Hello,

I bought my 2003 Tahoe new. It has 111K miles on it. A month ago I noticed leaking brake fluid from under the front. I took it to the local mechanic's shop [not an actual Chevy dealership].

They informed me that I had a brake line that was rusted at/near the master cylinder. I told them to replace it. Later they called me back and told me that the other brake lines were at risk from rust in the same area at the master cylinder and recommended that I get all brake lines replaced. I told them to do it.

Then after they replaced all of the brake lines, they said they couldn't get all of the air out of the brake system and said I would need a new master cylinder. I told them to replace the master cylinder. They also said that the bleeders were broken on the front calipers and that I'd need new ones. I told them to go ahead and put new ones on. I told them while they were at it, put on new brake pads.

Finally my vehicle was ready to pick up. I brought it home and it seemed fine. I only live a short distance away. Well, the first time I drove it more than about 5 miles I noticed an issue where the pedal became firmer over time and I could feel one or more of the brakes dragging, even when I was not applying any brakes.

I took the vehicle back down to the service center and they told me that it likely was a collapsing front brake hose [because that's the one thing they didnt replace]. So I told them to replace the hoses. They replaced the hoses and then said they drove it down the other end of town nad back and everything was fine. I thought, great... now I finally have it fixed.

I picked up the vehicle and brought it home. The next time I took the vehicle out for a drive, the same problem [dragging in the brake system] occurred -- so the problem still wasn't fixed.

I took the vehicle back down to them today and told them it still wasn't fixed. A short while later they called me back and told me they thought it was a problem with the ABS system. They said I'd have to take it to a Chevrolet dealership, who would have the right tools to diagnose if there were any ABS problems. They said I might need a new ABS unit. They said they have some generic tools for testing ABS on all vehicles but that an actual Chevrolet dealership would have tools that could better pinpoint any issues.

I'm pretty much at my wits end. I've put $1200 into a 11+ year old vehicle for the brake system alone, and it doesn't work as good as it did before I took it in to get repaired. I did not have any problem with ABS or dragging brakes prior to getting it repaired.

1. There are no ABS codes being listed in the computer
2. The ABS light does not come on

(the last time I drove it long enough for this problem to show itself, I noticed the left rear brake was just starting to smoke -- so I knew at least that brake had an issue -- today when they checked it, they said that when it was up on the rack all four brakes were dragging -- none of them would spin freely with no resistance when up on the rack)

As part of doing an online search for others with similar problems, I saw some people with ABS problems [which didn't sound like the same exact issue I'm having] where it turned out to be something covered under a recall regarding corrosion in ABS sensors. Will dealerships still do recall repairs for a recall generated in 2005? If GM still repairs vehicles 9 years after a recall is issued, should I have the dealership follow up on this recall?

Can anyone give me a recommendation on what I should do next -- where I should take it -- what I should ask the dealership/mechanic to check? Does this sound like an ABS unit issue? ABS sensor issue? something else?

I would appreciate any advice you could give me.

Thanks,

Mike

 

Doesn't sound like you have an ABS sensor problem. I did and the only symptom was ABS engaging at very low speed braking. IIRC others here described the same thing. Maybe someone will chime in who knows better.

 

I bit the bullet and had it towed to the dealership. We'll see what they have to say about the matter. They said it'll be a day or two before they get to work on it. I'll post back once I find out what the problem was.

Mike

 

Well, I took it to the dealership. They said something about the rear caliper pins not being lubricated and dry as a bone -- causing them to not move freely like they should. I mentioned that aside from a leaky line, less than a month ago my brakes were working great. In fact, it wasn't until I took it to the first mechanic that this problem started. The dealership was adamant that the problem had to do with the lack of lubrication on the pins. They estimated it would be $500+ for two hours of diagnostics and [I think] rear rotors and pads + labor plus extensive lubrication front and back (which could take significant time). One or two days later the dealership called me back and said that no matter what they do, they couldn't get the brakes to return to how they are supposed to so that the wheels can spin freely. So, calipers was next on the order. The revised estimate was $750+.

A day later they called me and said it was done and said it would be $10xx+. I asked them how the $750ish figure they quoted me turned into $10xx. When posed with that question, they knocked about $100 off. So the end result was somewhere around $960.

