Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: No brakes!

Hybrid View

Previous Post Previous Post   Next Post Next Post
  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Langley
    Posts
    369

    Default No brakes!

    Was leaving a parking lot this afternoon and the pedal went straight to the floor!, It felt like I got a tiny amount of brake at the end... Luckily I was only moving at a crawl and we were able to stop somewhere safe.


    I couldn't find any obvious leaks at the caliper lines or at the master cylinder. I had to pump it a couple times while I was coming to a stop.

    I ended up having it towed to the local BCAA service centre. Not safe to move so hard to service at home.

    My money is in a blown brake line

    Had my 4yr old daughter with me too :-(
    GMC Sierra 2500hd 2004.5 now with ARP studs

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    CA
    Posts
    13,573

    Arrow

    If you don't see a leak (should be obvious), and they worked when you "pumped" them, then it's the master cylinder. Leaks don't "pump up". A leak would only affect one circuit of the system and you'd have minimal brakes, or the leak would affect all of the circuits, and you'd have no brakes. It isn't likely you'd suddenly have a leak that affected all wheels, that suddenly worked when you pump them.
    1985 Blazer 6.2
    2001 GMC 2500HD D/A
    dmaxmaverick@thedieselpage.com

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Location
    Knoxville,Tennessee
    Posts
    2,639

    Default

    I thought the idea of the duel brake system was just that. If you blow a single brake line all is no lost. You still have the other half of the system.

    I had a 56 Chevy and where the brake line crossed under the cross member going to the rear axel the tail pipe banging on the brake line wore it thin and on a test run after installing new brakes it blew out. It felt like someone was pushing me faster when the peddle hit the floor. Good thing I was out in the country and no traffic to deal with.
    "The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government."
    -Patrick Henry


    A5150nut
    2006 K3500 D/A
    94 6.5 4x4 5spd Sold

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Langley
    Posts
    369

    Default

    They didn't really work. I pushed the pedal all the way to the floor and felt a tiny bit of braking. I turned right down into a culdisac, dropped it immediately into 1st and used some E-brake to prevent building up any speed. It was a short trip down to the end and then a giant turn around and back uphill. That's where I stopped.

    I saw no impact or loss on power steering, but I did push the brake pedal to the absolute bottom 3x in the process. It felt exactly the same each time.

    Don't see a leak and I think the master cylinder was low when I checked. However has been raining out and it was dark so I couldn't see much of anything. I assume I pushed out a fair bit of fluid onto the ground but hard to see when it's raining.

    Luckily in-laws came to the rescue and got me and the kid home safely.

    a5150nut, that's my understanding as well. I thought that a brake leak would only kill half my brakes. However I did get SOME braking at the very end of the pedal. About 5% in the last 1/2" (or at least that's what it felt like).
    Last edited by gary_lucas; 01-24-2018 at 21:15.
    GMC Sierra 2500hd 2004.5 now with ARP studs

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Langley
    Posts
    369

    Default

    Followup, the brake line that runs behind the fuel tank failed entirely.

    3hrs of labour for the shop to fix + parts. Quite a bit of cash to be honest.

    I guess I was right when I started thinking about the lines back in this post: http://www.thedieselpageforums.com/t...ad.php?t=45551

    Should have just started swapping them out. The problem is you can't see the lines up behind the gas tank... Why did they route them so crazily?
    GMC Sierra 2500hd 2004.5 now with ARP studs

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    Tampa, Florida
    Posts
    13

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by gary_lucas View Post
    Followup, the brake line that runs behind the fuel tank failed entirely.

    3hrs of labour for the shop to fix + parts. Quite a bit of cash to be honest.

    I guess I was right when I started thinking about the lines back in this post: http://www.thedieselpageforums.com/t...ad.php?t=45551

    Should have just started swapping them out. The problem is you can't see the lines up behind the gas tank... Why did they route them so crazily?
    Glad that they were able to fix it. It would have been very dangerous.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •