• New Cars
    • First Impressions
    • Road Tests
  • Classics
    • Classic Profiles
    • Classic Driving Impressions
    • Classics Information
    • Events and Days Out
  • Motoring For Fun
  • News & Views
  • Bookshelf
  • Technical
    • Grumpy Old Mechanic
    • Kim’s Tips
  • Features
    • Visits
    • Track Days
  • Contributors
    • About our contributors
    • Kim Henson
    • Chris Adamson
    • Kieron Fennelly
    • Ant Henson
    • Rachel Henson
    • David Miles
    • Gerald Morgan
    • Dave Moss
    • Dave Randle
    • Robin Roberts
    • Tom Scanlan
    • Glen Smale
    • Jeremy Walton
    • Keith Ward
    • John Price Williams
  • More…
    • About Wheels Alive
    • Tips for using this website
    • Useful Links

Wheels Alive

Old cars, new cars, borrowed cars & blue cars. If it steers it's here!

Old cars, new cars, borrowed cars & blue cars. If it steers it's here!

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Flexible Hoses – Check them

8th September 2013

Flexible hoses are essential to the operation of hydraulic clutch and brake systems on cars both old and new. However, as they age, problems can arise.

Even if you are not technically minded, it’s a good idea – and very easy – to visually inspect the hoses at least once a year, for signs of splitting, crazing, bulging and other obvious external damage. Bending the hose through a tight angle, by hand, will help to highlight dodgy sections. Renew in axle sets if you discover any such nasties. Hose failure and consequent fluid loss could be highly dangerous, especially if the brake system is affected…

However, sometimes troubles can develop unseen within the hoses, notably internal collapse of the hose walls, or internal disintegration. In such cases the hose may look fine from the outside, yet passage of hydraulic fluid through the hose is restricted, so the component to which the hose is connected may not be able to function as designed. Often this takes the form of correct initial operation (for example of the clutch or brakes, as fluid is forced through the restricted section of the hose under heavy pressure applied at the foot pedal), but followed by a ‘lazy’ return of the fluid to the master cylinder/reservoir. So, for example, brakes may be slow to release, or the clutch may slip. In severe cases, if a brake hose (say) is almost completely obstructed internally, the brakes may pull to one side, giving the impression that the caliper or wheel cylinder piston(s) on one side of the vehicle are seized or otherwise inoperative.

Before condemning the brake calipers/cylinders, or a new clutch assembly (all likely to be expensive), make sure that the flexible hydraulic hoses are in good nick.

This flexible hose from a hydraulically activated clutch system looked fine from the outside, but was almost completely choked within, due to disintegration of the internal walls. This resulted in severe clutch slip after every gearchange, due to the fluid being unable to move rapidly back through the hose to the master cylinder and its fluid reservoir
This flexible hose from a hydraulically activated clutch system looked fine from the outside, but was almost completely choked within, due to disintegration of the internal walls. This resulted in severe clutch slip after every gearchange, due to the fluid being unable to move rapidly back through the hose to the master cylinder and its fluid reservoir
Save Post as PDF

Categories: Kim Henson, Kim's Tips Tags: flexible hoses

Tip: For improved search accuracy, enclose search terms for multiple words in quotation marks. For example:
"Land Rover".

Advertise with us

Recent Posts

Largest Custom and American Show yet at Beaulieu

Explore exciting senses at the British Motor Museum this summer…

The Motor Ombudsman is awarded the 2025 TyreSafe Online and Social Media trophy for its ‘Make Time for Tyres’ campaigm

Standards Galore… at the Standard Motor Club’s 2025 International Rally at Daventry

Travelling in Europe by car is unfamiliar for more than half of British motorists, according to a Motor Ombudsman poll

Toyota Corolla Excel 2.0 Hatchback – Road Test

Toyota C-HR 1.8 Design – Brief Impressions

OMODA 9 Launch (and First Impressions) at The House of OMODA

Contributors

contributors

Our well-respected contributors live and breathe motor cars; aren’t we lucky?

Contributors to the site include talented, highly-respected people (so they tell me) on the hallowed membership list of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and from the similarly well thought-of Western Group of Motoring Writers. In addition there are valued contributions from other knowledgeable and capable motoring writers who have something useful to say about all aspects of driving and running vehicles in the 21st Century. All of our team are passionate about motor cars!


Read about our contributors  ››

Tags

Electric road test City car British Motor Museum Estate car large SUV Tyres luxury SUV all-electric Compact SUV Hybrid Coupé First Impressions The Motor Ombudsman National Motor Museum hatchback MPV plug-in hybrid PHEV Beaulieu crossover estate 4x4 SUV Suzuki five door hatchback Kia saloon Seven seater SUV EV

All Tags ››

Like us on Facebook

Like us on Facebook

Wheels Alive Social

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Please share our website

Contact us

We welcome your questions, comments and feedback. Please click here to contact us.

Advertising Opportunities

Please contact us if you would like to discuss advertising opportunities on Wheels Alive.

Copyright © 2025 Kim Henson, Wheels Alive