How to Change a Rear Brake Hose

In order to keep your car in good working order you may at some point need to replace your rear brake hose. The brakes on any vehicle are important to check regularly for safety reasons. Although the brake lines do not need to be changed often, when they do require service it is best to replace all of the hoses at the same time to keep them consistent. If the problem is a soft pedal with little resistance when you press the brake, the problem could be low brake fluid. This can be easily solved by simply adding some brake fluid. If there is a low quality brake fluid or a damaged hose, the system will have to be bled.

Replacing a rear brake hose can be tricky if you are not experienced at working on your car so refer to a professional mechanic if you need. If you feel comfortable doing the replacement yourself, here are the basic steps to follow to change out your rear brake hose.

Step 1 – Prepare the Car

Before you can begin working on your car’s brakes you will need to raise the car up off the ground. Park the car on a level street and place blocks behind the wheels if possible. Loosen the lug nuts on the tire and then jack the car up off of the ground, securely prop with jack stands. Once the car is suspended safely, you can remove the lug nuts completely and remove the tire itself. You can now easily access the brake lines.

Step 2 – Inspect the Hose

Brake hoses do not usually need to be replaced unless there is some sort of deformity or damage to the hose. These damages can cause the pedal to drag due to a lack of pressure. This can be caused by a manufacturer defect or by using a sub-par quality brake fluid. Once you determine there is a problem you will want to make sure which set of hoses need to be replaced.

Step 3 – Replace the Hose

At this point you can replace the hose (or hoses) that you need to replace. Simply detach the two ends of the hose from the brakes to the wheel cylinder and replace with the new hoses. Be sure to not get the hoses mixed up as they can often be jumbled with one another.

Step 4 – Bled the Hydraulic System

Any changes made to the hydraulic system of your car require the system be bled to remove any air from the hoses. Begin by pumping the brakes about 10 times to remove all of the air that you can. Attach a hose from the bleed valve to a jar of new brake fluid. Open the valve slightly and have your friend push the brake pedal to the floor. While it is pressed down, close the bleed valve and release the pedal. Then repeat the process until no air is coming out of the hose.