Chevy Trailblazer Awful Brakes

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Nick1994

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Yay, more issues with the Trailblazer
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2002 Chevy Trailblazer with 106k miles. I replaced the rotors up front and put new Wagner pads on it, they're still full of pad. The caliper slides are greased up nicely and work properly. It doesn't pull to one side or another either. Brake fluid level is full.

Now to the issue: The brakes suck. There isn't much else to say about it, they just SUCK. I drove the car a week or two ago and it was fine, this week I've driven it twice and they don't stop that great. They aren't hard, the pedal goes down but requires a lot more pushing to get it to stop good, which when pushing kinda hard it does stop ok. I think to still safe to drive, but the issue is that the brakes have changed. I took the vacuum hose off the booster and it has vacuum so I don't know.

I'm thinking either a master cylinder or booster.

Thoughts?
 
Anti lock brakes? Just push harder until it starts chirping. Some cars require a bit more driver input than others.
 
I would check either of those. My mother in law has an Envoy (same thing) and the brakes on it are great.

On another note, those are nice SUVs. plenty of power and a good size. Wish they didn't stop making them.
 
Originally Posted By: BobsArmory
Anti lock brakes? Just push harder until it starts chirping. Some cars require a bit more driver input than others.
Yes but I'm very familiar with this car. I've put a couple thousand miles on it over the years. It's just all of a sudden they suck.
 
My 2003 GMC Sierra (Similar vehicle...) has the same problem.

Edit: Here is my thread on it.....

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3725334/Very_Spongy_Brakes,_'03_GMC_Si#Post3725334
 
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Originally Posted By: Brons2
bleed brakes again, using two people method?




My first thought.
 
Originally Posted By: AZjeff
You seem to have the darnedest luck with vehicles. Is there anything in your fleet that doesn't give you grief?? Did you say you've done a fluid flush/bleed?
I know right? I bled the brakes bur I never flushed it when I put new brakes on a couple years ago. What's weird is this is all just all of a sudden.

and to top it all off my mom just called me to go change a flat tire on her car. It really never does end.
 
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Originally Posted By: CT8
Ceramic pads?
Would brake pads with plenty of pad left after 10k+ miles decide they don't want to stop good?
 
I would guess something is sticking or rusted. I know you said you recently worked on them or something, but IMO in a lot of the 90s and 00s GMs, especially the trailblazer and blazer lines, the rear brakes are junk. Seems they corrode terribly and there's always something wrong with them.

Just my experiences with those rear brakes. If you don't find anything helping after you change fluid or whatever your doing, I'd tear into those rear brakes again.


Edit, I'm only talking about rear brakes. I didn't see where in your post you were talking about the fronts.
 
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Originally Posted By: Srt20
I would guess something is sticking or rusted. I know you said you recently worked on them or something, but IMO in a lot of the 90s and 00s GMs, especially the trailblazer and blazer lines, the rear brakes are junk. Seems they corrode terribly and there's always something wrong with them.

Just my experiences with those rear brakes. If you don't find anything helping after you change fluid or whatever your doing, I'd tear into those rear brakes again.


Edit, I'm only talking about rear brakes. I didn't see where in your post you were talking about the fronts.
Well nothing in AZ corrodes lol. I'll check for leaks though.
 
Originally Posted By: another Todd
Flush brake fluid, you may have enough moisture in it to boil in the caliper then you have...brakes that suck.
I'll probably try flushing it first. I texted my mechanic who is in Alaska for another 1.5 months and he said it sounds like the brake booster.

It hisses really bad when stepping on the brake, but stops hissing while holding it. It's always done this.
 
If the booster were bad, the pedal is typically really stiff. Not saying that's not your problem, but the way you describe it, makes me think it's something else.

You said you had Wagner brake pads- are they Thermoquiets? If so, I've seen a few were the integrated noise dampening pads give way and the pedal gets mushy and the vehicle stops poorly.
 
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
If the booster were bad, the pedal is typically really stiff. Not saying that's not your problem, but the way you describe it, makes me think it's something else.

You said you had Wagner brake pads- are they Thermoquiets? If so, I've seen a few were the integrated noise dampening pads give way and the pedal gets mushy and the vehicle stops poorly.
Yes they are ThermoQuiets. I may take them in for a warranty exchange because sometimes they squeak, then I can see if that was the issue.
 
On some GM vehicle, if you get the inboard/outboard pads reversed, you will have a problem. The pads may look the same, but they are not. One pad will have a little raised dimple, that is hard to spot. Anyway if the are backwards, one pad is cocked slightly, and the caliper will bind, and feel like you have very little braking power no matter how hard you push the pedal. I know, because I did it wrong twice before I figured it out.
 
Originally Posted By: Falcon_LS
The truck's an '02 - were the brake hoses ever replaced?
They haven't been changed
 
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