Particles in the brake fluid

[Boots97]

@Caman96 agreed. Those braided hoses are the same size as OEM.

 

[Boots97]

Meh. Properly bleeding your brakes will do more for pedal feel than stainless braided lines. I run rubber hoses on my street cars and save the braided stuff for actual race cars. If you do go with braided lines, you absolutely have to secure the brake lines so they can't possibly rub on your tires.


The problem is that the GMT800 master cylinder feels great right up until you have to make an emergency stop, and can't.

Skip to 5:30 to understand a little more of what you'd be facing trying to use the wrong master cylinder.

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Never thought of that. Bc everyone's telling me not to, I'll hold off and try other alternatives.

 

[Boots97]

Fantastic insight into just how brutal a F1 car is. Buried his head in his knees at 40% of braking!

OP: I've been where you are. Replaced the MC and not one bit better. Your MC might be goosed - which is why I've shied from saying no need to replace - but a new MC didn't improve mine. Bleeding is what made the difference.
We've been conditioned to believe a 'solid' brake pedal is essential. My view has changed. It doesn't bother me in an automatic if the pedal is a touch soft. Being able to stop is what matters. On a manual trans car, braking with the right foot and heel/toeing on downshifts, then a solid pedal has worth but that isn't our trucks. I'm with the guys advising that you don't lose your hydraulic advantage for the notion of a firmer pedal. If you're going to replace the MC replace it with what was first fitted and devote your energies to proper and thorough bleeding is my advice.

I understand. I'll try the hoses and bleeding the ABS before replacing the MC.

 

[Caman96]

Never thought of that. Bc everyone's telling me not to, I'll hold off and try other alternatives.

Do your RPO code’s confirm you have JB6?

 

[Boots97]

Slightly bigger than 11 1/8.

Should be Duo-Servo.


Not impossible, but unusual for a 1500 pickup.

The Duo-Servo brakes have the adjuster at the bottom, directly between the shoes. The crappy 254mm (10") leading-trailing drums have the adjuster just under the wheel cylinder, near the top.

I'm pretty sure mine are duo servo. The adjuster is on the bottom. I'm so lucky I got the 11" rear brakes, did they come standard on 4WD trucks or Z71 trucks? I know they're common on 2wd trucks. I THINK (not sure) the 11" brakes were standard on Suburbans and (maybe) Tahoes.

 

[Caman96]

I'm pretty sure mine are duo servo. The adjuster is on the bottom. I'm so lucky I got the 11" rear brakes, did they come standard on 4WD trucks or Z71 trucks? I know they're common on 2wd trucks. I THINK (not sure) the 11" brakes were standard on Suburbans and (maybe) Tahoes.

Take a picture of your codes in glove box.

 

[Boots97]

Do your RPO code’s confirm you have JB6?

I have JB5 brakes

 

[Schurkey]

I'm pretty sure mine are duo servo. The adjuster is on the bottom. I'm so lucky I got the 11" rear brakes, did they come standard on 4WD trucks or Z71 trucks? I know they're common on 2wd trucks. I THINK (not sure) the 11" brakes were standard on Suburbans and (maybe) Tahoes.

If the adjuster is on the bottom of the assembly, you've got Duo-Servo brakes. They were NOT standard on the 1500 pickups. I guess they were optional, but almost no-one ordered them. If your glovebox sticker says JB5, that truck probably came with the crappy 254mm leading/trailing drums, and someone swapped-in the better brakes, perhaps with an entire axle swap.

I guess the SUVs did get the bigger/better brakes.

MAYBE your truck has an SUV axle under it. The 10-bolt 8.5" axle is kinda fragile, wouldn't surprise me if the original exploded, and someone stuffed a Treasure Yard Tahoe axle under your truck as a replacement.

 

[Boots97]

If the adjuster is on the bottom of the assembly, you've got Duo-Servo brakes. They were NOT standard on the 1500 pickups. I guess they were optional, but almost no-one ordered them. If your glovebox sticker says JB5, that truck probably came with the crappy 254mm leading/trailing drums, and someone swapped-in the better brakes, perhaps with an entire axle swap.

I guess the SUVs did get the bigger/better brakes.

MAYBE your truck has an SUV axle under it. The 10-bolt 8.5" axle is kinda fragile, wouldn't surprise me if the original exploded, and someone stuffed a Treasure Yard Tahoe axle under your truck as a replacement.

By fragile do you mean rust easily? My U bolts rusted away along with my old rear end and it was seeping gear oil behind the U bolts. The old rear end was replaced with a used one by the dealership put in for me. It's going back soon bc gear oil is seeping behind the passenger side U bolts again so I'm assuming this axle body is FUBARed.

 

[Boots97]

Take a picture of your codes in glove box.

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