Hey all-
I've got a brake problem. I've got a '01 Diesel 3/4 Ton 4x4. I had my brakes done at a local shop. All new rotors and pads in front. Back brakes checked out fine so they didn't replace them. About a week after getting the work done, I noticed that once in a while when I pulled up to a stop light while still having my foot on the brake pedal it felt like they would release and grab real quick, and then when I went to accelerate the brakes wouldn't release for about 1/2 a block. Felt like trying to accelerate with the emergency brake on, but not sure if it the front, rear, or both that aren't releasing. I've had it back to the shop about 4 times and they can't find the problem. Last time in they flushed all the brake lines, and it is still doing it. Any ideas?

 

Welcome to the site! Does your truck have discs or drums on the back? It almost sounds like they might have hooked up one of the springs backwards on a rear drum, forcing the shoe out instead of holding it in. I did this once on a friend's S10, probably cost him $0.75 worth of brake lining before I figured it out. I think the free labor probably offset the loss, though. ;D You should be able to smell brake lining, if that's what it is.

 

Thanks for the reply, but sorry I forgot to mention I've got discs on the rear also. Plus it doesn't always do it. It will go 2 or 3 weeks with no problem, and then all of a sudden I'll pull up to a stoplight and have to almost put the pedal to the floor to take off again. Then when I try to get it to the shop so they can see what it is doing, it will quit.

 

I know '01 was the changeover, so I wasn't sure whether your rears would be drums or discs. About the only other thing that comes to mind would be ABS-related, maybe some air got in the system when they did the fronts and it's screwing up the ABS system. They require a special bleeding procedure of some sort, I think.

 

Sometimes when you just replace the pads, they push the pistons in the calipers back in to make room for the new ones. often the calipers have wear and the piston ends up getting hung as it travels over these score or wear marks.