View Full Version : squishy brake help?
wheelieking
11-22-2006, 05:58 PM
ok i have an 04 ls that i bought used. it had 47k when i bought it and now has 56k. I have a small issue with the pedal feeling a little soft. Not so much it feels unsafe just alot less responsive than my wifes impala (01ls). I do pull an atv trailer with 3 atvs on occasion and it feels like it wouldnt panik stop with the trailer. so i bled all 4, twice just to be sure. no change. Any ideas what i should check next? pads and rotors are all in great shape too.
rbarrios
11-22-2006, 06:40 PM
did you use the correct fluid?
Isnt there several types out there?
jason12
11-22-2006, 09:24 PM
Try brakes with engine off. Not soft anymore? Then it's the "power" part of brakes that makes it soft. Mine are soft too. Feels like they can go all the way to the floor. In reality ABS will kick in much earlier. I think it's the design.
blktbon20s
11-22-2006, 09:54 PM
i've heard that if you pump ur brake for a couple of sec. the pedal won't be so "soft"
But i can't tell u it works, i've never tried it
wheelieking
11-22-2006, 10:07 PM
I was hopeing that it is just the design. i know the colorado's brakes are way more responsive than our impala so they all differ somewhat. i guess i will have to get some ceramic pads and drilled rotors? anything else i could do to firm them up???
phatmike
11-24-2006, 03:33 PM
I have the same problem too with my brakes. I did change the brake pads with a ceramic but it feels the same. I have bleed them also. is it really like that with the envoy?
ieatglue
11-24-2006, 04:06 PM
That's the way the brakes are. Mine do that too :undecided
If your brake fluid is over 2 years old then it might help to change the fluid since it does like to collect moisture. It helped a lot on my 03 TB EXT.
torker
11-28-2006, 04:26 AM
Mine takes more pedal effort than my wifes Sebring. I am used to it but it still messes her up. Steel braided lines won't swell under pressure and should firm up the pedal. You would most likely want to do all for wheels to keep pressures equal.
wheelieking
11-28-2006, 04:51 PM
I didnt think braided lines were available for the TB yet?
This weekend i changed my oil and i also read on here about leaving my batt cable off to reset my pcm cause i got a KN and noticed i got worse mileage. (someone else posted this but i had the same issue) afterwards i test drove it and i noticed the braking improved???? maybe its just me but it realy seemed to have been slightly better. at least enough to notice. does the ABS have its own PC? what could i have reset?
I am still looking into ceramic, braided lines, and drilled rotors. I guess i will have to change my brake fluid also, it can only help.
unreal4all
12-03-2006, 12:02 AM
yeah mine are a little squishy, i even had them flushed, new rotors, and had the pads checked, and still a little squishy. But if you are rollin and push on them and let off and then push on them again, its a completely different feel, well most of the time it is
WBH SS
12-03-2006, 09:20 AM
If your brake fluid is over 2 years old then it might help to change the fluid since it does like to collect moisture. It helped a lot on my 03 TB EXT.
I had the fluid changed on my wife's Grand Prix. Made a WORLD of difference. There is a TSB for the Pontiacs.
MYBLK05LT
12-03-2006, 02:27 PM
Hello everyone! Well, here goes the first post...
I have a 05 TrailBlazer and have noticed the same thing. My mom recently traded in her 02 TrailBlazer (which also acted the same way) for a 06 TrailBlazer. There is a big difference in braking with the new one. The petal has a firm feel to it. This leads me to another point. I happend to read a review a few weeks ago on the 06 and in the article there was a description on the "revised" system. This is what it said:
"Braking capability has been improved for 2006 with a new low-drag caliper system with a more responsive brake booster and larger master cylinder for improved pedal feel, a system first introduced on SS models."
This tells me that the "squishy" feeling that were all experiencing is just part of the older system. Can anyone clarify this? Please correct me if i'm wrong.
glfredrick
12-10-2006, 05:47 PM
Yeah...
I just did a 4 wheel brake job to try to firm up the brakes and they got worse! It is fairly disconcerting to not have a firm pedal on this truck. Especially as I am pulling about 8500 pounds with it on a regular basis.
I'm of a mind that the master cylinder is bypassing, but I'll have to do some work to figure out if that is what is actually happening. I'm also wondering if the ABS can bypass.
Anyone know? I want BRAKES!
AbuAbdulAziz
12-10-2006, 06:41 PM
Mine are not bad, i guess i just got used to them :crazy: but when the ABS kicks in it feels like if the padel is actually wobbling under my foot , any one got that too ? :undecided
torker
12-10-2006, 07:58 PM
Mine are not bad, i guess i just got used to them :crazy: but when the ABS kicks in it feels like if the padel is actually wobbling under my foot , any one got that too ? :undecided
Yea, Me too. I think that is normal. The ABS pulsing. They do need more power for pedal feel. I am used to it ok but my wife doesn't like it.
Sparty
12-10-2006, 10:04 PM
Mine are not bad, i guess i just got used to them :crazy: but when the ABS kicks in it feels like if the padel is actually wobbling under my foot , any one got that too ? :undecided
My ford E350 service van does this also, I think that is just how ABS works.
wheelieking
12-11-2006, 03:39 PM
Hello everyone! Well, here goes the first post...
I have a 05 TrailBlazer and have noticed the same thing. My mom recently traded in her 02 TrailBlazer (which also acted the same way) for a 06 TrailBlazer. There is a big difference in braking with the new one. The petal has a firm feel to it. This leads me to another point. I happend to read a review a few weeks ago on the 06 and in the article there was a description on the "revised" system. This is what it said:
"Braking capability has been improved for 2006 with a new low-drag caliper system with a more responsive brake booster and larger master cylinder for improved pedal feel, a system first introduced on SS models."
This tells me that the "squishy" feeling that were all experiencing is just part of the older system. Can anyone clarify this? Please correct me if i'm wrong.
I wonder if all this would be bolt on stuff for ours? our maybe just swap out the callipers? and the Master cycl.????
The Black Pearl
12-13-2006, 07:15 AM
If your brake fluid is over 2 years old then it might help to change the fluid since it does like to collect moisture. It helped a lot on my 03 TB EXT.
I'm going to try this on Friday.
JFSebastian
12-13-2006, 08:31 AM
Mine are not bad, i guess i just got used to them :crazy: but when the ABS kicks in it feels like if the padel is actually wobbling under my foot , any one got that too ? :undecided
My ABS doesn't pulse, I just hear a clicking noise and feel the affect, same for my Express 3500 van.
Also, lately in the colder weather, my brake feel has become firmer.
glfredrick
12-15-2006, 01:25 PM
I'm curious -- how many guys here have updated their brake pads and rotors with high-performance parts -- and how much difference did it make in brake performance?
I want this thing to stop -- other than the stock seats, it is the vehicle's weakest link!
The Black Pearl
12-15-2006, 06:42 PM
Just got my TB back today with new cross drilled and ceramic pads. The TB brakes extremely well no squeals or vibrations. The technician (GM) told me he found the brake throw a little to much so he is was going to look into it (squishy feeling I guess). The brakes felt better to me but I guess I am use to the way it feels. I replace all the brake pads and rotors and less than 60km on them I really can't say they are the best right now. I will need to put a few more KM's on them and tow to see if it was worth it. However, the technician was impressed with the weight of the cross drilled rotors.