Picked up a trick from a mobile mechanic in Phoenix last month

He showed me how to use a brake hose clamp to keep fluid from dripping when swapping calipers, saved me a huge mess on a 2012 F-150. Has anyone else used this on rusty lines without damaging them?

2 comments

2 Comments

rivera.keith8d agoTop Commenter

Wait, you mean the little squeeze clamps with the yellow handles? I used one last fall on my old Silverado and it worked like a charm. The key is to clamp it right on the rubber hose section, not anywhere near the rust, and then you can crack the line loose without getting brake fluid all over your driveway. Did yours hold up okay on that F-150, because mine left a tiny crease in the hose but no leak.

nathan_moore128d ago

I had a similar experience with my 2010 Silverado last year, that yellow handled clamp saved me from a brake fluid mess too. I clamped it right where the rubber meets the hard line and it held solid, no leaks even after cracking the bleeder screw. Crease sounds normal, I got a slight one myself but it never got worse over the next 6 months. Just make sure you don't crank it too tight, just enough to pinch the fluid flow.