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Started where you are at back in 2004, I started to research and selected a few affordable components.
I selected SSBC and their coated rotors, then i selected the the rear OEM replacement calipers (tri-piston), (that fit with OEM coated rotors and PADs)
I replaced all Rotors and Pads, + rear calipers....then i also replaced the caliper hoses with Russel SSbrake lines...
The Guys @ SSBC laughed at me and said i should also replace the front calipers, I did not.. saved 1500... and time. Not sure who is laughing ..now.. hehehehe
65K and the breaks are 10% used... i also used to commute and drive in Boston for the past 2 years. I also have a good bit more brake dust on the rear wheels... BTW the wheels i have are 17in Denali, wheels (much larger) . from a ebay that where take offs
2003 GMC Sierra 1500ext (5.3L) by ttaupier1
May 05, 2007 (8:57 am)
this was my first post here.....
sounds like a caliper issue, can they replace the calipers with rebuilt or new ones, if the calipers were not sliding on the guide pins they would,likely compress and then not release causing hard pedal and a lot of work to press and give a feel of sticking..., you could replace the guide pins and grease them...for both front and rear calipers
or just replace the calipers with OEM after market, so you wont have to get larger wheels
let us know what you find..
I own a 2001 Silverado with 45K miles. Looks brand new on the outside and inside. The wife took the garbage down to the dumpster and complained she had to pump the brakes to stop because they when down to the floor. I pulled right front wheel off and saw the pads where in great shape. I noticed fluid under the drive side of the truck. Put my fingers in the fluid and determined it to be brake fluid. I look up next to the frame and saw all brake lines where rusted badly. This should not happened. I have had cars in the Chicago area with lots of salt and this has never happened! I not live in Missouri where winters are mild and salt use is a fraction of the Chicago area. GM has a problem here that needs to be fixed. I have been searching the net and many people with different GM models are having this same problem. Someone can get killed or seriously injured because of this! Time to go to war over this!
Later,
Bill
and file a complaint. Consumer Affairs will evaluate and see if a class action suite is in order. Make it happen complain now!
If I were you I'd take my truck to another Chevy dealer cause the one you're dealing with is full of it.
A closer look and we saw the calliper hanging off its mount.
No bolt and the calliper mount was broken in 1/2.
It looks like a casting flaw.
I will check with GM Canada and report back.
Does any one know how to pull the driver side axel out?
The mount kit is $240.00 from Dealer.Thanks Debb.
Thanks,Debb.
A buddy of mine has a 2000 HD Chevy, last week he was plowing and almost lost his rid while plowing. There is a break kit available that has all the lines all measured and bent. he called last friday and the price was about $300 and about 2 weeks away... My past message #99 has some other details... here is the place were we ordered the replacement lines that are stainless steel... LOL >> a lot of good that does all of us owners now... i would have gladly paid the $300 at the time of purchase to know my kids wife and i would be safe from this type of failure...
1) http://www.classictube.com/products.asp
good luck guy
and file a complaint. Consumer Affairs will evaluate and see if a class action suite is in order. Make it happen complain now!
Thanks for the great tip. I knew the SS was available for older cars but did not realize they had them for the newer vehicles. I already dropped the truck off at a local shop, since I don't have the time to do this myself right now or wait for SS. I sure would have gone that route though if I had ordered them in advance.
A note to all on bleeding brakes on these trucks. The brake booster ( Not sure of all are the same) is actually part of the power steering system. There is special bleeding procedure on the PS steering system which does wonders for the brakes. My PS line corroded last year and when I followed the PS bleeding procedure,my brakes were better than ever. Much better than new in fact. We noticed the brakes sucked on the 2003 as compared to the 2000 and the bleeding process made a huge difference.. The process is documented on those online repair manuals. I used Alldata for my manual.
This dealer should be strapped to the front of my truck ( it too has the rusty lines and NO brakes). Let me see, it is work truck and I can't leave it outside!!!! Do these people even hear themselves speak? I have been a GM person all my life and they have finally lost me. You would think after like 12 warranty repairs, they would give me call and learn! Instead, all they care about is if the dealer treated me well!
Here are the other lines that rust out early. Mine is an '03 with only 50K in the Northeast.. If you have the engine oil cooler option, that line rots out in like 3 years and you lose your engine oil .... real fast. After 5 years the fuel lines corrode where the nylon line and o-ring meet the steel line, causing a fine fuel spray giving your truck a fine orange glow if you light a match ( recommended). Oh yeah, I almost forgot the power steering line. The only problem there is that you might lose your steering ( best to time that failure with the brakes for some real excitement). My tranny lines should be good for a few more years since they were all replaced under warranty, since they all seeped. Guess 'fluids and materials engineering' is not a required course for engineers at GMI.
