Bottoms

Should there be a crush washer or something on the brake hose to wheel cylinder connection? Didn't notice any when i took old ones off but they may have been stuck to old hoses when i discarded- didn't think to look. And the new ones didn't come with any.

citcapp

The answer is yes and your can buy them at the auto parts store

bkeese

Citcapp, A crush washer? Never seen one. That would make it a compression fitting on a brake line. I thought the all were either a flared fittings or a banjo fittings with flat copper washers.

MDchanic

I agree - Rear wheel cylinders are compression fittings - no washers.

Washers go on banjo fittings.

- Eric

citcapp

I was assuming that the banjo fitting was what he was talking about, your correct if it is the straight line to the wheel cylinder then the no crush washer is used.

bkeese

MDchanic,

Compression fitting and a flared fitting are NOT the same thing and there are different types of flared, single and double and maybe others.

Compression fittings have a crush washer that goes over the tube and gets crushed onto the tube as in your water line for your ice maker in your refrig. Never seen one on brakes, may not even be legal. I think you guys mean a flared fitting when you say compression.

As to the original post, I suspect Bottoms is referring to a banjo fitting and is missing the flat copper washer that should have come with his lines. That washer is easy to missing when it is coated with grease and dirt.

MDchanic

Brain fart. You're right, of course.

Serves me right when I try to reply fast at work.

When I SAY something like that, I hear it and correct myself, but when I type it, if the spelling looks right, I don't notice.

I even wrote a lengthy description of compression fittings in a post about oil pressure gauge installation a month or so ago.
Brakes, of course, use flare fittings exclusively, as compression fittings have an infinitesimal chance of popping off their lines, while for flare fittings, it is an impossibility.

I feel dumb.

- Eric

6inarow

Eric, brain farts keep our heads from exploding.

bkeese

Eric, you almost had me thinking my half-himers was acting up again.

MDchanic

Looks like my Heimers go Alz the way!

chequenman

Crush Washers are used when you're attaching Flex Brake hoses to Calipers on Disk Brake systems, and Wheel Cyls. are almost always inverted Flares with Horse Shoe clips where attached to the frame of car.

Bottoms

Update on my front brake line reconnect- i did indeed find the copper washers caked onto my old front hoses- i annealed them and reinstalled between flex hose and front wheel cylinders. The rears are hard lines right to cylinders so they have the flare fitting.