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Issue with little amount of brake power

cameronsaddress

cameronsaddress

1/2 ton status
Joined
Oct 13, 2011
Posts
284
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Location
ca
The brakes on my blazer just don't seem to have enough power. I can slam on the brakes at 20mph and it will take a couple seconds to stop. I would like it to come to a creating halt but no dice so far. I have replaced the following:

Master cylinder
Rear shoes
Front calipers and pads
Rear spring kit
Wheel cylinders

The vacuum to the booster is not leaking.

Should I be able to lock the tires up with enough force? What am I missing?

Thanks
 
did you ever put fresh fluid thru that WHOLE system? iirc, it was fuggin horrible looking when ya needed a master...

you should check front/rear bias by locking em up in a parking lot or such... the backs should lock up a tad before the fronts... most vehicle's have improperly adjusted rear shoes...

mods to improve braking... quality pads.... rear discs... 60 up front (bigger brakes).... hydroboost...
 
Also with that big of a lift and that big of tires on standard 1/2 ton brakes i wouldnt be counting on any record setting brake distances.
 
With as much cobbled-together crap as you've already discovered from the previous owner I wouldn't be surprised if the vacuum hose from the booster to the intake manifold was a piece of fuel line...... No bueno!

My PO did that to me, and screwed me up for quite a while until it was discovered. Fuel line will collapse under vacuum from the manifold, so you will not get any "assist" at the brake booster. REAL vacuum line will not collapse. When I swapped in a correct type hose and hit the brakes for the first time , I really got a good taste of the windshield. :D

Night and day difference.


Failing that, you can check to make sure that the booster isn't weeping where it attaches to the master cylinder. If the MC was leaking, it probably wiped out that seal on the booster and you'll never get strong brakes. Had that problem on my Burb.


-G
 
I'm in the same boat! Mine just will not stop! All new parts like you stated too! I just adjust my driving style when I drive it. Not a good answer but I don't know what else to try except rear disc... And thats not going to happen anytime soon!
 
I'm in the same boat myself. 1/2 ton axles with 35" tires. I didn't expect awesome braking, but it shouldn't suck either.
I'm in the process of upgrading my braking system. on the fence between 1 ton booster and hydroboost. I picked up a hydroboost cheap at a junkyard, so I'm probably going to go that direction.
 
Are you getting a hard pedal with no stopping power or soft and spongy?

Hard pedal for me was a bad booster. Soft and squishy is probably air.
The collapsed vacuum line felt kind of normal, but just couldn't hold the truck still on steep drops in Moab.

-G
 
My buddy's K5 had a hard pedal so we put on a new booster. It fixed it. My pedal was hard as well. Put on a new booster and it didn't fix it. So i put all new parts front rear pads, p- valve, wheel cylinders, you name it! Still hard pedal not so good breaks. I can nail them and the rear will lock after the new p-valve. But just apply hard and slow... She doesn't stop like she should. I can't figure it out. But have learned to deal with... Just don't pull a small trail with a rhino on it.... You will not stop!
 
I vote do tge cheap stuff before throwing more parts at it. As ryoken said if the fluid was nasty bleed that hole system on corner at a time, starting in the rear till the fluid coming out looks fresh and bubble free. You can throw all the new parts at it ya want but without the propper pressure in the lines you wont ever get good brakes. Ive done alot of brake line stuff and bleeding is the most tedious part but also the most crucial to get correct.
 
I've heard so many guys say their first gen's brakes suck with larger tires. Mine was never bad. I came into it with lower expectations, I never thought it would stop like a sports car... But mine used to have the one ton booster and mc and stock half ton brakes and it would lock up the 40's if you stood on it. I was never uncomfortable with the braking:dunno: I think like everyone else said, just make sure your system is bled properly and you have vacuum hose on the booster. After that, you may try pulling the front calipers and roughing the pads/rotors with a die grinder. Don't remove a lot of material, just scuff it up. My boss used to call it a "non-directional finish" and it helped with squeaks and braking. While the calipers are off make sure your slides are clean. If the calipers are hanging up then only the inside pad is trying to stop you, and that's a real issue and will cut braking distance/power tremendously. If none of these work I'd say the booster is your next move. Keep us updated on what works for you though:waytogo:
 
Hey guys,
Brakes got worse today and I started hearing a vacuum leak sound from the back of the booster. I pulled the boot back to show you the area that it seems to be coming from. When I shut the truck off you can hear it very clearly for a second after the truck is turned off. Can this be repaired or is it a bad booster?

619cdceb-8b88-edec.jpg
 
Thanks Z71. Should I park it until the new booster comes in on Tuesday or will I still be able to stop without a booster? (even though it is a rather long stop)
 
It'll stop, but no power assist means a HEAVY pedal. Be careful if you do drive it, but I'd probably park it if it were me. Not worth chancing it if you've got something else to drive IMO.
 
New booster fixed it :)

I was able to lock up the tires for the first time ever!

Thanks ck5!

Cam
 
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