Sorry about the rant, but come on, it was supposed to be a truck.
http://www.fedhillusa.com/
To further my distrust in any fluid line GM produces: Shop found that my PS cooler and line was leaking. I have one more rusty PS line left to replace now. One of the tranny lines is seeping again ( these were all replaced under warranty already once). If GM would simply correct their design/material flaws it wouldn't be that bad, but who wants to replace their fluid lines 2-3 times, simply because they want to keep a truck for 10 years.
If anyone has any alternatives to the PS, tranny and brake rotors, please share them.
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
No not really, the back discs can some times be tricky if you plan to do the front and rear. Front just pop off watch the nuckles...remember the rear calipers pistons screw/rotate back in and are a pain to get off (parking brake sometimes grabs too).
I have always turned or replace the rotors ... I think Russel makes a nice braided brake line set for your year, i replaced the OEM hoses and love the feel of the brakes. If you replace the brake hoses, then it is usually a good time to flush the system with new fluid.
I didn't know with the ABS if you have to relieve pressure through the bleeder when compressing the caliper, instead of just putting the C-clamp on there and going for it. Someone at work said that was the way to do it to keep from damaging the solenoid? but I didn't know.
here are some of my photos..
http://www.carspace.com/ttaupier1/Albums/2003-5_3truck/
so as to not damage anything.. i was not in a rush and did the whole system ( all 4 wheels in about 4.5 hrs with replacing the and bleeding the entire system.. )
My right rear disc brake was squealing. Inside brake pad was worn down to metal. Left side was OK but I installed new rear break pads on both wheels. Also had the rotors machined. My problem is, after re-assembling my rear brakes, they drag and don't release.
DRIVER #2:
I changed the rear brake pads & rotors. Brakes started overheating- went back in and changed out both calipers... that did fix passenger side, but driver side is still overheating. Is it possible the new caliper is bad? I already checked brake hoses, fluid seems to flow freely.
CAUSE:
Oh yes, that infamous GM right rear brake pad problem. A rapid RIGHT REAR brake pad wear problem is common on most GMC and Chevy trucks made from ’99 to ’04. The right rear brake caliper and pads are located in such a manner that road dirt/mud flies straight into them. This steady diet of grit causes the caliper to seize and the inside brake pad to wear out rapidly, causing the "squealing" or "grinding" noise often reported.
SOLUTION:
GM has had a problem with the rear brakes on their light duty trucks. There is a fix. The ALLDATA Information System shows GM Technical Service Bulletin # 00-05-23-005B, which they simply describe is a mud flap kit. This kit addresses the rapid brake pad wear problem. The GM mud flap kit is installed to block bombardment of road dirt and debris that is the cause of this very common problem. The GM kit part number is 15765007 and is pretty easy to install. I would suggest installing the mud flap kit before your next brake job.
As for the new pads dragging and not releasing, DRIVER #2 was smart to check the fluid flow through the brake hoses, but more commonly, did you compress the caliper pistons in as far as they would go when replacing the pads? Retry depressing the caliper pistons back into the caliper as far as you can; make sure the caliper is loose over the pads as you reinstall it. When you press the brake pedal a few times, it should reset the pistons to where they need to be. If not, bleed the system.
Also, were the sliders on the calipers free and loose? The sliders are the metal tube the bolts run through to mount the caliper. These allow the caliper to self-adjust as the pads wear down. If these are still seized or "frozen", you are running your brakes as if your pads are still worn, causing much friction with the new thicker pads. You can work them free and grease them, or replace just the slides on the calipers, but often to just replace the complete caliper (AND the mounting bolts), although more expensive, is more likely to be less headache (and safer) in the end.
I then bought heavy duty rotors and replaced less often. Less stress.
Replacement rotor cost may come into play when it happens on my current "new-to-me" 2500HD. Bigger usually costs more.
