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Parking park Brake problems no hold slip etc

I have a 2002 Z71 and the parking brake works great so far 14000 miles.I had a 2001 tahoe with the same problem and the dealer fixed it by adjusting the rear brakes,maybe not same problem????? :B:
 
:6: The E-Brake on most all late model Chevy 1500's, (Burbs, Tahos, Trucks and Avs), is a small set of shoes on each rear wheel that fits inside a "race" or a built in drum, if you will, on the backside of the rotor. These "shoes" are held in place by an inferior spring clip which allows the "shoe" to sag, allowing the "shoe" to contact the surface of the "race" which in turn wears out the friction material, (and to a lesser degree the braking surface of the "race"), resulting in loss of holding power. A correct "fix" would include replacement of the "shoes", the spring clips, (new revised type) and possibly the rotors.
 
there is a fix to this issue! i'd brought my truck to the dealer multiple times and almost gave up. then during my last visit, i left the truck with them and they said there was an updated retainer that needed to be replaced.

now all is fine. thing works like a champ! i seriously though that for a second there, it was an issue with the cable being worn and streched, but get your trucks in, have them check for the updated retainer, and they think its updated, have them replace it any way for kicks, it may work then. be firm, and if they tell you its normal and all trucks have that issue, DO NO believe them.

i had fallen in that black hole of accepting that fact, but now i feel a whole lot better with it working properly like it should. also, i forgot to release it one time, drove a couple feet in reverse, but still holds like no other... :)
 
can someone point me to the thread discussing the piss-poor parking brake system in our AVs? Got mine at the dealer right now (under warrenty) and he want to charge me $120.00 to adjust it.
 
Should have gotten a 2500! Seriously though, I think with all the extra "reinforcing" weight that was added when they turned a Suburban into an AV, they might have overlooked how all that weight affects braking (not to mention that I think they underbuilt the braking system anyway). My wife has a Yukon Denali XL and I personally think the braking system sucks as far as the stopping power goes. If you have a chance, give the 2500 a test drive and you'll see what I mean. There is a HUGE difference.

?Eric
 
I had 25K (or there abouts) on my AV when the parking brake stopped holding, and my dealer repaired it under warranty. How many miles do you have on yours?
 
My mistake, I thought you were talking about the BRAKES not the PARKING BREAK. Personally, I've never used the parking break in fear that the cable might pop and end up being stuck with it on until I could get under the vehicle with a pair of pliers. Do you guys live where you park on an incline frequently? I only use my parking brake on my M3 because of the manual tranmission otherwise I stay away from it.

?Eric
 
I got the same story. If the parking brake is no longer holding due to normal wear, then the adjustment is not covered by the warrenty. I was told that it would be "over a hundred dollars" Fortunately for me a few months later the parking brakes broke, clips came off and it was rubbing, and it was fixed and adjusted under warrenty.
The design conditions for the parking brake system is that it will hold the AV against the engine when in drive and on flat ground. Period. I use it mainly to ease the AV onto the parking pin and not to hold the AV.
 
Using the parking brake has become more of a habit even when I'm not parked on a hill. The driveway has a slight slope to it, and so does a lot of the places I park around the Seattle/Everett area. So I find that 90% of the time I just automatically put the brake on and don't even realize it. Did the same thing when I had my Cavalier.

Also, having the parking brake on allows me to warm up the truck in the morning with out blasting the head lights into the neighbors windows! ;D
 
I tried to use my parking break for the first time and it would not hold my truck or even operate period. Took it to the dealer and he said the parking break shoes and one roter need replaced for $400 dollars. I couldnt believe it. I said never mind. I dont need a parking break that bad. I have 46000 miles on my 02 AV and this is the only thing I have had trouble with. It is still frustrating that the Parking break doesnt work and my extended warranty will not cover it.
 
I have an o2 avalanche with 61000 on it.
The unit is used to pull trailers ( boat&travel) My local chey dealer has repaired it #3 times. It still doesn't work ?Take a BRICK_______________
 
Never had any problems with mine
 
Anyone have a TSB number on this issue yet?