I had my sister pick it up. She brought it home. I finally got a chance to take it for a drive. I drove probably 15 miles and the same old problem was there again. Basically it goes like this...

After the truck sets for a decent period of time, I can get in it and fire it up and the brake pedal feels great -- it isn't hard immediately as I press on it. I can put it in neutral and coast on an extremely slight grade... no problems. As i start driving it, the brake pedal seems to get harder and harder. Eventually it gets to the point that I barely touch it before it gets to the point where it feels "hard". Now, it doesn't seem to want to throw me through the windshield when it's that hard and I press on it, but nevertheless it is hard. There is no "give" or "play" like i'm used to. It only has about 1/2" of push before the pedal feels hard. So I turn around and return home. On the way home, as I'm driving, I can periodically feel the brakes putting a "lag" on the vehicle-- and if i'm on a straight-away and let off the gas pedal, I can actually feel the brakes attempting to slow the vehicle down [albeit slightly].

Arrive home and I can smell the hot brakes as I get out of the truck.

I had just picked it up Friday, so I have not had a chance to talk to the dealership yet. I really don't know what to do next. They claim to have run _very_ extensive diagnostics on the brake system. it checked out. I put $1200+ into it with the first mechanic shop, then $960+ into it with the Chevy dealership plus the $115 tow charge to have it towed to the dealership.

Incidentally, Friday when I talked to them on the phone, I asked them if they test drove it. They said yes. I asked them if they attempted to drive it for a while (10-15 miles, or 20-30 minutes, to see if the issue is gone. They lady from the service department said that they can't just spend their time driving a vehicle for 20-30 minutes. Good grief. Well, I had no choice but to arrange to have it picked up and see how it ran myself.

I know this sounds like an absurd story, but it is a true story. Either all of this brake work typically causes the feeling that the brakes are dragging until it is "broken in" and I'm just overreacting about the hot, smelly and sometimes smoking brakes, or there is something wrong here that $2200+ worth of brake work didn't fix --- a problem that did _not_ exist prior to me having my brakes worked on.

Does anyone have any idea what might be going on, or what kind of discsussion I might have with the dealership (as far as suggestions) to give a hint to somebody there about what to check next?

Thanks

Mike

 

I realize this may be a long shot based on the age of this post but you describe exactly what my Tahoe is doing now and I was wondering if you ever found out the actual problem. I take the car to the mechanic while the problem is happening but by the time they drive it the car has rested and they do not drive it long enough to make the problem happen. Thank you

 

After all of the hassle I described, my niece's future husband offered to take the Tahoe for a week and see what he could find out. He towed it to where he lived. He is NOT a mechanic, but is one of those mechanically inclined guys who fixes all of his issues himself and never takes it to a mechanic.

He looked over everything that the previous mechanics claimed to have fixed and determined that indeed it looked like they replaced the master cylinder, all the brake lines, etc. So, his thought was that the only major thing they had not replaced was the booster (that odd shaped thing that the master cylinder connects to). He went to a pull-a-part salvage yard and bought a used booster really cheap, figuring that if he replaced it and it did not fix the issue I would be out very little money.

As it turns out, replacing the brake booster fixed it. But, you have to ask yourself -- was it really the brake booster? Or was it the process of removing the brake lines from the master cylinder, removing the master cylinder, removing the brake booster, replacing the break booster, putting everything back together and then bleeding the brakes somehow the fix? In our minds, we considered the brake booster the problem, and the replacement of the brake booster the fix. But I cannot guarantee that the brake booster was the issue versus a previous mechanic not putting the other things together properly.

Hope that helps.

Mike

 

Thank you for the quick and thoughtful response. It is greatly appreciated.

 

I've experienced - on a non-GM vehicle - where there was insufficient free play so the pushrod to the master cylinder was always in contact with the master cylinder plunger. And after driving a while, things would heat up and the master cylinder plunger was always depressed a little, causing brakes to drag and eventually lock up.

On most vehicles the brake pushrod or brake booster pushrod needs to be checked/adjusted when a different master cylinder is installed.

 

my same exact problem replaced all lines front calipers and master still doesn’t want to coast and they drag so frustrating