There are moments in the do-it-yourself automotive world where one truly wishes something didn’t just happen. One of the more famous of such moments is stripping out or rounding off a fuel or brake line fitting. Finding out that these fittings are often made of a softer metal the hard way is not fun. Since these fittings are captured by the flare on the steel line or tube itself, stripping either the threads or nut sides means far more work than planned. The easiest way to prevent stripping fuel, brake, or any type of in-line fittings is with a set of flare nut – or line wrenches. A few sawbucks invested now can save an enormous amount of time down the road. Most of them come in 2-in-1 configuration with both popular sizes on one wrench for bonus utility!
Invariably, you will obtain this set of useful wrenches after shearing a flare nut all to hell. With brake fluid all over your hands and seething with rage at learning another lesson the hard way, you’ll drop everything and go buy a set. So much for the beer money.
But the rest of the job will go smoothly and your success will cheer you up. You’ll put your new tools away in the drawer where they will mock you constantly. Eventually, you might come to despise their smug, told-you-so jeers every time you come across them while looking for something else, but when the time comes that you’ve got some brake lines to address (and you actually find them), you will fall in love all over again.
Been there . Felt the rage. Well now I know and will go tomorrow morning to my local tool store and pick up a set.Sweet!
As with screwdrivers, this is not the place to skimp on quality. I purchased one line wrench in the size I most commonly used (11mm) from Snap-on to supplement my Craftsman set. It has continually saved the day and turned the “unsavable” brake line.
*Sigh*
If only you’d published this about two weeks ago. Everything Brian said came true.
Now I’ve currently got a Vise Grip Special on one of the brake lines of my LeMons 633csi.
I blame Craftsman for not including the proper metric size flare in my kit. Only after making it unusably round did I recognize that the 5/32 (or something) fit well enough to have averted the catastrophe.
I also want to add to what Tom D. said.
***DO NOT BUY NO NAME FLARE NUT WRENCHES***
That hundredth of an inch that the cheap ones are off and the name brand (Craftsman, Husky, and Colbalt are all fine) are correct makes all the difference in the world. Many times I see posts of woe from DIYs on message boards lamenting that they rounded a flare nut with their flare nut wrenches. Upon further questioning of said individual the cause is always the same, Harbor Freight or it’s equivalent flare nut wrenches. Yes the name brand can be pricey but it’s still cheaper than buying that flaring tool and new hardline.
And yes get a set of both metric and SAE as it’s vitally important you get the correct wrench on the nut.
I guess this is a case of preventive magic at work. Just as my bicycles almost never get flats because I always carry a patch kit, I have never had problems with brake lines because I bought an S-K metric flare nut wrench set before I ever worked on brakes. OTOH I had a memorable weekend once when I stripped a bleeder nipple on a motorcycle.
A set of metric flare nut wrenches in the top-2 list of my future tool purchases. If you’re trying to use regular wrenches instead, at least bring Mr. Hammer or similar caveman tool to the party. I was trying to get a fuel pressure gauge on an LH-Jet fuel rail, and the fittings will just bend and twist like putty if you try to go slow. Few whacks from my jack handle opened it right up with no further damage.