2004 Chevrolet Avalanche 2500 Brake Service (ONLINE REPAIR MANUALS)

When wheel slip is detected during a brake application, the ABS enters anti-lock mode. During anti-lock braking, hydraulic pressure in the individual wheel circuits is controlled to prevent any wheel from slipping. A separate hydraulic line and specific solenoid valves are provided for each wheel. The ABS can decrease, hold, or increase hydraulic pressure to each wheel brake. The ABS cannot, however, increase hydraulic pressure above the amount which is transmitted by the master cylinder during braking.

During anti-lock braking, a series of rapid pulsations is felt in the brake pedal...

Manual Bleed

• If vehicle is equipped with power brakes, remove vacuum reserve by applying brakes several times with engine off.
• Fill master cylinder reservoirs with suitable brake fluid. Ensure to always keep master cylinder reservoirs at least half full during entire bleeding procedure.
• If master cylinder is suspected to have air in bore, it must be bled first. To bleed master cylinder, proceed as follows:
• Disconnect forward brake pipe connection at master cylinder.
• Allow brake fluid to fill master cylinder bore until it begins to flow from forward pipe connector port.
• Connect and ...

Master Cylinder

Some vehicles use a conventional tandem master cylinder with two hydraulic pistons operating in-line. The primary piston controls the front brake system and the secondary piston controls the rear brake system.

Other models use a master cylinder that operates the same as the conventional master cylinder, but also incorporates a quick take-up feature in the rear chamber to reduce excessive pedal travel which may result from increased fluid displacement required to move the low drag caliper piston out against the rotor.

The quick take-up uses a spring-loaded ball check val...

Brake System Bleed

Gravity and vacuum bleeding procedures are not recommended for use with the anti-lock brake system. The manual bleed procedure is the preferred method, although pressure bleeding is also possible. Do not pump the brake pedal during the bleeding process, as fluid aeration may occur.

Manual Bleed

• Raise and support vehicle, then connect a clear plastic tube to brake bleed screw at righthand rear wheel.
• Place free end of tube in a glass jar partially filled with clean brake fluid. Ensure end of tube remains submerged in fluid and master cylinder reservoir is kept full.
• ...

Excessive Pedal Travel

• Worn brake linings.
• Disc pads knock back after cornering or rough road travel.
• Piston and linings not properly seated or positioned.
• Insufficient fluid in system.
• Loose wheel bearing adjustment.
• Damaged or worn caliper piston seal.
• Improper booster pushrod adjustment.
• Pads out of flat more than .005 inch.
• Rear brake automatic adjusters inoperative.
• Improperly ground rear brake shoes.

Brake Roughness Or Chatter; Pedal Pumping

• Excessive lateral runout of rotor.
• Rotor excessively out of parallel.

Excessive Pedal Effort

• Frozen or seized pistons.
• Brake fluid, oil or grease on ...

Brake Lines & Linings

Remove one of the front wheels and inspect the brake disc, caliper and linings.

Do not allow any oil or grease on the linings. It is recommended that linings be replaced in sets when worn or damaged.

If the caliper is cracked or fluid leakage through the casting is evident, it must be replaced as a unit.

Brake Roughness

The most common cause of brake chatter on disc brakes is a variation in thickness of the disc. If roughness or vibration is encountered during highway operation or if pedal pumping is experienced at low speeds, the disc may have excessive thickness v...