# No front brakes :(



## mcwlandscaping (Sep 8, 2005)

I don't know what is going on but my front brakes don't seem to work very well at all. The rear locks up becaues of this and you notice that the front doesn't drop at all like it should when the front brakes are applied. I have the ABS in my truck unplugged so that should not be a problem, but, figured ide say so in case it could be the problem....that's been unplugged since last year....when the truck is jacked up and wheels off, you can spin the spindle by hand and it seems like the brakes grab and hold then, just can't tell how much. I replaced the master cylinder and that slightly helped (i needed one anyway) but the front brakes are still not doing anywhere near what they should. The pads on the fronts are at 1/2 to 3/4 so they are fine, however the calipers could very well be the originals. Could this be causing my problems? Any help at all would be awesome......btw, all brakes were bled correctly when we did M.C. change.

-mike-


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## Clapper&Company (Jan 4, 2005)

Did you check you Blinker fluid ????


LOL J/k 

I would check in to the calipers if i was you !!! Its hard to know whats going on by reading and not being there but calipers would be where I would look next !!

Good Luck mike


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## mcwlandscaping (Sep 8, 2005)

Clapper&Company;506888 said:


> Did you check you Blinker fluid ????
> 
> LOL J/k
> 
> ...


LOL, you won't believe how many people at the school shop we can trick into something like that, or headlight fluid..etc.!!! haha

Calipers will be next, i do believe they should be changed anyway since they are so old...thank you for the response!!

keep em' coming guys!! 

-mike-


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## KGRlandscapeing (May 2, 2007)

did u blead them? just a thought and y do u have the abs unpluggd?

and its obviously not the blinker fluid its gotta be a bad muffler bearing come on now

crap ok i see that u said u bled them. what about the rotors them selfs r they glazed? what type of pads did u put on? do the rotors have high spots r they warpped dose the peddle do anything weird when u stomp down it pulse or anything when trying to brake.


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

Did you kink the brake line going to the front ?


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## Dstosh (Dec 30, 2003)

Maybe the pins on the calipers arent sliding. I would say take the whole calilper and rail off and then push the break petal and see what happens. Good Luck


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## exmark1 (Nov 30, 2005)

I would have to say your problem is the calipers, they may just need to be cleaned up or replaced!


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## sechracer (Nov 4, 2007)

SnoFarmer;506911 said:


> Did you kink the brake line going to the front ?


I would check the main brake lines too..... But calipers are always a problem..... Another thing to check would be the brake booster.... Loss of vaccuum to it?


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## mcwlandscaping (Sep 8, 2005)

KGR, the ABS is unplugged because there is a problem with it that can't be detected...it says that it's functioning fine but really is dangerously messed up, what happens is around 3 MPH (when its suppose to kick on when it is NEEDED) when coming to a stop the abs kicks on and the brake pedal falls to the floor and vibrates, speed sensors were changed and that didn't correct the problem. I never had ABS on any other vehicle and i know how to drive without it, so, it got unplugged and that solved the problem. 

Brake calipers and rotors are being changed today after school. A number of you also mentioned kinks and problems with the brake liines, that will certainly be checked as well. I will let you all know what the problem ends up being tonight! Thanks for all the helpful advice as always!!!

-mike-


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## streetfrog (Dec 9, 2007)

Mike that is a common problem with chevys. (the abs) You need a new abs comp and GM does know about it and so does every mechanic worth a salt.... As far as the brakes not working it is probably the calipers AND the rotors glazing because of them. The slides lock up on those and if they are original then its a good bet they are junk. I just replaced mine on my 94 because of the same problem. I replaced the rotors also as they were glazed because of the calipers not working correctly.


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## mcwlandscaping (Sep 8, 2005)

streetfrog;507802 said:


> Mike that is a common problem with chevys. (the abs) You need a new abs comp and GM does know about it and so does every mechanic worth a salt.... As far as the brakes not working it is probably the calipers AND the rotors glazing because of them. The slides lock up on those and if they are original then its a good bet they are junk. I just replaced mine on my 94 because of the same problem. I replaced the rotors also as they were glazed because of the calipers not working correctly.


Any idea on how much this computer costs? last i checked it was around 600 for the whole unit, i don't know where you can get the chip separately...just unplugging it worked before, i don't see why that would cause this problem all of a sudden.

