Hi everyone, I'm having a problem with the braking system on a 97 sebring lxi convertible. It must have ruptured a hard line towards the rear, practically behind the drivers seat, however i have not had time to jack the car up to inspect this further. Does anyone have pictures of the underside of the car where these lines meet? Im assuming there is a distribution block or something right there. Any diagrams of the brake system would also help.

 

There is no "distribution block" right there. If your car has ABS, there will be a controller at the front crossmember. If not, there will be a proportioning valve at the front crossmember. From there, steel lines lead to each corner of the car with a hose leading to each wheel.
Why are you assuming that you have a ruptured line towards the rear? Brake fluid on the ground? If so, don't be driving the car until it's fixed. You have only half your brakes and no margin of safety left.

 

i do have some mechanical skill/know how that waas passed down from my father to me . Yes i am 100% certain there is a line or part of the hydraulic system is ruptured, fluid on the ground and excess leaking if you try using the brakes. I still haven't jacked up the car to really check what it is but im leaning on the hard brake lines corroding due to a lot of rust on both lines. I did inherit my father's tools as he passed away about 2 weeks ago ( he was a ASE master mechanic ). I have found the flaring tools and some line in my parents garage, however i don't know what kinda flare it needs and I'm skeptical with my experience getting the flares right. I wanted to see if there was a brake line schematic or picture of the area behind the drivers seat and what looks like a rear cross-member. Really what i want to see is if i can get a pre-flared line and just bend it to shape and replace it, but until i can get under the car to look at it i dont know how large of a line i will need

 

There is a picture of the underside of the Sebring in the Haynes manual, but it won't answer your questions. You are going to have to get under there eventually, so as long as the car is undriveable, you might as well get it up on jackstands and get a good look at the problem.
To fabricate your own brake lines, you'll need the correct size brake tubing, a proper cutting tool, a bending tool and the flare tool. You'll need the flare fittings that go with the lines. Cut out a piece of the broken line and compare it to what you have. If it's different, take the piece to an auto parts store to be sure to get what you need.
Flaring and bending tubing is not all that difficult but, like anything else, you get better with practice, so take some of that stock on hand and practice cutting, bending and flaring. It's easy to kink the line if you don't do it right.
You may be able to find pre-flared line in the correct length. You may find that you can buy the complete part at the dealership cheaply enough to justify avoiding the hassle of making your own.
As long as you're under there, you might as well replace other lines before they fail. When you have it back together, flush the whole system with new brake fluid of the proper specification when you bleed the lines.

 

Thanks for the reply Dcotter, yah i just haven't had the time to get the car jacked up ( Its just sitting in a driveway for now). This car is my father-in-law's so id rather be safe than sorry when it comes to the suspension and braking systems on any car. I agree replacing the other lines, i noticed the "loop" it makes behind the drivers seat, there is another line right next to it and they both look fairly corroded. In addition the fluid is leaking onto the exhaust ( i think its the resonator that its dripping onto) so i suggested not to drive or start the car until the repair is made.

I do have the flaring tool, looks like 2 bars with numerous diameter holes, however i haven't located the press ends to make the actual flare. Like i may have mentioned i do have left over tube stock from my 86 Oldsmobile that my father repaired the rear hard lines with. It may not be the same diameter, but id rather be safe in this case and buy a pre-flared line ( shouldn't be much $$ ) and bend it to match the current ones. Ill keep posting with updates, but it looks like i might not be able to look at it until this weekend.