1996 Cadillac DeVille Front Brake Hose Removal

The reinforced rubber high-pressure brake hoses on the front of your 1996 Cadillac DeVille can dry rot or wear out over time, reducing the efficiency of the DeVille's brake system. If one of these hoses wears too much or develops a leak through a crack caused by dry rot, the hose may fail when you step on the brakes and cause the entire system to lose pressure. Remove and replace worn brakes lines as soon as you discover them to avoid a failure of your 1996 DeVille's braking system.

Instructions

1

Loosen the lug nuts on the wheel studs of the wheel whose brake line you will be replacing, using a lug wrench. Do not remove them yet.

2

Raise the front of the DeVille off the ground using a jack, then position a set of jack stands under the frame to support the DeVille. Remove the jack, then remove the lug nuts from the wheel studs and remove the wheel from the car.

3

Locate the rubber high-pressure brake line on the back of the brake caliper. Position a drain pan under the brake caliper to catch any brake fluid that runs out of the line when you open it. Remove the bolt that secures the hose to the brake caliper with a socket and ratchet, then remove the hose end from the caliper.

4

Follow the hose up until you find the bracket at about the halfway point on the hose. Remove the bolt that secures this support bracket to the strut on the car, using a socket and ratchet. Follow the hose the rest of the way up until you find the fitting where the hose meets a steel line.

5

Loosen the fitting where the steel line screws into the fitting on the rubber line, using a wrench. Do not remove it yet.

6

Insert a small pry bar between the brass fitting on the rubber hose and the tab on the lock clip located on the top of the bracket. Push the clip outward until it disengages the fitting on the rubber hose. Set the clip aside for now.

7

Unscrew the fitting on the steel line from the brass fitting on the rubber hose, and remove the rubber line by pulling it down and out of the bracket. The steel line may drip brake fluid, so place a second drain pan under it once you separate the lines.