nvestysly

I'm at the repair shop this morning and I'm faced with yet another brake job on my 1996 GMC Suburban C2500. What gives? Why does this vehicle eat up front brakes so often. The Suburban has ~150k miles and this will be the 5th time I've had major brake work performed - this time it's just pads and rotors. The last time (only 20k miles) it was calipers, pads and rotors.

I'm a pretty easy-going driver - I don't ride the brakes, I don't stop quickly (at least not on a regular basis). I like almost everything about this vehicle but the brakes are a problem. Is this a known issue? Is there anything I can do to make the pads and rotors last longer?

As I said, last time the brakes were repaired the calipers were replaced. At the time the service tech noticed the calipers were not retracting and this was thought to be the reason the rotors were getting hot spots. Well.... the rotors have hot spots again and I'm feeling a wobble in the front when I apply the brakes.

My new (to me) 2005 K2500 Suburban has great stopping power. It has four-wheel disc brakes so that helps. At 86K miles it has never had a brake job! Is the brake system on a 2005 that much better than a 1996?


Any comments/ideas are appreciated.

73shark

Have you replace the brake hoses?

nvestysly

The hoses were replaced ~20k miles ago when the calipers, pads and rotors were replaced.


I don't recall why the tech suggested replacing the hoses but he made a case for why old hoses would contribute to the problems I was experiencing.

73shark

Sometimes the inner lining of the brake hose can collapse with age and act as a check valve which causes the caliper to constantly keep the pad against the rotor.

Not sure why the rotors and calipers are requiring replacement frequently. Calipers can be rebuilt and I have never had to replace rotors. I typically get 50K to 60K miles out of a set of pads.

nvestysly

I'm going through my service records and will post more details when I've organized the dates/services. In general I'm thinking the rear drums have not been adjusted regularly and that makes the front do more work.

73shark

The rear brakes should adjust automatically when you get back up. However if the mechanism is rusty and frozen up that won't be happening. Something to have the mechanic check for you though.

Scrufdog

What kind of pads are being installed? This can play a lot into life. Too soft a pad like organics will wear quickly but save the rotor. Too hard, sever duty semi metallics will kill the rotor, then kill the pad. I always install Ceramic pads and mid grade rotors. The last time I installed pads and rotors on my K2500HD was 40,000 miles ago. In that time I've towed a 10k trailer from coast to coast multiple times... sometimes without trailer brakes (stupid wiring). I checked my pads a few weaks ago and they still have the chamfered edges on them, looking like new, and the rotors are in great shape. Just bought a 95 Burb C2500 and will be installing the same setup.

SWHouston

Sounds like a proportioning issue, like you're rears are on light duty.
When you changed the Hoses out, was that all 4 or just the rears. Any other component that was changed, which could restrict pressure back there ?

nvestysly

I looked at the rear brakes with the technician and only saw a little dirt/dust from the shoe material. I didn't specifically ask him if there was a problem with the adjusters but he indicated everything looked okay to him and he didn't have a problem adjusting the "wheel" with the tool. But a worn/broken/stuck adjuster is certainly worth considering.


On the other hand, none of my cars have ever done well with self adjusting rear brakes. So, I'm inclined to think it's my driving style - light on the pedal - that makes my vehicles require manual adjustment.


I didn't specifically ask about the pad material type this time but I did ask if there were good/better/best parts available. Since they were installing OEM parts there was not a choice to make - only a part number to order from the parts counter. I'll certainly keep this in mind for next time.


I wondered too if there was a proportioning problem since it seems the fronts wear much more quickly than the rear. Now that everything is adjusted the rear seem to be working fine. I need to go to a vacant parking lot to see what happens in a panic stop to see if I can lock up the rear. The front has ABS so I guess they don't lock up entirely but I don't know if the ABS applies to the rear on my 1996.


Only the front hoses have been replaced.