1996 850 Brake Bleed Nipple/Rubber Line Questions

TBrown00 · Post by **TBrown00** » 24 Jan 2015, 16:16

I'm preparing to flush my brake system next week using cn90's 1-man method (https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=29243) and was looking at my bleeder nipples last night. On one of them, the protective rubber cap has mostly disintegrated leaving no protection. Is this something that should be replaced? Could this cause any issues I should know about/prepare for before starting this project?

I also noticed that a couple of the flexible rubber lines are cracking at their joints. Should these be replaced or is this normal wear and tear and doesn't affect anything?

Thanks!

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 24 Jan 2015, 17:16

Any auto parts store should carry replacement bleeder screw caps and they are dirt cheap. I replace them if they are at all bad but they really don't do that much. They aren't mission critical.

The cracking on the brake lines is typical and it is just the sheath that is cracked. If there is a bulge then it is a big deal but all of mine have cracks to various degrees and I don't lose any sleep over it.

...Lee

TBrown00 · Post by **TBrown00** » 24 Jan 2015, 17:42

Ozark Lee wrote:Any auto parts store should carry replacement bleeder screw caps and they are dirt cheap. I replace them if they are at all bad but they really don't do that much. They aren't mission critical.

The cracking on the brake lines is typical and it is just the sheath that is cracked. If there is a bulge then it is a big deal but all of mine have cracks to various degrees and I don't lose any sleep over it.

...Lee

Awesome. Good to know! I was hopeful it wouldn't make the bleed screw more likely to be seized.

Post by **cn90** » 24 Jan 2015, 20:30

Brake hoses are cheap, about $12 for FTE brand, which is OEM.
See the DIY below...

DIY: 98 V70 Brake Hydraulic Overhaul (Hoses, Seals, Parking)
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... hp?t=37721

I have a friend who ignored the brake hoses on his Honda Accord, one day he lost all brake on a downhill slope, almost killed some pedestrians...Luckily he hit another parked car. That was a story 20 years ago...

Post by **jreed** » 25 Jan 2015, 06:40

The front brake lines on my '97 855 GLT had visible cracks for a long time (~4-5 years) before they started to seep brake fluid. After having done the job, I realized it wasn't as hard as I had been imagining to change lines and pressure bleed the calipers. I wrote up a short DIY guide here:
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=58362

Post by **mecheng** » 25 Jan 2015, 06:51

I believe ATE is OEM not FTE. I have the same cracks, scheduled for replacement. I got the ATE line from my parts supplier.

Post by **erikv11** » 25 Jan 2015, 09:02

mecheng wrote:I believe ATE is OEM not FTE. ...

I think so too.

Post by **Matty Moo** » 25 Jan 2015, 09:12

I put whatever fcp sells on last month. The sheath was cracked and I had to replace a caliper anyway. It's a pretty quick job.

Post by **cn90** » 25 Jan 2015, 09:19

Re: ATE vs FTE...

I have been using FTE brake hoses for some 15 years in my BMWs and Volvos, zero issues.

On some websites, the vendors say ATE/FTE (implying same company).
On others, they seem to be separate companies.

I don't know much about the corporate thingy, but all I know is FTE is excellent product.
FTE is used widely in Volvo, BMW, Mercedes (brake hoses, clutch hoses, clutch master/slave cylinders etc.).
Quality wise, I think FTE hoses are way up there, same as ATE in terms of quality.

Post by **abscate** » 27 Jan 2015, 04:33

I did a bit of googling this morning and it looks like FTE group and Teves (ATE) are different. Both have a long history of supply chain to high end Euro markets, though.