Brake equalizing

gmikejames · November 10, 2005

GM Tech-

So glad to find this forum. I need some solid advice regarding braking on my 2001 1500 Chevy Z71 Silverado. The truck was purchased recently with 57K and I had all new pads, including e-brake lining, installed. With less than 500miles I pulled my camp trailer (2500lbs) in the mountains. When applying the brakes at an intersection I was unable to apply enough pressure to stop. The front rotors were smoking heavily. After changing my shorts I took my truck to a GM dealer in town. He checked the proportioning valve, etc. and said all was in order. Since I do not believe that GM designed the brakes to respond this way I again asked them to look again. They said that maybe the hydraulic fluid was bad and changed it. Note: When I brought the truck in the e-brake depressed half way. When I picked it up it now depresses all the way to the floor. Again, I asked them to review this issue. They stated that this is normal for this truck. If so when will I know when the brake fails or needs adjusting. Any info is greatly appreciated.

Love that Chev.

willfxp · November 10, 2005

The ebrake is supposed to go all the way to the floor. It's auto adjusted.

Maybe you were going too fast? What brand brake pads did you use? GM?

GM-Tech · November 10, 2005

When applying the brakes at an intersection I was unable to apply enough pressure to stop. The front rotors were smoking heavily.

Smoking after one stop at an intersection? This was in town around town or down some mountain road? You should be able to easily pull a 2500 pound trailer and stop too.

As for the parking brake... yeah, they do go lower than what most are accustomed to seeing. But they usually stop a bit short of the floor, though you could probably apply enough pressure to get it there. The question is, does the parking brake hold?

And keep in mind that the parking brake is separate from your regular brakes. The parking brake is a smallish shoe inside the rear rotors. The regular brakes are, of course, the calipers outside.

gmikejames · November 12, 2005

The ebrake is supposed to go all the way to the floor. It's auto adjusted.

Maybe you were going too fast? What brand brake pads did you use? GM?

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thanks for info on the e-brake. The pads were premium pads from Auto Zone. Unless GM makes some really special pads I don't think this is an issue. I estimated that 75% of the braking has been by the front pads and rotors. When I took the truck in for brakes the front rotors were blue indicating excess front rotor braking. Also, "going to fast" is rather a poor excuse for front brake smoking. Why shouldn't the rear brakes be smoking?

gmikejames · November 12, 2005

When applying the brakes at an intersection I was unable to apply enough pressure to stop. The front rotors were smoking heavily.

Thanks for the info on the e-brake. After I got the truck home I parked on my driveway and applied the e-brake. With the truck in neutral the brake held without any rearward movement (my driveway is pretty steep). I then put the truck in reverse on the driveway to see if I could move it. The brake still held. So I quess that the brake is functioning correctly. If the brake is self adjusting does it adjust when backing up? How will I know when it no longer holding?

Smoking after one stop at an intersection? This was in town around town or down some mountain road? You should be able to easily pull a 2500 pound trailer and stop too.

As for the parking brake... yeah, they do go lower than what most are accustomed to seeing. But they usually stop a bit short of the floor, though you could probably apply enough pressure to get it there. The question is, does the parking brake hold?

And keep in mind that the parking brake is separate from your regular brakes. The parking brake is a smallish shoe inside the rear rotors. The regular brakes are, of course, the calipers outside.

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gmikejames · November 14, 2005

The ebrake is supposed to go all the way to the floor. It's auto adjusted.

Maybe you were going too fast? What brand brake pads did you use? GM?

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Will-

I now understand that the e-brake is self adjusting but how do I know when it is no longer adjusting? Must I continue to check this monthly or is there a better way. My brake pads are premium pads from Auto Zone. If GM has some super special pads I am not aware of them. Regarding the front discs smoking, when I had GM check the brakes the front rotors were blue from excessive heat (smoking) and the rear rotors appeared normal gray. Can bad brake fluid really cause unequal braking problems? Note: after reading many of the posts regarding brakes I checked the pedal and it does not go all the way to the floor but stops within 1/2" . I quess this is normal too. When the brakes are bled should the tech reset any computer codes or etc? And lastly, should I follow some other advice and find a dirt road to reset the anti-lock brakes? How often?

Thanks, again