Car brake pipes - acceptable?

[GW8IZR]

I'm sick of hearing copper cant be used and all the horror stories about it clipped properly and there's no problem .its used on steam boilers and engines @150psi pressure no problem

Perfectly safe if used properly, but I reckon your 150psi is a bit of a red herring, the pressure can be much higher than that in the car braking system, I have seen 150 bar on a test.

 

[brightspark]

Perfectly safe if used properly, but I reckon your 150psi is a bit o f a red herring, the pressure can be much higher than that in the car braking system, I have seen 150 bar on a test.

yes we know the pressure is a lot higher on hydraulic systems I'm giving an example of the copper fracturing and its uses irrespective of pressure and uses

 

[brightspark]

yes we know the pressure is a lot higher on hydraulic systems I'm giving an example of the copper fracturing and its uses irrespective of pressure]

 

[gt6s]

its used on steam boilers and engines @150psi pressure no problem

150 PSI pity brakes are 1500 PSI ! I NEVER EVER USE COPPER BRAKE PIPE. I have in fact refused to make brake lines with it in my trade.

Ever seen a flare break off in use when pipe looks absolutely perfect ? Ever seen a aluminium master cylinder split due to corrosion caused by incompatible materials ? Ever seen a flare completely closed over the bore of a copper brake pipe blocking it ?

WELL I HAVE !

Laurence

 

[brightspark]

that's your opinion il leave it at that. here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Copper-brake-pipe-7-5mtr-unions/dp/B007W0N79W

 

[doubleboost]

150 PSI pity brakes are 1500 PSI ! I NEVER EVER USE COPPER BRAKE PIPE. I have in fact refused to make brake lines with it in my trade.

Ever seen a flare break off in use when pipe looks absolutely perfect? Ever seen a aluminium master cylinder split due to corrosion caused by incompatible materials ? Ever seen a flare completely closed over the bore of a copper brake pipe blocking it ?

WELL I HAVE !

Laurence

Only once seen a flare fail on copper it was on a freelander rear flexy pipe some one had put a opp 1 on to a convex (opp2) flexy pipe I must admit I prefer (conifer) but I have installed many meters of


type approved copper with no problems at all.
The aluminum master cylinder has my imagination running wild

 

[normspanners]

freelander rear flexy pipe

dont you just love freelander flexi's --------pita, had to change loads

but I have installed many meters of


type approved copper with no problems at all.

Me too also, but have also failed loads for being thrown across rear axles /through rear subframes with no clips, no cable ties, chafing on raw edges etc and they expect them to last!! and get snotty when they fail

 

[Burdekin]

There's a failed copper pipe in the first post. So wrong material, incorrectly made up or a combination?

 

[normspanners]

As a matter of interest I mot'd a couple of 2013 plate sprinters yesterday and both front to rear brake pipe where rotten and need changing, have done well over 200K BUT, still they are only a few yrs old and as such, milage one would think, would not make a massive difference.
Brake pipes are a weird phenomena I have done several that are perfect for the full length and rotten in one small place.
I mot'd a freelander thats brake pipes where absolutely perfect all round, the very next day it suffered brake loss at the front, when I rechecked the car the pipe had rotted through where it goes through a grommet in the inner wing the grommet forms a little cup effect and you cannot see in it and the pipe was perfect along its length there was NO reason for it to have corroded there, but I could not leave it at that ,further checks revealed witness marks of a boiled battery the voltage reg had failed, boiled the battery and it had run down the inner wing filling the grommets 'cup' the brake pipe had then suffered catastrophic corrosion in one 10mm section !! impossible to see,
so you see garages and mot's are not infallible unfortunately, things can and do get missed and take you by surprise.

 

[doubleboost]

There's a failed copper pipe in the first post. So wrong material, incorrectly made up or a combination?

Without looking at it impossible to say the material is ok
I always use a connected male to male

 

[bricol]

Over 30 yrs I've used copper on many cars, lots of miles, lots of off-road miles - and no failures.

Had one failed kunifer pipe on my first kit car close to 30 yrs ago - fractured and leaked due to incompetent installer (moi) accidently using it as a structural component. I'd clipped it to the side of a Lotus 7 replica, secured it to the suspension mount from a Triumph Spitfire and connected it to the flexi. What I'd neglected to do was secure the side panel to the suspension turret too, so it flapped around, only being held by the pipe! So not a material issue, rather an installation error.

On single circuit brakes . . . still, provided an interesting ride across to a mates to borrow a flaring tool - folded and hammered the end closed and drove - everything fine until I needed to brake from speed (I know, I know . . I was younger . . ) - needed full lock to maintain a straight path with only one working front brake!

I'd suggest the OP failure is due to wrong flares, or poorly made flares and poorly installed (that twist in the pipe). I've seen pipe to pipe joins, and pipe joiners used - all been fine. In-fact, under a Pug 106, they use joiners from the front to rear lines. I'd certainly rather have copper than the plastic coated steel pipe as used on the many Lancias I've owned. Can look fine on the outside . . . and totally wrecked on the inside of the covering.

I'd think the failure of the master cylinder was more due to the ingress of water than the use of copper and aluminium - they are far apart on the galvanic table, but they do need an electrolyte between them to corrode. As far as I'm aware, brake fluid isn't a good one, but water is.

 

[waldershelf]

I'm sick of hearing copper cant be used and all the horror stories about it clipped properly and there's no problem .its used on steam boilers and engines @150psi pressure no problem

I agree, there is nothing wrong with copper. The important thing is it must be clipped/secured properly, in order to work harden it must be "worked" i.e. repeatedly stressed. Although copper may be more prone to work hardening failure, Kunifer and steel will also suffer the same problem eventually if continually subject to stress as a result of poor installation.