So some back story here. A few months ago I loaded the kids and wife up in the truck one evening. My parking brake has never really worked well (or at all) so I have some pavers with space between a couple that I'd roll the truck up and over to park for the night. Sounds kinda redneck, and it really is.
Truck is a 6 speed, so during the winter, I liked to have it in neutral to warm up. All other times I would park in gear.
So I load the family up, forget something after I had started the truck. Had already gone through the routine of taking it out of gear, releasing parking brake, drop steering wheel, ready to go.
So I went to hop out real quick to grab whatever it is that I forgot. Immediately I felt the truck rolling so I smashed on the brake. Set the parking brake, grabs my stuff and got back in.
Pulled out and made it to the end of the street. Immediately I felt something was wrong as the pedel was quite soft.
Turned the truck around and parked in front of the house.
Looked under to find the entire passengers side soaked. Had the lady hit the brakes and found a solid stream coming from the front brake caliper hose.
Great.
So I replaced that one to the tune of $35. And felt quite lucky that it happened at home and not during a panic stop in traffic or something!

Fast forward to today. Left rear caliper started leaking. So get the truck In The garage, bolt on the new caliper and staet bleeding the system. Half way through I hear a pop...... Soft pedel.
I look under the truck to find the drivers side failed this time!

In retrospect, I probably should have replaced them all the first time, but I didn't.
S count my lucky now BOTH times each has failed have been in the driveway!

I have hooks that hang the calipers when I do my brakes so I don't kink or stretch lines. That might have helped prolong the life of the hoses, but probably not for long.

I HIGHLY reccomend you inspect your hoses regularly, and it might even be a good idea at every oil change to simulate a panic stop foot pressure while blocked up and not moving. It seems if its going to fail, it's when you press hard!

I would sure hate to hear of anyone hurting someone or themselves because of this.

I will be looking into stainless steel braided lines now..



*edit. The truck has about 240,000 miles as of today.

 

They were past due, I have seen some mechanics allow the calipers to hang from the brake hose when doing a brake job.

 

So if the brake lines were past due, what's a good rule of thumb for replacing the stock lines?

I've never had to replace brake lines on any of the vehicles I've owned in the past, but I've also never kept a vehicle for more than 120K miles/6 years.

This is my first diesel and I expect to keep it a long long time.

 

Also check the flex hose from the frame to the rear axle.

Mine failed in the driveway... thank goodness. Turns out the steel band that's crimped around the hose completey rusted away allowing the hose to blow off of the steel fitting.
I replace all 5 flex hoses just to be sure.

 

There was a porcupine up at the Fish Lake campground in Utah a few years back that developed a taste for flex line and brake fluid. Over the course of a summer he caused the demise of a couple of cars and a Winnebago. Took the cops awhile to solve that one.

 

Had my passenger side fail yesterday after eight years, 156K. Replaced both sides. My mechanic has replaced four others in the past two months. Seems the driver side normally goes first ... and it's the most labor intensive to replace of the two.

 

Since you brought it up, can someone tell me how to change the rear flex lines at the caliper? Not the whole line, just the flex line.

 

I'm surprised your parking brake has never worked well. Mine's always been solid.

 

I had a 98.5 dually before this truck and it was the same way. It only really have engaged. A steep hill would let it roll. But to be honest, I really never got motivated until recently to try to adjust them. I think I remembered hearing somewhere that they were self adjusting, so I just figured that it is what it is.
All last winter I had to block the front tires so I could warm up the truck. That got pretty old quick.