Squishy break pedal feel?

[AV8ER]

Out of all the cars I've driven my TB has a very squishy break pedal feel. It has good overall breaking power but doesn't knock my socks off. I was wondering if this is normal or if I possibly have air in a line somewhere as I've never driven or even ridden in another GMT360/370.

 

[The_Roadie]

Totally normal, although undesirable and different from all other vehicles. Even with stainless braided front brake lines, it's a poor feel.

 

[AV8ER]

Well im glad that theres not a problem. It sure would be nice if the pedal was a bit firmer though

 

[JerryIrons]

Yeah I know what you mean. I've put extra brake fluid in the master cylinder and that seems to help a little. Also fresh fluid can help if you have old brake fluid running around in there. The logic being brake fluid absorbs moisture over time, the water has a lower boiling pont and turns to gas which is compressible...

Mostly, you just have to live with it though I think.

 

[McGMT]

Well im glad that theres not a problem. It sure would be nice if the pedal was a bit firmer though

Something you are going to notice if you are a true connoisseur of the road is that even though the pedal can be a bit vague, if you push the pedal with a gentle touch it will give you a different attitude. I find in mine with my driving style of gradual braking in advance to a stop that I can depress the pedal with little force and it will give me a steady increasing force. Almost like I just tell it I want to stop right there and it does all the work.

 

[gmcman]

Out of all the cars I've driven my TB has a very squishy break pedal feel. It has good overall breaking power but doesn't knock my socks off. I was wondering if this is normal or if I possibly have air in a line somewhere as I've never driven or even ridden in another GMT360/370.

Can you elaborate on the current condition of the brakes?

Age
Miles
Type, pad & rotor....OEM or aftermarket, ceramic pads, etc
Amount of material left on the pad
Have you ever flushed your brake fluid, color of fluid
Condition of brake hoses...ie, cracked or dryrotted.


Many possibilities and I can say we don't have the most spectacular brakes, but mine have always been fairly good despite the curb weight.

We can start here then move on after you provide some more info.

 

[Sparky]

They stop fine, but the pedal is a little mushy feeling. Enough that after driving my Trailblazer for over a year I got my "new" (to me) summer fun car and about went through the windshield when I first hit the brakes on it

 

[AV8ER]

Oops i forgot to reply to this. Thanks everyone for the replies. The brakes do work well. I figured this out when some yahoo decided to switch lanes infront of me then slam on the brakes so they can get back over. When i slammed on my brakes i realized that it even locked up a tire on the tb. I didnt realize it had the brakes to do this on dry pavement! So it seems my question has been answered. The relatively vauge pedal feel that isnt firm by any means is normal. Even with this braking power is there. Thanks again for the replies and sorry for not responding!

 

[97blazer]

This is subjective to say the least but... Last month during some very rainy weather I had occasion to exercise the anti-lock brakes. They worked as expected. Pedal remained firm, I could feel the pulsations both in the pedal and the steering wheel. Truck stopped straight. And no I didn't hit anything.. Anyway since then I've noticed a that my brakes are not nearly as "spongy" as before. Sounds strange I know but next time it rains I'm tempted to go out and exercise the anti-locks again to see if things improve some more. Either way the brake pedal is more responsive/firm than before. Take it for what it's worth.

Shirt tail analysis: Brakes always felt, to me, like there was air in the system. Exercising the anti-locks somehow purged some (all?) of the air out.

 

[MoJoRisin']

On my 2000 K3500 pickup when my brakes get wet they are EXTREMELY TOUCHY and basically will lock up unless you have some momentum. When I bought this truck used with 20k miles it was happening. Dealer said just a side effect of having big brakes. Our old 97 blazer had somewhat similar issues but not to the effect that you could get a chiropractic adjustment though. Now I expect it so it does not surprise me as much.

