Hi,

I'm taking the advice of a forum member (from a previous thread on brake calipers) and I'm buying a flare nut spanner......to be honest, I'd never heard of them until now, but I can see the advantage especially having just tried my "normal" spanners on the nut to see what size I will need only to find the 8mm is too small and the 9mm is too big!!! Can anyone confirm what size flare nut spanner I need?

Thanks!

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What are you on about?

I need to replace a rear caliper. To do this I need to disconnect / reconnect the brake pipe. The brake pipe is secured by a flare nut which requires a flare nut spanner. As I say, I'd never heard of them until now, but "demonufo" says ....Oh yeah, and when disconnecting brake lines, I cannot recommend proper fitting flare nut spanners highly enough. In fact, I'd rather leave the job well alone without them.

So I dont have to buy a full set, I've just tried sizing the flare nut on the caliper with normal spanners. Either I'm being a complete tool or the 8mm is too small and the 9mm too big.

Oh ok i am still no wiser lol.

To remove my rear brake live off the calliper on my vrs its a 13mm spanner. Then a 7 or 8 mm allan bolt to take the carried

Its' just a fancy spanner

A flare wrench, also known as a flare-nut wrench, tube wrench or line wrench is used for gripping the nuts on the ends of tubes (like automotive brake lines and household plumbing). It is similar to a box-end wrench but, instead of encircling the nut completely, it has a narrow opening just wide enough to allow the wrench to fit over the tube. This allows for maximum contact on plumbing nuts, which are typically softer metals and therefore more prone to damage from open-ended wrenches.

Hang on, the flare nut spanner is for removing the brake pipes, rather than the calipers, and should be way bigger than 8 or 9mm. And is usually imperial, rather than metric. Normal spanners have a risk of slipping since they only grip two sides, whereas flare nut spanners grab most of the entire nut. And if Billy is using a 13mm, then it is either 13mm metric or it is a 1/2" flare nut on the brake lines.

Edit: Aah, beaten to it.

... whereas flare nut spanners grab most of the entire nut....

Handy for lots of situations, not just brake pipes

Just spoke to a Murray skoda technician who had a mk1 octy on the ramp. He says its an 11mm. What the he'll was I measuring this morning? Am I right in thinking that this nut is the last connection between the rubber hose and the calliper?

Right, now I'm really confused.

Having bought an 11mm spanner I cant see anything that it is going to undo.

The copper brake pipe leads to a rubber brake hose. This ends with some sort of metal covering (this what I was measuring at daft o clock this morning) which feeds into a housing. On top of this housing is a 13mm bolt head.

This 13mm is the only thing that I can see that connects the pipe to the caliper and is easily reached which a normal socket.

Obviously I dont want to screw this up, so, am I supposed to remove this 13mm? And if I do then will that free the pipe from the caliper?

Cant believe its 1000hrs and I'm still arsing around with this!

Hi,

I'm taking the advice of a forum member (from a previous thread on brake calipers) and I'm buying a flare nut spanner......to be honest, I'd never heard of them until now, but I can see the advantage especially having just tried my "normal" spanners on the nut to see what size I will need only to find the 8mm is too small and the 9mm is too big!!! Can anyone confirm what size flare nut spanner I need?

Thanks!

You don't need a flarred spanner to remove caliper buddy. simples

Slacken off rear brake cables

remove rear cable from caliper

13mm socket to undo top caliper pipe bango. leave loose to avoid fluid dripping too much.

can see on top left of caliper

13mm to undo rear sliding bolts, unles you are removing both sections of caliper then you need allen socket (can't remember size)

All these are easy to get at.

on refit of new caliper If you are bleeding manually then the bleed nut is 11mm and again eay to get to (but better off using ezibleed kit)

Thanks Bowders1.......I'm now reading what I've just spent the last couple of hours doing, but at least its confirmation that I was doing the right thing! (I'll also be able to do it a damned sight quicker next time!)

The ezibleed kit was a saviour.....after I'd figured out that the reason it was leaking air was because a spare rubber washer was on top of its partner in the lid :think:

The 11mm spanner is for the bleed nipples and the brake line flexy pipe connecting the hardlines on tue car and the beam.

As i said dont know where you got the 8 or 9 mm from?

Dont know why you would but fancy tools when everything on these cars is pritty simple and can be done with most reasonable toolkits.

Never seen them things before tho.

Dont know why you would but fancy tools when everything on these cars is pritty simple and can be done with most reasonable toolkits.

Because flare nuts are as soft as $h!te, can be very stubborn on some cars, and we ain't all gonna own the same car forever now, are we. Some of us do this stuff for a living, worse luck. If ever working on other peoples cars, it is important to take minimal time, and do minimal damage, therefore having the right tools helps. Using ordinary spanners on brake lines in the long run is asking for trouble.

Never seen them things before tho.

You can get bendy head ones too ...

fair enough if you do it for a living, I wouldnt like to think your using normal stuff but for the normal person who only does stuff on their own cars.

Tis amazing what they come up with, Ive never even seen anything like that.

I have a few of those flared spanners and they do come in handy as although i am not a mechi by trade end up doing the brothers,sisters and mates cars who as demonufo states other folks do not look after their cars like we do. So a potential 10 min job becomes 2 hours without the available tools in hand. Also I like having tools I am a bit of a tool hoarder, like I am with various car waxes too

I am a bit of a tool hoarder,

Likewise, I have a full set of 'Whitworth' sockets and spanners, what the hell do I need them for.

Likewise, I have a full set of 'Whitworth' sockets and spanners, what the hell do I need them for.

You of course need to buy a vintage British bike, and rebuild it. I've got Whitworth up the wazoo and cannot part with tools (or just about anything else actually...)

You can get bendy head ones too ...

Ooooohhhh, now THEY look bl**dy useful. If only the bendy head was six point rather than twelve point I'd buy a set right now.

Hmmmm, in fact they'd be perfect for bleeding the master cylinder (in the absence of crows feet or a very bent ring spanner)