Soft/spongy ... aw heck, crappy brakes

[johnm]

I need some help with my brakes ... Please.

Truck: 2002 Silverado CC, 4X4, D/A ~80k miles

Problem: Soft, spongy, not very good braking (pulling 10k 5th wheel or daily driving).

What I've done so far:
- Replaced rear rotors/pads spring of last year
- Replaced front rotors/pads spring of this year
- Replaced all 4 calipers along with the carriers (the thing the caliper bolts to and the pads slide on) with reman'd parts last month. Normal caliper bleeding (I didn't touch the ABS while bleeding). This one helped some but it's not nearly as good as my brothers 2006 Silverado CC, 4X4, D/A.

There are no obvious leaks anywhere. There is, and always has been a slight bit of an "oily residue" (coated with dirt) under the hydro-boost thing. I've had the truck for about 4 years and this residue has always been there. I've never added any brake fluid, nor has anyone else (as far as I know).

The pads and caliper pins slide very nicely (as in they aren't binding up).

The flex hoses (at the calipers) look OK, but then again, I've never seen a brake hose swell that wasn't soaked by a leaky engine in the first place.

All of the pads had normal and mostly even wear (it didn't point to any obvious fault).

I haven't looked at the power steering pump/reservoir yet. I plan on looking at that tonight.

The power steering works fine.

There are no abnormal nosies, pulling, dragging, etc. Just spongy/soft braking. Sometimes it seems like I need to stand on the pedal to stop.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
johnm
2002 Silverado CC 4X4 D/A
2008 Heartland Sundance 2997BHS

 

[GMC_2002_Dmax]

I need some help with my brakes ... Please.

Truck: 2002 Silverado CC, 4X4, D/A ~80k miles

Problem: Soft, spongy, not very good braking (pulling 10k 5th wheel or daily driving).

What I've done so far:
- Replaced rear rotors/pads spring of last year
- Replaced front rotors/pads spring of this year
- Replaced all 4 calipers along with the carriers (the thing the caliper bolts to and the pads slide on) with reman'd parts last month. Normal caliper bleeding (I didn't touch the ABS while bleeding). This one helped some but it's not nearly as good as my brothers 2006 Silverado CC, 4X4, D/A.

There are no obvious leaks anywhere. There is, and always has been a slight bit of an "oily residue" (coated with dirt) under the hydro-boost thing. I've had the truck for about 4 years and this residue has always been there. I've never added any brake fluid, nor has anyone else (as far as I know).

The pads and caliper pins slide very nicely (as in they aren't binding up).

The flex hoses (at the calipers) look OK, but then again, I've never seen a brake hose swell that wasn't soaked by a leaky engine in the first place.

All of the pads had normal and mostly even wear (it didn't point to any obvious fault).

I haven't looked at the power steering pump/reservoir yet. I plan on looking at that tonight.

The power steering works fine.

There are no abnormal nosies, pulling, dragging, etc. Just spongy/soft braking. Sometimes it seems like I need to stand on the pedal to stop.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
johnm
2002 Silverado CC 4X4 D/A
2008 Heartland Sundance 2997BHS

Your brakes are just like mine.

2002 CC/SB
New F&R Rotors, F&R Pads, New Rear Calipers, bled brake system, flushed and refilled PS/Pump-Hydroboost system.

Still sucks.

That is just the way it is.

 

[2500HeavyDuty]

i started having the same problem, but i posted on another site

 

[NelsonDiesel]

could be low pump pressure or an internal problem in the hydroboost.

 

[GMC_2002_Dmax]

could be low pump pressure or an internal problem in the hydroboost.

I'll have to look at the hydro-booster next.

 

[johnm]

Thanks,

But ... how does one go about checking the pump psi and the possible hydroboost issue?

 

[Bowtie Boy]

I just replaced the hydroboost on my truck for the same reasons, poor braking when towing and soft brake pedal all the time. I called the local dealer and was quoted $512.00 for a new hydroboost, I found a local parts house that quoted $117.00 for a reman. But I ended up buying mine from Napa for $152.00 because they have a lifetime warranty their reman unit. What a difference, the brakes are very firm/solid and feel as good as new. I couldn't beleive the difference that replacing it made, I was thinking about slotted rotors and Hawk pads and all that stuff but now it's like new and the pads are still in great shape with 86k on the odometer. So if the hydroboost looks like it's leaking I would definitely consider replacing it but spend a few minutes shopping around cause I found the prices spread out pretty good. Hope this helps you with your brake issues cause it took care of mine.