Check your brake lines, 2003

[pamoffa]

If you guys have a chance check your brake lines do it or have somebody look at them. I was driving last week and applied my brakes and didn't have any. I smashed into the back of a car in front of me. My brake lines are so rotted that one busted. I had the truck towed to my mechanic and he informed me all the lines are in terrible shape. also the gas lines are ****. I usually do most repairs on the thing myself so I didn't notice the extent of the rot. When I applied my brakes I started to stop but the antilocks started to come on in a funny way and I'm thinking, I'm getting closer to the car and closer and less brakes and then nothing. The price tag is going to kill me.

2003 silverado 80k miles. Be carefull and check out your situation.

[ont_guy_38]

Very common among these trucks...it's a shame, check your front brake hoses also .

[pamoffa]

got the truck back after the brake line repair.

[crazy longhorn]

OUCH! It is a very labor intensive job to replace those lines (I have seen the mess under 1 I parted out). Thanks for the heads up, I will be checking all the lines under my 02 silverado crazyL

[LEEVON]

Wow. Do not have that problem down here where salt and chemicals are not applied to the roads in the winter. Do they use calcium chloride solution there?

[clinebarger]

Originally Posted by pamoffa

got the truck back after the brake line repair.

At that price you should have custom bent stainless lines? The labor is ridiculous, At $65 per hour, Thats over 25 hours!! I would have to fire a Tech for taking that long.

[pamoffa]

It was on the lift friday and I got it back on wednesday but I can't say how many hours they worked on it. I usually go to the cheeper guys in town for my repairs when I can't do it myself. I brought my 93 silverado to one of the cheeper guys a few years ago when it needed a brake line and when I got it back I noticed that they didn't even remove the old brake line out of the clips and ran the new line right over it.

For what I can see this brake job looks really top notch, I guess you get what you pay for.

[OLDIRON69]

I just looked at a used Dodge 4x4 for my son that came from up North and he did not tell me it was a Northern truck when I asked him the million questions before I drove two hours to go take a look. This was a 1999 Dodge and some minor dents and dings is all I was told. This is what I found:

1. Rusted, leaking brake lines.

2 Transmission was about to fall out from the rusted crossmember.

3. (funny one here) I crawled out from under the truck pulling myself out with the lower bedside in front of the rear wheel and it BROKE OFF in my hand!

4. The seat frame was rusted all the way thru on the driver side and passenger side.

5. The shocks were rusted with holes in them.

I was no longer interested in the truck once I saw the brake lines but I asked the guy "Did you just move here?" He replied "No, I bought it off CL about a month ago and got a smokin' deal!" I walked wondering exactly what he had been smoking at the time he purchased!??! BTW- He was asking $3500. I should have offered $350 but I didn't want to hurt his feelings..

[67ChevyRedneck]

I grew up in the rust belt, replacing brake and fuel lines on pretty much every car built is common after 8-10 years of use, some even less time than that.

[Vintage Windmills]

I live in MN and don't have to worry about this on my 01 silverado. I don't drive it in the winter. Stays nice and comfy in the shed. This reminds me, I should oil up the lines on my daily driver though so i don't have to replace those lines either.

[bufmatmuslepants]

I had a similar thing happen, my rubber hose on the front of my 95 tahoe sprung a leak and left me going 40 mph with no brakes aproaching a stop light. There is no bigger of a "OH SHIIIIIIT" feeling, than pushing your brakes, them going to the floor, and the rear of that car in front of you getting closer and closer. I ended up cutting the wheel hard and ripping through someones front lawn and stomping on the E brake.

How does your butthole feel after that brake line job? They really hosed you bad, about 20 hours worth of bad. With a GOOD flare tool, and some lengths of line, that job should not have taken more than a day.