Calipers nor the rotors were glazed when i took them off

Update for everyone, we spent a few hours on the truck last night, everything is apart, we decided to do ball joints while we were in there (drivers side needed it bad) so it's taking us an extra night but i think the extra time spent is worth it.

If anyone can tell me some sort of price on the ABS computer if i can just change that, that would be great!

thanks,
-mike-


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## streetfrog (Dec 9, 2007)

The ABS comp wouldnt cause the problem you are having. I was just giving you a FYI as a mechanic for 20+ yrs. The comp runs from $750- $1100 new. Used about half but no guarantees. Unplugging it is usually what I recomend due to the price. ABS Is overrated on trucks especially plow rigs anyway. Mine is unplugged for the same reason as I can't afford nor see spending that kind of money on something that I don't like anyway.


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## mcwlandscaping (Sep 8, 2005)

streetfrog;507852 said:


> The ABS comp wouldnt cause the problem you are having. I was just giving you a FYI as a mechanic for 20+ yrs. The comp runs from $750- $1100 new. Used about half but no guarantees. Unplugging it is usually what I recomend due to the price. ABS Is overrated on trucks especially plow rigs anyway. Mine is unplugged for the same reason as I can't afford nor see spending that kind of money on something that I don't like anyway.


OHH, thank you very much!!! i understand! i totally agree, i don't need abs on a truck...on a car i could see it being nice. I think you are located relatively close to me, we should meetup sometime!!

thanks again,
-mike-


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## streetfrog (Dec 9, 2007)

Hell yea. I am in Hudson right off lowell rd. I am in Nashua constantly. Just not to plow lol. I do Hudson and Litchfield only. Looks like a crappy day tomorrow. 1/2" of ice then going to snow, 3-6" Starting as rain. Looks like I will be salting first. Call me sometime. 660-1629 Ken


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## sparky8370 (Nov 26, 2007)

Does that truck have a proportioning valve? If so try and push the brake pedal real hard to reset it and then pump up the brakes. That happened to me with an old chevette (My first car.). I replaced some front brake lines, bled everything but they still didn't work. Then my Dad told me to do that and they worked great.


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## jcesar (Sep 14, 2006)

2 things I have found, with Chevy Brakes.
First, use ceramic pads.
they will sqeak a little, but they improve pedal.
second, the rubber lines, that go to the caliper, try replacing them with steel.
as the rubber gets older, when brakes are applied, they will expand, allowing the fluid to stay in the line more so than continuing to the caliper for proper pressure.

new calipers will help as well.

JMO
good luck Mike!


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## KGRlandscapeing (May 2, 2007)

jcesar;508572 said:


> 2 things I have found, with Chevy Brakes.
> First, use ceramic pads.
> they will sqeak a little, but they improve pedal.
> second, the rubber lines, that go to the caliper, try replacing them with steel.
> ...


ya know i never did understand y they put rubber flex tube on them. i mean i know so u can turn the wheel and have travel. but all the rest is high pressure then at the wheels u have rubber lines


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## jcesar (Sep 14, 2006)

me either. But as far as wheel travel, if that is the question, 

They make an aftermarket flexible steel line, that is high pressure, to fit it..
I replaced them on my chevy, and I thought it made quite a difference.


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## accentlawn (Nov 17, 2007)

be careful with the ceramic pads. I know for a fact certain manufacturers specifically state that ceramic pads shouldn't be used even though they are made available through the aftermarket by Wagner and Raybestos. I haven't ever heard of any trucks that have specified not to use them but I know Cadillac has that note and it causes the vehicle to have POOR brake performance.


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## accentlawn (Nov 17, 2007)

Did you bench bleed the master cylinder?


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## mcwlandscaping (Sep 8, 2005)

well, replacing the rotors and calipers was a total waste as it has not solved my problem.....the truck will hopefully be brought into a shop today for me to drop even more money on it....of course we have 3-6 inches coming tonight


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## streetfrog (Dec 9, 2007)

OK .. What have you replaced/done so far. Tell me so I can figure out what to do next.


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## mcwlandscaping (Sep 8, 2005)

new calipers, pads, rotors, master cylinder....all installed and bled....we are so confused as to what to do!!! thanks so much!!!


