96 Tahoe 4x4 weird brake problems...

[Highlander]

Hey guys, my Tahoe has started having a weird brake problem and I am wondering if anyone else has had this same issue and what they did to correct/fix the problem????

Half the time the brakes work as they should, pedal goes down about half way and vehicle stops and starts off fine, no issues.
Half the time the brake pedal stays at the top when stopping, and is very hard to push and the brakes hop when coming to a stop, then act like the front calipers do not engage or release completely and cause a drag on both front wheels. You can even feel the resistance when driving the vehicle and smell the brake lining burning.
Sometimes it will work both ways during the same driving times. You never know when it will do one way or the other.
It does have Antilock brakes. Only the front calipers seems to be holding when the pedal stays at the top. When the pedal works at the half way point everything feels like its working as it should.
No lights on in the dash either any time.

 

[lesterl]

Brake booster going out?

 

[Highlander]

I dont think its the booster. The problem has now became repetitive. Now I am for sure that there is something holding pressure on the calipers and not letting them release.
The problem has now progressed to every time you drive it, the first 10 miles everything works great, brakes go down about half way, stop the vehicle fine, then release and everything does great. Then during my second 10 miles on the same trip the pedal starts staying at the top and is hard as a rock when you try to push it down. The vehicle still will stop, but you can tell the calipers already have pressure on them and the brakes are dragging and loading down the engine. Once I got to work after the total 20 mile trip, both front wheels are hot and you can smell brake pads.

What ever is happening is letting pressure build up in the front brake system and the more you use the brakes, the worse it holds pressure.

Are these Hoes prone to the slides on the calipers corroding up and causing problems? Its only doing it on the front, so I think its got to be in the slides for the calipers, the front rubber break lines collapsing, or the calipers themselves sticking maybe?

 

[res2cue]

My 97 is doing the same! :shocked:
I'll be following this thread to see what the problem is!

 

[revlimiter776]

i noticed that after i get the abs to cycle it goes away, i think it has to do with the abs pump

 

[lesterl]

Bleed the lines with some new fluid........

 

[clkelley]

I have to agree with the brake booster. Not releasing the pressure on the calipers. The ABS is designed to make everything release so when it engages it makes sense that it would kind of reset everything.

As a side note, brake fluid should be fully flushed at least once per year for a healthy braking system. Brake fluid breaks down faster than any other fluid in the truck and as a result when you run old fluid say during the winter especially, the condensation build up in the brake fluid can/will cause lines to freeze up and cause issues, and calipers to corrode. Flushing it at least once a year, and preferably right before winter is cheap insurance to help to ensure proper brake performance and longevity.

 

[Gregski]

I dont think its the booster.

+1

a broken brake booster will make a shissing sound, and will feel like a sponge, a broken booster won't lock up the brakes, it will make the pedal feel manual, like very hard to push down, as if you need two feet to step on it, I vote for master cylinder