those who are just learning to understand a car, I will talk about what flaring of brake pipes is. Also, everyone will be able to find out what a brake pipe is and how it is used for a car.
In order to have a clear picture of what the brake pipes are for and what role they play, you do not need to consider them as a separate element, you need to familiarize yourself with the entire brake system of the car. Thus, having understood the operation of the system as a whole, the task of the tubes will be clear. The braking system, superficially, works in this way: if it is necessary to slow down or brake hard, the driver depresses the corresponding pedal, and the piston located in the main cylinder, under high pressure, begins to drive the liquid along special paths.
The very same braking or a complete stop of the car occurs at the moment, at the moment of converting the forces of fluid pressure on the wheel cylinders into the resistance of the brake pads. So, the paths along which the piston drives fluid to the wheels consist of brake pipes and hoses. The failure of any part of the system leads to the breakdown of the entire braking system, and therefore, your car becomes unusable.
When is flaring required?
At bad transmission fluid through the tubes, the car brakes late, and braking distances almost doubles. Also in the operation of the system, especially noticeable when you press the brake pedal, appears extraneous sounds, as well as some pulsating movements. The movement of the pedal, while pressing it, will seem a little free to you, this is very typical in case of a malfunction of the brake system, namely the brake pipes and hoses. Also, one of the reasons for the malfunction of the tubes is the visible leakage of fluid and the brake system. This leak will cause the brake drums to overheat and wear the brake pads unevenly. Another sign may not be the usual behavior of the car while pressing the pedal, namely, the car moves a little to the side. Of course, this is an indirect reason, but, according to experts, it may indicate a malfunction of the tubes. 
The most obvious symptom that the tubes are starting or have already worn out and it's time to deal with flaring is an increase in braking distance.
It is important to know that the main problems due to which tubes break quite often are:
- destruction of the structure of the hexagonal head;
- the ingress of litter and dirt into the places of threaded connections or the ingress and coking of liquid in these places.
The above troubles cause very great harm not only to the elements, but to the entire system. If the owner wants to protect the car from this kind of trouble, he should remember that it is necessary to test the car's brake system at least once a year. If we equate the elements and the system itself to mileage, then diagnostics must be carried out every 50,000 kilometers, and parts, in particular rubber tubes, change after 125 thousand kilometers, no matter what technical condition they are.
Flare instructions
Not every driver has a pleasant feeling about car repair. Many do not want to crawl under the hood and repair the breakdown, to say nothing about the repair of parts, for the repair of which it is necessary to climb under the car. Yes, pipe flaring is not one of the most pleasant jobs, but it is not very difficult either. The most important thing is that you can flare yourself, and at the same time do not pay some "specialists" at the service station. For the qualitative performance of this work, you need to purchase a special device, the so-called "flaring tool". Such a set for expanding brake pipes, in which you can see a pipe cutter, fitting, pliers, can be purchased at any automotive store, besides, its price is a penny compared to the price of work at the station Maintenance. You also need to prepare some gasoline in a bottle for further lubrication of the pipe and a drill for chamfering.
So let's take a look detailed instructions how to flare a brake pipe.
The tube is unscrewed by hand from the cylinder or caliper. The damaged area is determined on it, and if possible, we repair it, otherwise the tube is not suitable. So, with the help of a pipe cutter on the damaged area on the tube. After that, you need to process the serviceable cut edge of the tube with gasoline. Using pliers, we clamp the tube to create a connector for the fitting. We take a drill and a drill of the required diameter and remove a little edge inside, make a chamfer. After that, you need to clean the seat from chips and insert a fitting into the tube. Now the most important thing - flaring. The flaring tool is used as follows.
The edge of the tube is inserted into the special holes of the machine in such a way that a segment of about five millimeters remains over the grip and is clamped. The mechanism processes the desired part of the tube. In the case when it is necessary to flare both edges of the pipe, then the second one is performed exactly according to the same scenario as the first edge. After completing all the above steps, you should have a neat extension. The size of the extension can be varied on the machine, and it depends on the specification of the car and this is provided in the kit (you can see a special pattern in the kit).
So, summing up, we can say that the work of expanding the brake tubes is not very laborious and complicated. It is important to understand that most repair work regarding an iron friend, you can easily do it yourself. And this is very important, because by fixing the breakdown personally, you can not only save money, but most importantly, it is possible to do the job better than any car mechanic. The main thing is to follow the instructions and remember that this is done exclusively for yourself.
Video “Replacing brake pipes on a car”
The recording shows how you can replace the brake pipes on a VAZ car.