I'm bringing my AV in soon for a few issues and this is one of them. I would just like to have the additional ammo if the dealer starts with the usual "it's gonna cost you......." :7:
 
Make : CHEVROLET    Model : AVALANCHE    Year : 2003
Service Bulletin Num : 020526002    Date of Bulletin: OCT 01, 2002
Component: PARKING BRAKE
*********************************************************
Make : CHEVROLET    Model : AVALANCHE    Year : 2002
Service Bulletin Num : 020526002    Date of Bulletin: OCT 01, 2002
Component: PARKING BRAKE
*********************************************************
If anyone needs the actual copy of the SB, I downloaded it and can email it to you
Here is a picture of the e-brake assembly note the shoe.
 

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I took my AV in for its yearly state inspection and the parking brake did not hold at all. What? I've never used it. My AV is an '02 with a little under 17k on it.

I took it to the dealer and they fixed it without hesitation. He said they replaced the shoes and adjusted the cable. He said since I did not use it, that is why it the shoes wore out. Huh? He also said that I should use it 3 to 4 times a week to keep it in adjusted.

Anyone heard of such a thing?
 
chrisntam said:
I took my AV in for its yearly state inspection and the parking brake did not hold at all. What? I've never used it. My AV is an '02 with a little under 17k on it.

I took it to the dealer and they fixed it without hesitation. He said they replaced the shoes and adjusted the cable. He said since I did not use it, that is why it the shoes wore out. Huh? He also said that I should use it 3 to 4 times a week to keep it in adjusted.

Anyone heard of such a thing?
Click to expand...

makes no sens as to wearing shoes out as they would have to rub on something...

It does make sens for adjustment though as I think they aauto adjust each time ya use em,...

HTH
 
Sounds similar to the older Luminas. The parking brake is self adjusted by actually using it like a ratchet system. The problem that occurred was a "freezing" situation where the pads ( shoes in this case ) don't move when applied. The lumina was worse since the caliper itself was the service brake and the parking brake. The AV has a different set of tiny little shoes that apply to what looks like a brake drum inside the hub of the brake rotor. Can't say why the dealer replaced the shoes unless they were stuck in the "applied" position.

p.s. You should use the PB a couple times a week as per the dealer's suggestion.
 
Got my AV Sept 2002. Today, Oct 13, 2003 is the third time the Parking Brake has gone out. The first time they adjusted the cable, and the second time they replaced the drums and adjusted the cable. Can't wait to see what they do this time.

Bob
 
bobrc,

Do you regularly use your pb?
Everyone seems to be having serious problems with theirs, while mine has been no problem for a year and a half. Not bragging, just making note.

Just thought of something. Ever notice how the AV kinda looks like something from the Flintstones... remember what Fred used for a parking brake? The giant boulder tied to the axle. I guess GM didn't do much better than that...
 
just got my av 2002 z66 back today from the dealer. he had to replace thepads all of them and the pads for the e-brake. the problem i had was noise and no e-brake. only had 12,000 miles on my 2002.
 
Here is a copy of the Service Bulletin that I got from 7of7. I fixed my parking brake today, more details to follow in another post along with a picture of what the shoes looked like.
 

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brheas said:
Here is a copy of the Service Bulletin that I got from 7of7. I fixed my parking brake today, more details to follow in another post along with a picture of what the shoes looked like.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info....
 
Here is a picture of what one of my parking brake shoes looked like when I replaced it today. You can hopefully see from the pic that the shoe was dragging on one side all the way down to bare medal.

My 02 Av has a little over 44K miles and the parking brake had stopped working all together. I talked with my local dealer about getting this repaired under the extended warranty and was told that it would not be covered. According to them any brake components (like shoes or pads) are only covered for about the first 12K miles (some exceptions) even though there is a service bulletin on it. The new shoes cost $32.83/ea here and do come with the new "improved" clips with are supposed to keep the shoe centered better.

I will post all of the details of what I did if anyone is interested in being a backyard mechanic and doing it themselves like me. If you know what you are doing, it will take about 2 hrs because of all of the things that have to be disassembled to get to the shoes. I cut about 1 inch off of each of the cables so that I would have some adjustability in the future which of course added more time.
 

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