[truckdude239]

wow 2k for brake lines!!!!!! i could have done it for like 800 buxs like 4-6 hours, 1679 dollars thats almost 26 hours

[hotrodchevy1999]

wow thats a lot i had the same thing happing to my 99 yesterday but i was lucker i got stop by the e brake and what little brakes i had i thought about buying the stainless steel brake line kit from lmc has anyone bought there kit before

[clinebarger]

You can buy pre-bent stainless lines kits for around $400, http://inlinetube.com/Preformed%20Li...s/ocatalog.htm

[bighaas79]

You took it straight up the rear with no lube with that kind of price. I have to replace brake lines all the time, and have never had a bill come to even half of that. I also have a hard time believing that it was necessary to replace all the rubber lines as well.

[LSGarage]

My '01 had same problem last week. My wife was lucky, she just jumped a curb. All the lines are rusted bad. One of the MC to ABS box lines broke in two. Went to dealer parts department, he said that GM just started making pre-bent kits for these trucks. I got all the 1/4" lines pre-bent in kit for just under $100. The new lines have a coating on them. I still have to bend the 3/16" lines across the rear axle.

[clinebarger]

Originally Posted by LSGarage

My '01 had same problem last week. My wife was lucky, she just jumped a curb. All the lines are rusted bad. One of the MC to ABS box lines broke in two. Went to dealer parts department, he said that GM just started making pre-bent kits for these trucks. I got all the 1/4" lines pre-bent in kit for just under $100. The new lines have a coating on them. I still have to bend the 3/16" lines across the rear axle.

Your OEM lines were coated as well, Tin coated to be exact.

[cableguy0]

I thought we were expensive charging 6-700 for that job. Its extremely common on these trucks including tahoes and suburbans. The odd part to me is that they never seem to bust where they are attached in the clips. Its always out in random space for no apparent reason.

[LEEVON]

Originally Posted by LEEVON

Wow. Do not have that problem down here where salt and chemicals are not applied to the roads in the winter. Do they use calcium chloride solution there?

I'm quoting myself and eating my words from a year ago because my Dad's 2003, 2500 Quadrasteer just lost a brake line, he discovered they were mostly all bad. I couldn't believe it. SW Missouri has mild winters, not alot of salt on the road where he lives.

BTW he had a bad experience with inline tube. After shipping his order to the East coast, it came in bent very wrong.

[LSGarage]

The OEM "Tin" coating sure didn't work out all that well did it. These lines I got in this new kit from GM have a kinda greenish primer under a black thick coating of some sort. It amazes me that the engineers & accountants couldn't figure (or work) this out 15 years ago.

[2003 silverado]

TTT This just happen to me ( In our first snow day) thank god the STOP sign stopped the truck. Just had it in the shop last week and my machanic told me to keep an eye on the lines. I guess I should have fixed it then

[72MARIO]

Just got our 2005 Tahoe back as preventive maintenance had all the brake lines changed. then when they had the tank out noticed the fuel sending unit was very rusty. 6 flex hoses were also replaced on my Tahoe. $2300 after tax which in Ontario is %13

My 1990 V2500 Suburban I plow with still has original brake and fuel lines... Great job on the new trucks GM

[NGN]

I thought there been many complaints about this problem already to the point of a recall but it seem like big business seen nothing wrong. I though it was wide know rotting brake lines with the 98-03 or so. Mine is a 06 Silverado, I check them all the time. Maybe it's an up north thing with the weather.

[2003 silverado]

Well Iam going to pick up my 03 silverado 2500hd from the shop on Friday. The coated lines from Parts store/Gm run about $150, 5Hrs labor later total $750/$800 . Not to bad TTT need to get this INFO out to all your friends

[68 50th]

I bought a 2001 Gmc Sierra 4x4 Saturday. I noticed it had some surface rust underneath but didn't know then that I should have inspected the brake lines more closely.

Found out when I came home that all brake lines were totally rusted out. It was worst near the frame mounted ABS module under the drivers seat.

I have now replaced all brake lines with custom made ones in copper.