Got a truck yesterday!

So I bought a beat-up 99 Silverado 1500 the other day and took the day off from my 9-5 yesterday to handle all the DMV stuff and to go pick it up. I knew it had an issue with the ABS sensor so I wasn't too worried about the brakes being mushy, I could still stop, just had to put the pedal all the way down. So I went to go pick up some free scrap from craigslist. Four hours in, brakes are SHOT, as in I couldn't stop at all. Luckily I was relatively nearby to home. So, my 'new' scrappin wagon is at the shop and I'm waiting for the bad news. Such are the adventures!

Chevy's and ABS issues, you have my sympathy.

I have a 94 S10 with 4 wheel ABS.

Look up cleaning the sensors on youtube or one of the chevy forums, they get cruddy quick and it's not hard to do, sometimes can save you a nice repair bill because they will just replace. Usually mine need cleaning after every winter because of all the ash on the road.

Might want to read on how to disable the system should it fail due to a bad sensor or something in the middle of god knows where someday, this way your brakes will still function so that you can get home safetly. In mine I can just pull the fuse and loose the speedometer or pull the plug in front.

Nice truck though, looks solid...should last you awhile.

Good luck with it, hopefully all the news won't be bad.

the sierra pickups have the same problem with sensors. they stop but one wheel thinks its slowing down from a hundred and the other thinks its slowing from 10 mph. very shaky stopping. i'm not a mechanic but that's what mine told me

Originally Posted by KzScrapper

If you pull the Anti-lock Fuse will they just act like regular old brakes like back in the day??

Congrats on the truck and Happy Hauling.

currently have mine pulled and yes they work just like regular brakes, just no abs

Originally Posted by sledge

If you pull the fuse.. Yes indeed they do work like good ol brakes.. I thought I read that it will end up throwing you a code though.. I hate those dang lights! Just had to hunt and hunt to find the answer.. hoping to save him some legwork.

Mechanic told me it'll throw the code but it won't fail inspection, and this guy I trust so I'm going to go with what he says.

But update on the situation... Blown caliper, bad brake lines, needs e-brake cables, etc. Yep, bought a lemon. Caught the guy who sold it to me in a lie but ya know, private sale, "as-is" blah blah blah. Luckily the mechanic is the manager and he's pulling strings and getting the cost of the repair wayyyyy down...not even going to charge me labor. Regardless, he earned a loyal customer.

Hauled a full load in my HHR this morning and got $40. Not bad, but that was a FULL load and probably pushing the limits of the car. It's time to get this truck rolling.

These things must have an issue with the brake lines. I have a 2000 silverado 4.8 liter that needs inspection, the brake lines are rusty as hell but not leaking yet so will still pass inspection. Rocker panels are all but gone, leaks water down the door jams into the cab, and the windshield seal leaks a little from the top. Aside from that, she runs like a champ.

Had a buddy with a 2001 2500 6 liter that looked beautiful, had the same rusted brake lines that he didn't discover till he jammed on the brakes one time when a dumbarse whitetail jumped in front of him and they burst, lost all pressure to the brakes. Scary but he avoided the deer.

Originally Posted by JustInTime

These things must have an issue with the brake lines. I have a 2000 silverado 4.8 liter that needs inspection, the brake lines are rusty as hell but not leaking yet so will still pass inspection. Rocker panels are all but gone, leaks water down the door jams into the cab, and the windshield seal leaks a little from the top. Aside from that, she runs like a champ.

The mechanic said the brake lines were a VERY common problem with these trucks. Honestly, after doing some research, I'm surprised there hasn't been a recall on them.

But...I should have my truck back in a couple of hours And that's great because I just landed a BIG job for Monday. $$$

Originally Posted by KzScrapper

If you pull the Anti-lock Fuse will they just act like regular old brakes like back in the day??

Congrats on the truck and Happy Hauling.

Normally, unless it's like mine and the speedometer is on the same circuit. You can either usually pull the fuse or the plug under the hood. Your ABS warning light will stay on at the console, ignore it, or there's always duct tape.

the sierra pickups have the same problem with sensors. they stop but one wheel thinks its slowing down from a hundred and the other thinks its slowing from 10 mph. very shaky stopping. i'm not a mechanic but that's what mine told me

Dirty/bad sensor...I can tell with mine when I get on loose gravel, ice...3 wheels stop and the one with the bad sensor will dig a hole and keep spinning. It's a good system WHEN it's working right, when it doesn't it's money pit and a headache.

I picked up a sectional from a friend, took two trips to get it...line went pulling the truck off the hill after we got the last piece home and unloaded.

With mine the orange abs light comes on with sensors/etc sc*ew up. When the braking system fails...leak, the orange ABS light and the red emergency brake light both stay on.