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## mcwlandscaping (Sep 8, 2005)

Truck is in the shop now, i couldn't afford to wait and try to fix it myself. Ide still like to hear what you guys think it may be, i'm nervous as to what else they'll need to do and i can only hope i'll have it back by this afternoon. Just the cost of running a business....the unfortunate part!!

thanks guys so much, all in all, even though the front brakes weren't the problem, i really did like doing them and the ball joints myself, it was very rewarding and i learned a lot and had fun doing it. It does give me peace of mind though knowing there are new parts in there (especially the ball joints) that i dont' really need to worry about!

-mike-


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## KGRlandscapeing (May 2, 2007)

did i fail to ask this question befor how much weight do u have in the bed?


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## snowcan (Sep 28, 2006)

MCW, your abs may the problem, I would guess after everything you have done that the problem will be with the abs valve not allowing enough pressure to the front brakes, regardless of you unplugging the electrical. You may have no choice but to fix the abs to get your brakes working again. Your abs lamp must be on, you could have it scanned for codes and go through the flow chart but you don't want to mess with this unless you have experience. You are doing the right thing by letting a mechanic work on it at this point and avoiding the frustration.............good luck


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## streetfrog (Dec 9, 2007)

I think you will find its the booster.


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

KGRlandscapeing;509149 said:


> did i fail to ask this question befor how much weight do u have in the bed?


You could be on to something..

Did the rod for the proportioning valve fall off?

Or is the weight of the blade picking up the back throwing off the valve?


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## mcwlandscaping (Sep 8, 2005)

Well, i feel like a moron...all that needed to be done was to adjust the star adjuster thing on the rear drums and they were all set....now, the brakes work GREAT!!!!! oh well, now the front brakes and ball joints are done and i don't have to worry about it  now take a look at my new thread "posi doesn't work" also located in this forum :-\


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## B&B (Nov 4, 2006)

Sorry Mike, I didn't see your post until you said you had already taken it to the shop....

But this is a very common problem on the 14 bolt rear ends.

What happens with these 14 bolts on a plow truck is that the rear brakes actually *over adjust *themselves from the constant forward/backward motion, as thats what adjusts the brakes up, the rearward motion followed by applying the brakes. Do this enough times and they over adjust and want to lock up at the slightest touch of the pedal and makes the rear brakes do most of the work. I'm sure many guys out there with 2000-older 2500's have noticed this on their trucks that are used for a lot of plowing, If you haven't, then the adjuster's a rusted/froze up (also very common!).

You'll probably discover once you plow with it for a while that it will begin to do this again so you may need to back the adjusters off once again. I ran a 14 bolt in my last truck and I used to have to back the adjusters off on the rear brakes at least once throughout the winter months.


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## KGRlandscapeing (May 2, 2007)

has chevy gone to disc brakes on the back yet?


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## mcwlandscaping (Sep 8, 2005)

B&B;509968 said:


> Sorry Mike, I didn't see your post until you said you had already taken it to the shop....
> 
> But this is a very common problem on the 14 bolt rear ends.
> 
> ...


Don't appologize! You have saved me a million times before!  Thanks for the post though, thoroughly explains the problem and its' solution!!

Thanks B&B 
-mike-


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## mcwlandscaping (Sep 8, 2005)

KGRlandscapeing;509972 said:


> has chevy gone to disc brakes on the back yet?


They did for awhile then switched back to drums...i dotn' know what it is now though


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## B&B (Nov 4, 2006)

KGRlandscapeing;509972 said:


> has chevy gone to disc brakes on the back yet?


They did on the 1500's in 99 (Silverado body style) Then switched back to drums on some 05-up.

The 2500's were drum on the OBS, some were drum on the 99-2000 Silverado body style, and then all disc 01-up.


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## MickiRig1 (Dec 5, 2003)

*You beat me to it again B&B.*
 I had the same thought, no one mentioned the back brakes being the posible problem.

Anytime your replacing brake parts make sure you inspect your brake lines. Replace them if rusted and scaled bad. It's a lot eaiser to bleed and replace stuff at that point with new bleeders. Or you can wait till it's cold and snowing.
I have all my kids and wife trained in bleeding brakes. _The dog never caught on._


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