 

[AV8ER]

This is subjective to say the least but... Last month during some very rainy weather I had occasion to exercise the anti-lock brakes. They worked as expected. Pedal remained firm, I could feel the pulsations both in the pedal and the steering wheel. Truck stopped straight. And no I didn't hit anything.. Anyway since then I've noticed a that my brakes are not nearly as "spongy" as before. Sounds strange I know but next time it rains I'm tempted to go out and exercise the anti-locks again to see if things improve some more. Either way the brake pedal is more responsive/firm than before. Take it for what it's worth.

Shirt tail analysis: Brakes always felt, to me, like there was air in the system. Exercising the anti-locks somehow purged some (all?) of the air out.

After reading this I did go exercise the abs and I can actually feel a difference now

 

[nospark]

Hello, this thread is the closest I could find to my question. My brake peddle sometime will drop slightly while on the peddle semi-aggressively. There is sort of a click felt when this happens like a single abs vib. I bleed all 4 til there was completely new fluid. Rear line started pretty clean but the front, black. Theory, seals in master cylinder decaying? That's the color the fluid was. Black decaying rubber. The beading help at first but it is slowly going back to the way it was. I was going to replace the master cylinder bench bleeding it first and hope not to lose fluid and gain much air in lines. Now I hear of the abs bleed that may need done that a dealer has to do? Although the ice in drive sounds less expensive and more fun other than bleeding brakes in the cold. Is there anything else I should consider before buying/replacing MC. Thanks, sorry so long.

 

[tblazerdude]

Hello, this thread is the closest I could find to my question. My brake peddle sometime will drop slightly while on the peddle semi-aggressively. There is sort of a click felt when this happens like a single abs vib. I bleed all 4 til there was completely new fluid. Rear line started pretty clean but the front, black. Theory, seals in master cylinder decaying? That's the color the fluid was. Black decaying rubber. The beading help at first but it is slowly going back to the way it was. I was going to replace the master cylinder bench bleeding it first and hope not to lose fluid and gain much air in lines. Now I hear of the abs bleed that may need done that a dealer has to do? Although the ice in drive sounds less expensive and more fun other than bleeding brakes in the cold. Is there anything else I should consider before buying/replacing MC. Thanks, sorry so long.

Good Question. Did you already swap the master cylinder? Did you re-bleed all 4 calipers after doing so? What about the Master cylinder bleed? There is also a way to bleed the Master Cylinder without special tools and caps, but it should be done with the first few pedal pushes after replacement, by applying pressure and loosening the brake lines at the master cylinder starting with the one closest to the firewall. Apply pressure, loosen, wait for air/fluid to come out, close, release brake pedal. Then do the other line in the same manner (on the side of the master cylinder). It is important to bleed the master cylinder immediately after installing, because you do not want a large air pocket to move through the lines into the ABS system. So if you did the job like a properly trained mechanic would, then you should be good to go, and might just need to activate the ABS system a few times to get it to calibrate. If you did not properly bleed the Master Cylinder then you may have an air bubble in your ABS module, which, may be fixed by a Mechanic with a Tech II scanner, which can manually activate the ABS pump, thus, removing air.

 

[nospark]

No I have not replaced master cylinder yet. I wanted input because this would be the first one I've done with abs. And thank you for your input. I intend to bench bleed MC and the trick you mentioned then all 4 wheels again. I can safely activate abs if it just takes climbing on them til it does the "jitters". http://gmtnation.com/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif

 

[MikesTB]

I plan to replace my brake pads and rotors soon does anyone suggest any particular brand or type I will also be doing a complete fluid flush.

 

[Charley12]

I plan to replace my brake pads and rotors soon does anyone suggest any particular brand or type I will also be doing a complete fluid flush.

Not sure if you are an Ebay user at all but, on all my other vehicles i have bought from BrakeMotive. I get their drilled and slotted with ceramic pads and they are great and have a really long life span. They also are zinc plated and do not rust. Plus add a slight sporty look!