1997 1500 rear brake line broke, no brakes at all?

[passingthru]

My rear brake line gave out a couple days ago, pushed the pedal and it went to the floor and the truck didn't stop. Luckily I was in the yard.

Granted I've never had a brake line burst like this before, but shouldn't I have still had front brakes? I thought they were split system so if the rear went out you'd still have the front.

[TBerk]

I'm replying to this in 2018 but the fact is the split system on modern brakes aren't Front/Rear.

 

It's Front Right to Rear Left &

Front Left to Rear Right.  Also known as an 'X' Circuit.

 

There should be a divider in the Master Cylinder that keeps a little of the brake fluid available to both circuits.

 

Based on your symptoms I'd think the one existing circuit might have slurped up an air bubble and that air would easily compress.

 

At a time like that the thing to do would be to try and pump up the pressure, besides using the gearing and/or the parking brake to slow the truck.