Brakes on my 85 345 - dangerous !

[Paul J Mauro]

Ok folks I have been driving this 1985 345 since I bought it new.at 250k miles I replaced engine and trans.I have done suspension updates on rubber and new front brake calipers among many other things .
This year I had a panic stop driving from New Mexico to Boston when an idiot with a compact cut me off hit his brakes and i had to stand on my binders to prevent crushing the family.
Here is what happened .I did not blow a rubber break line .I actually blew out the brake line coming out of the master cylinder losing all the fluid .
Good news no hurt no damage and yes I nursed it home to my garage with just rear brakes .
The line apparantly rotted over time , got thin but handled normal stops pressure . In the pinch it just let go.
So folks if you are pushing an old P30 chassis around i would say .Time to yank the master cylinder and lines even if you have low miles .It was the age of the brake lines.
So Happy Trails to all .In my shop for winter but see you all on the road in 2023.

[dznf0g]

Was it rusty in that location? This is not uncommon for many vehicles of that era, especially in "corrosive" areas. More common in the rear underbody lines, due to road spray.

[Paul J Mauro]

No actually the Airstream was garaged its whole life and has minimal chassis rust so when we did the new front brake calipers and hoses nothing looked overly rusty

[RETIREDRIVER]

Glad to read that the loss of brake fluid did not result in injury or property damage. By any chance, did you get pictures of the break? Was the break at the connection or a through wall event with the tubing?
Thanks for sharing.

[Paul J Mauro]

I will see if I remembered to take a picture .the line ruptured about 3 inches from the master so it did not break at the fitting

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by Paul J Mauro

I will see if I remembered to take a picture .the line ruptured about 3 inches from the master so it did not break at the fitting

I wished everyone getting into one of these Classics with the plan to drive it cross country, would read your post! I owned a 1983 SOB Class C that blew one of those lines. Nothing apparent during inspection, the corrosion was on the top.
Even with your diligent maintenance and indoor storage, age alone combined with some corrosive material set the stage for a disaster.
Brake and fuel lines should be mandatory replacement item, before a new owner hits the road, unless there is a verified paper trail with receipts.
Frankly, I don't care if a new "proud" owner of a classic Airstream Motorhome hits a tree because of their lack of due diligence, I am more concerned about them hurting innocent bystanders, including my family.

[Paul J Mauro]

Originally Posted by PeterH-350LE

I wished everyone getting into one of these Classics with the plan to drive it cross country, would read your post! I owned a 1983 SOB Class C that blew one of those lines. Nothing apparent during inspection, the corrosion was on the top.
Even with your diligent maintenance and indoor storage, age alone combined with some corrosive material set the stage for a disaster.
Brake and fuel lines should be mandatory replacement item, before a new owner hits the road, unless there is a verified paper trail with receipts.
Frankly, I don't care if a new "proud" owner of a classic Airstream Motorhome hits a tree because of their lack of due diligence, I am more concerned about them hurting innocent bystanders, including my family.

all of us oldies who bought our rigs new get complacent .me too, we love our old friend but aging is real and we need to be careful still pushing this RV 38 years later from the day I bought it new ,no regrets nothing but great memories but now for kids and grandkids safety is #1 brakes and propane system are killers so folks we are few in number lets be helpful to each other .we are a unique bunch.