I have probably been living with this for a while. But this is how my brakes feel: 2001 w/rear drums (yeah yeah it is a 2000.5)
1. Normal driving seems fine. If I was braking to...oh...not hit a child the brakes catch hard, then let off for a split second then catch. Not sure if that is the RWAL. (If so, I wish I had no RWAL).

2. If I have my trailer hooked up, it takes a lot longer to stop. Pretty much accentuates what I have accustomed myself to.

Every time I drive my wife's 2007 Yukon (4 wheel disc) then drive my truck I really notice how much my brakes suck.

No brake lights on.

Work done:
1. Stainless steel Kevlar brake lines
2. New rotors and pads (8K miles ago)
3. New drums shoes and wheel cylinders

I'll bleed the system tomorrow, but maybe the problem is not air.

Wonder if it could be the calipers? I don't know how to diagnose calipers. Truck doesn't wander under braking. The braking is just not as grabby as it should be.

 

Did you get *good* pads, or whatever was cheap? It could be air, it could be shoes out of adjustment, calipers seized up, any number of things.

 

I have tried:
1. Duralast gold
2. Raybestos industrial grade (grease pack was sandwiched in between the pads from rockauto and exploded on the pads...brake cleaner didn't work).
3. Bosch pads are currently on them.
4. Wagner thermo quiets (split and cracked. ceramics are too hard!)

Believe it or not. The duralast gold pads worked the best. I was thinking of getting the EBC greenstuff pads. But they are 90 bucks a pack. I was thinking I can get good results from a $40 set of pads.

If the calipers were seized, wouldn't the truck pull to a side....unless both are seized I guess.

Thanks for the reply though. Just wondering if something is wrong, or our trucks have less than desirable braking.

 

There is very little to go wrong with calipers. The piston extends/retracts, or it doesn't. (and you will KNOW if it doesn't.) Seized guide pins might be a problem, but, that usually presents itself as a steering pull while braking, and seriously uneven pad wear. So far as I am concerned, the stock brakes on the half-ton trucks were inadequate from the factory.

Since you already have dual piston calipers in front, not much you can do for upgrades there.... The new lines were certainly a good idea, (and should have made a noticeable improvement in braking....) You could upgrade the wheel cylinders to the 1-ton version, to increase rear brake performance....... but, that may exacerbate your 'skipping' problem...... (disabling the RWAL isn't too difficult, and quite frankly, seems like a good idea to me.....)

Try flushing your brake system, get all the old fluid out, and make sure the rears are adjusted up good. (and, make sure the shoes are installed correctly, the shorter shoes go toward the FRONT.)

 

Sometimes mine does this too after either cold or wet weather. I had new cylinders installed last fall and that evened out the braking feel as apparently they were bad for a while. I asked the shop (old, reputable and large shop in DFW) about flushing the fluid and they said to NOT do it. Reason being the fluid is old and will disturb debris and cause more problems to the master cylinder/etc. I guess it's like the trans flush idea? Most shops recommend against that for autos.

Also, you mentioned the 2000.5 year as being related to rear drums but all 1500s had rear drums until the 2002 3rd gen was introduced. Only 2500s starting in 2001.5 got rear disc brakes. At least you have the dual piston calipers.

 

The pedal will feel mushy if the rear drums aren't adjusted up right. I had a shop do brakes on my old 99 (RIP). New shoes the whole bit. Went through the first intersection after picking it up. Took it back, they bled it and bled it, said it was done. Pedal still went halfway to the floor. They said it could be your booster. Yeh, it just went bad overnight, right. Anyway told them to concentrate on the rear drums, problem solved. Just a possibility.

 

We flush brakes every 30k at work, and we rarely ever have caliper issues.

If you haven't been doing it, there's always a chance you could stir something up, however the fluid absorbs moisture. It's just what it does. Moisture rusts stuff. Moisture drops your boiling point too.

I worked with a guy who has been wrenching since about the time I was born, up in Detroit. He said they never flushed brakes and never had a problem.

My response: Well, yeah. When cars only last 2-3 years before the floors rust out, you don't need to worry about it.

 

I flush brake system on a regular basis. I have never had a problem with flushing being the cause of any type of failure..... (and I have been doin' this a while.....) Horatio is correct, brake fluid LOVES to absorb moisture, in in hard braking situations, the brakes get hot, the water boils....... and you get some serious brake fade..... Never fun....

 

FWIW: Air in the system is evidenced first and foremost by a spongy pedal. In a system that's tight and right, the pedal should travel no more than 1.5" before very firm resistance is felt, and from there it should take progressively more effort for each additional bit of travel. If you're sensitive to it, you should just be able to feel the actuation of the proportioning valve just a mite before the resistance increases rapidly. I've talked to more people who couldn't feel it than could.

Also in the potentially useful trivia department: A thorough fluid replacement bleed should take just about two quarts of brake fluid. You'll use a bit less with a pressure bleeder than with a helper working the brake pedal.

If the pedal isn't spongy, your problem isn't air in the system -- air compresses, fluid doesn't. On the other hand, with each brake system design being a bit different from all others, if your leg doesn't know what's right for a given system it can be hard to tell the difference. Those with more booster area for a given displacement volume will feel softer than those with less booster area. The guy I bought my '69 Scout from remarked that its brake system, with no booster at all, was "heavy as a dead preacher". My mother's old '72 Sedan DeVille, designed to deliver an experience less like driving and more like sitting on the sofa, was so over-assisted that the pedal was softer than the seats until just before lockup.

 

Thanks for all the replies. I moved from NY to KY pulling my trailer (3600 total weight) and had no problems. I think I was being a bit too paranoid. When I bled the system there was zero air. I am about due for another manual flush of fluid, so I'll get a couple quarts and bleed it.

UrU, what you said seems correct. After about 2 inches my brakes kick in hard and then it takes a lot more pressure for the "OH MY" situations. Had one when a truck (another secondgen) pulled out of a parking lot about 30 feet in front of me and I was going 45. I stopped in less than 20 feet laden with all the weight.

I think I was just paranoid/nervous about the move.

FYI, the new Bosch pads I got (there was a special on amazon) actually feel pretty good. Also they don't dust up as much and aren't hard on the rotors. I will probably replace the pads again with Bosch pads. Although I really want to try out the EBC brake pads. Got them for my wife's Yukon and they work great. But at 80 bucks a pop I am not too sure if it is a "bang" for your buck.