Silverado brake question....

[TM7]

Uugggg.....
Corroded leaking brake line on my 2004 Silver 2500HD. Crawled under and looks like all the lines  need replacing even those up front.
Does the gas tank have to be dropped to do the rear lines?
Any tips on this job are welcome.
My neighbor's tip is have a shop do the job.
Probably good idea, but that would be a lot of
Biden bucks.
.

[Ranger99]

If everything's rotted and corroded
from road salt, you're going to be
spending a lot of money regardless
of what you choose to do.
I would imagine that the whole
undercarriage and body panels are
ready to start showing holes and
pits unless everything was properly
undercoated and/or ziebarted when
it was new before it ever hit the road.
If the undercarriage is wasting away,
you can give it a goodbye kiss

[mcbammer]

Uugggg.....
Corroded leaking brake line on my 2004 Silver 2500HD. Crawled under and looks like all the lines  need replacing even those up front.
Does the gas tank have to be dropped to do the rear lines?
Any tips on this job are welcome.
My neighbor's tip is have a shop do the job.
Probably good idea, but that would be a lot of
Biden bucks.
.

   If you do it yourself , I recommend Rockauto.com for factory parts . You wont have to run all over town looking for what you need .

[Ranger99]

I meant to add
Soak all fittings down now if you're
going to attempt a repair, and hopefully
you have access to proper tubing
wrenches if you're thinking of a self
repair

[Lloyd Smale]

common problem on the silverados from 2003 to 2007. THe metal they used for them was just crap. Good news is it might mean that they rotted out way before the rest of your truck. My 2004 and 2007 were both about 4 years old and they were shot already. But we get alot of salt up here. I think there might even have been a recall on them a few years later. If it were me and if i was going to keep it id do calipers too. they were junk too back then. The real crap one was thew 2003. That year they went with 4 wheel discs and had nothing but problems with them. Mine was in twice for brake problems and hte back brakes never did work right. They would wear pads 2 to one over the front and it usuallly the opposite. In 2004 they went back to discs up front and drums on the rear. But keep in mind im talking 1/2 tons. One bit of advice. If your going to do it yourself buy one of the pump type brake bleeders. Bleeding them all by pumping on the peddle and opening and closing the bleaders will take you longer then switching out the lines.

[neckisred]

While not a job requiring rocket scientist intelligence, the aggravation factor is way up there. Especially doing it on the ground. If it isn't going to hurt you financially, I'd highly recommend taking it somewhere.

[Ranger99]

I'd get all the fittings soaked down
regardless of who does the work.
It's gonna be a pain to break things
loose without damaging something.

[Lloyd Smale]

werent you the one jump down my throat about owning those oversized i think you called them "girly trucks" saying that it had something to do with my ego and something small in my pants? Yet you own a 3/4 ton truck and you can barely walk outside so i know your not using it to haul your firewood!!!!

[Mule 11]

I’ve done my share of brake lines in the past. I break the line at the caliper and put the tightest fitting 5 point socket I have on it. If the bleeder is not moving or piston froze I’ll replace the caliper. No fun.

[Lloyd Smale]

if i was going through the work of replacing lines id probably just buy some new calipers unless theyve already been replaced. There not that expensive and all that old break fluid in the caliper will stay in your system if you dont. . But if you dont have copper tubing wrenches mules suggestion of cutting the old line at the fitting and using a socket is sound advice.

[Mule 11]

Lloyd....yeah, the Truck is a work truck used in my business....not a girlie ego show truck.  LoL

..............................

Mule.... Rebuilding calipers isn't that difficult.
Right?
.

I have never but probably not difficult. There are videos on it.

[Lloyd Smale]

so then you accused me of having girly ego trucks. Ive got a 2020 1/2 ram. Only thing added to it were side steps and a back bed step. Its the same type of truck thats in 90 percent of the driveways up here. USED? From now till spring it will be in 4x4 more then not. It hauls my camper, boat, atv, sxs. Crop damage season its hauled as many as a 100 deer home. So how often is WORK truck of yours put in 4x4 or used like its suppose to be. What exactly are you hauling that you need a 3/4 truck for a work truck?  Seeing that is 18 years old my guess is it hasnt been worked much. I look at my logger buddys 1 ton 4x4s that are about trashed after 5 years and sure dont make 10. About the only 18 year old 3/4 ton youll see up here in drivable shape was probably brought up here by some yuppy from the south pulling a camper which he did once or twice a year. I guess though when you cant even make it outside the truck tends to stay in good shape and the brake lines rot from sitting in the yard. quote author=TM7 link=topic=296895.msg1099821888#msg1099821888 date=1671742514]
Lloyd....yeah, the Truck is a work truck used in my business....not a girlie ego show truck.  LoL

..............................

Mule.... Rebuilding calipers isn't that difficult.
Right?
.
[/quote]

[jedman]

I owned a 2001 Silverado 1500 WT and about 7 years after buying it brand new all of my brake lines blew out at the same time .
Luckily for me I was at a RR crossing about 200 yards from where I lived. I ended up doing the job myself and bought all of the lines and fittings at a local NAPA store down the road from me. It was a large job and took me nearly 2 weeks before I had it all bleed out and had a firm brake pedal.
A year later a friend with a 99 Silverado had to do the same and he bought a kit online from somewhere that made the job a lot easily. We did his in one weekend.
My 2001 Silverado had many issues with metal corrosion, I kept the truck 9 years and it was a rusted POS when I sold it.
That was my first and last GM truck. I know many who had Chevy trucks from the 90’s and they were very solid and lasted a long time. mMine was a Lemmon from the start.

jedman

[Lloyd Smale]

up here you either keep them in the garage till summer or they rust. Doesnt matter much what brand it is. ive even heard lately that guys with aluminum fords are starting to see corrosion and a problem with paint peeling. One things for sure though. There light years better then the trucks from the 70s and 80s. I bought a new 79 4x4 chev and had the front driver side fender replaced under the 12 month warantee because it had a HOLE from rust. Ive seen frames from chevs fords and jeeps actually break in half from rust. Dodges rusted as bad but they seemed to have better frames or coating on them. im userd to fighting rust on jeeps. The tjs were some of the worse rusters ever made. My 2015 jk amazes me. Ive never even waxed it and theres no rust on the body. Even where its been scratched and very little on the chassis underneath either.

[neckisred]

Nothing like living in the rust belt huh? $50-$70k for a truck that's a rust bucket by the time it's paid for..............

[Drilling Man]

  I've had to replace the brake lines on just about everything I've owned!

  Last one was my dodge PU, even had to replace the rubber lines on it.

  DM

[Mule 11]

Last one I did was my f250 because I needed a spare to get me through a couple more years. It was not bad at all. Learning curve

[Lloyd Smale]

part of the life up here. I just get a new one often enough its someone elses problem. I dont mind turning a wrench on a car or truck thats a toy but im to old to be crawling under daily drivers to try to keep them on the road.

Nothing like living in the rust belt huh? $50-$70k for a truck that's a rust bucket by the time it's paid for..............