I have been doing this with GM for 30 years, this is the skinny on warranty. Trust me when I tell you if a dealer "can" provide warranty, he gets paid, the tech gets paid, it's all good. If the dealer thinks it's marginal, like 27K, you will be buying pads. GM says 12K max for free pad replacement, period. The rotors are another issue, but again at 27K, it's iffy. The dealer is rolling the dice on your loyalty versus your needs. If you get your vehicle serviced at the dealer regularly (even without purchase at that store) and you have a marginal issue, the dealer can "goodwill" at discretion. If you bought there and the deal was kosher, you will get warranty, if you bought out of state for a savings and do your own oil changes, don't ask the dealer to hug you because of your "loyalty", it certainly isn't to the dealer you are crying to.
Dealers aren't out to screw you, warranty is income, income is king at "any" for-profit business. Do you think if we can get your business without you paying is a bad deal for us, you are wrong. I advise every friend and family member to buy as much extended warranty as possible, for your best interest. Car repairs are far from cheap and door rates almost always exceed $100.00 an hour across the country.
Back to your rear park brake shoes after that venture to the soap box. Probably after wrestling the rotors off the hub, the scale build-up in side the drum (which happens in Florida, Cali, Washington State, NY and every state in between for one reason or another) it may have broken the glue bond that hold the friction lining to the actual shoe. The tech may or may not have noticed this. Some techs admittedly, when getting considerably less pay for warranty, do less, because you have warranty, bring it back for the next issue, when he/she will get paid to fix that new problem. The tech will not get paid to replace the rotor damaged park brake show without the following: Stopping to get extra time approval, manager signature, manager sign in for extra time, sometimes a call to the DSM first, parts request issue, pick up the new part from Parts Department, install new park brake shoes and THEN, can continue with work he/she is being paid warranty time for...OR, let you take it, come back with a new noise and get paid Diag time by warranty, re and re of the rotors and pads, then get paid to replace the shoes, etc. Do you get it? Rotors and pads on a truck like yours pay .6 of an hour or 36 minutes. We have to find your vehicle on the lot, test drive, bring into the shop and put on the lift, pull the wheels and inspect before we can begin the repairs. This is followed by a parts request, parts aquisition then the repairs, just how much of the 36 minutes do you think is used up in the preliminary procedure? Now you want the tech to fix something else for free. He/she is not inept, but trying to make a living on the rules imposed by warranty. We get paid next to nothing for warranty time, so "extras" are not often a first priority inless it is a critical safety issue. Use your warranty and thank you dealer for what you get. Think of it as free health care for your car.
I hope this quick statement ;-)) helped resolve your issue on your visit to the mechanic and your brake problem. I must admit, you disclosed only going to"your mechanic", but didn't mention if it was at a dealership for warranty or not, so I filled in the blanks as warranty. My mini bio on warranty brakes should help others with insight I hope.
PS, if you paid out of pocket for brake repairs and the company had an issue and didn't call you while your brakes werw apart on the hoist, I'd look for a new mechanic. Nobody likes a followup call, but a head's up a problem has developed during the repair and it is minimal to correct at this time is far better than letting your car roll and have you come back a second time, bad ju-ju for an independant shop. Further to this, if I spot something as a GM tech I can't fix today, I tell the consumer to expect this noise or light, etc and call in as soon as it happens, in the mean time I will order the part so you are incovenienced as little as possible. That way we ALL work the warranty.
Thanks for your time
My 2002 Chevy Silverado HD 2500 has severe rust issues for certain components. On 5/16/2009 I had a steel brake line burst because of rust damage. Upon inspection I noticed that all brake lines had significant rust damage. General Motors has no part number on these steel brake lines and cannot supply a replacements. In addition to rusted out brake lines I have the following other rust issues, Severely rusted drive shaft, Severely rusted front rotors, (I had to replace the rears last year), Severely rusted washers on body mounts, Severely rusted transmission casing and the Frame starting to rust out. In my onion GM has a major quality and safety issue here. I contacted Chevrolet about the rusted brake lines and they blamed the problem on road salt. However other components under the truck and the truck body itself look great. I believe that GM used inferior materials in certain components resulted in these parts rusting out.
I'm planning on using right stuff detailing to make my new brake lines.
No matter as everyone deserves a 10th chance as GM is getting. We shall see what the future holds. At one time all three of my vehicles were GM. Now two of them are and by the end of the year only one. Course I'm not giving up the vette. Trucks are another matter. That 5.3 is really old news even with the AFM.
Also the brake light on the dash is on as well because i know one of the rear cylinders has a slow leak, but that's never been a problem. (well, it IS a problem, but...)The problem now is I can't get the brake lights to shut off at all without pulling the battery and can't figure out how to remove the switch. Any suggestions?
Thanks.