just got some new calipers from NAPA and the brake hose ends don't mate up correctly to the "tab" on the back of the caliper.

NAPA insists I have the correct calipers. I bought one new hose from them which they also said was correct, but they don't match.
The caliper tabs are for a flat and square hose end but my hose ends were curved, so tried ordering different hoses, but so far 5 out of 5 hoses all have rounded sides (despite their ad pics showing they have straight sides...)




clearly the curved hose ends are not a good fit to the 90/square caliper tab.






When I did this last time I seem to remember the hose ends mated flush to the caliper tabs and I do not like the way these don't match.
Problem is I don't know if I have the wrong calipers or if I have the wrong hoses...

Have tried cross matching part #'s from RockAuto and ordered from ebay and amazon; all 3 sites say I had the correct hoses, and all three sites showed pics of these hose ends having straight sides like this:




but all the hoses so far have these curved ends which don't fit the calipers.

Would like to not have to order all new parts all over again and just hope they match...
anyone know anything about this mismatch??

I have the 8800 GVWR and rear wheel antilock.

 

well guys, nobody, including parts people at dealership, napa, oreilly, advance, or autozone know anything about this mismatch.
OEM hoses are no longer manufactured so we're dealing with multiple resellers of Chinese crap coming from who knows which different factories...

apparently at some point somebody changed the way these lines are manufactured and the Chinese and their resellers all seem oblivious to the fact that their hoses don't match the calipers, nor do any of them
seem to have any idea of the differences between the pass and driver side application much less GVWR or antilock differences, so far as I can find we're all on our own.

I am going to order more brake lines until I find ones that fit. One guy tried to tell me it shouldn't make a difference but I disagree. The caliper ends of these replacement hoses are basically held in place only by the friction of the bolt and could in theory essentially wiggle back and forth and cause the bolt to come loose (without a flush fit to the tab on the caliper), and that does not seem at all ok to me, esp given that such a huge % of the braking on these trucks is from the front. If one of the front caliper lines was to work loose and dump the front part of the fluid, stopping would be severely compromised.

If I find parts that are correct, I will post them, but my suspicion is that it's not the part #/ID that's the problem... we'll need to find older lines that were made before the change in manufacturing.

 

Tell me what you’re driving, exactly. Year make model. And maybe I’ll be able to give you exactly the numbers you need.

I don’t put a lot of faith in modern parts guys. Or even a lot of old school guys anymore, we’ve become too complacent.

anyway, rather than firing the parts grapeshot at it, lets do some serious research.

 

1997 Ram 2500 4wd 8800 GVWR w rear wheel anti lock

I've done a fair bit of research already. OEM part #'s are 52008870AC (pass side) and 52008895 (driv side)

cross referencing those #'s you'll see several aftermarket rebrands of what look like the same Chinese parts. Looks to me like the main Chinese supplier is called Sunsong and are available on ebay... Lots of the "American" companies are pretty much just label makers now.

common replacement part numbers that come up are 380541 & 380344, for example.
what it looks like to me is that the old stock was made to match oem, but newer ones have a narrower caliper end with rounded sides (see pics) that do not fit up to the caliper the way they were engineered to

I've ordered "new, old stock" of these parts and will post what the ends look like when they get here

 

Something that I have found lately, is that raybestos and wagner brake parts are way more genuine than any of the offshore stuff.
i have had problems with some of the “white box” parts for sure. They might carry the same part number, but don’t let it fool you.

As a side note. Caliper and brake cylinder kits. I have been finding them more readily available again, which is good. The other day I bought two caliper rebuild kits, at under $10 each. Took 20 minutes per caliper to clean them up and reseal. Price for the rebuilt calipers, were over $150 each.... ugh

 

well, figured a few things out, for what it's worth...

1. I was basically correct in that they've changed how the caliper end of the hose is made.
These two hoses are both 380541; the straight/square side one made 2018, the rounded side one made 2024




2. I was apparently wrong in believing that it matters. The square edge tube end does not sit tight/flush to the tab on the caliper either. The gap is a bit less than with the newer, narrower design, but I was wrong in thinking that the hose end would sit tight against the tab. Not sure why I thought it would... just seemed like it should I guess.

 

You are correct in thinking that the square block should sit against the tabs, or stops. They shouldn’t be an interference fit, but not sloppy either. Just shows how manufacturing has changed. And not for the better.

Which brands did you check

 

new (reman I expect) NAPA calipers
started with Napa hoses (pictured) then looked at a bunch of others but just their pictures online, which I have not found to be reliable
spoke with a person at Oreilly who said their hoses also had the rounded sides.
I don't remember exactly but at least a few of the part stores and label makers use the same part #,
but the "new old stock" ones I bought off ebay with the square ends are Raybestos and Dorman.

 

I expect it's part of the ongoing effort to consolidate part numbers - the philosophy being it doesn't matter if it fits as well as it used to, just as long as it works and reduces part #s and mfg/inventory cost.

 

probably consolidating manufacturing as well...

seems most/many of the OEM parts for these older rigs are no longer in production
and only available from Chinese reproducers anymore

both the new napa and n.o.s. raybestos both say Sunsong on the hoses as well,
though hose maker not nec same as whoever is putting the fittings on them