Losing Brake Fluid During Brake Hose and Caliper Replacement

Some simple precautions can save a big mess and ease brake system bleeding

When replacing flexible brake lines or brake calipers I prefer to minimize brake fluid loss. This can do two things: 1. Minimize spills and clean-up. 2. Make it easier and safer to bleed the air out of your brake system (especially on vehicles equipped with ABS).

Problem & Solution

Common among these chassis:

Classic Sedans
Ponton
R107
W108 W109
W110 W111 W112 Sedan
W111 W112 Coupe
W113
W114
W115
W116
W123
W124
W126
R129
W140
W201
W202
W208
W210
W220

The trick is to have something ready to plug the metal brake line IMMEDIATELY after removing it from the flexible brake hose. I use wooden golf tees for this. Sharpen the end with a belt or power sander as shown below:

After brake hose removal shove the tip up into the hole in the metal line and twist the golf tee to get it to seat in place. Then continue on with your brake maintenance and / or installing your new brake hose. As a final move get the flex hose in place and pull out the tee and quickly tighten the fittings. With practice you can limit fluid spill to a teaspoon or less...