99 Silverado Emergency Brake

**merk1177** · 04-28-2009, 08:51 PM

I have a 99 Silverado, new style body, manual shift. The one day I went to put the e-brake on, and there is no tension there, the peddle goes all the way to the floor, but the e-brake is not on. I've had this problem a few years ago and the dealer told me they put a whole new system in, but it did the same thing a few months after. I took it somewhere else and they said they just adjusted the e-brake at the rear wheels. Has anyone run into this problem and do you think it's the peddle system itself or do you think I need to adjust the brakes at the rear wheels again?

**zebra308** · 04-29-2009, 05:58 AM

Merk,
I believe that the e-brake is internal to the rear rotor. I have a 99 silverado P/U and we've had to adjust it also. I've noticed the same issue with my 2001 Silverado and my 2006 Sierra. I will check with my mechanic and see what the procedure is.
I'm sure there are others on the board who will know for sure.

**bbk28** · 05-02-2009, 10:04 PM

man i had the same problem with my 99 siverado 1500. the petal went all the way down and the e brake did nothing at all. i had to replace my e brake but if you have one that isnt "burnt out" then just adjust it at the rear brake again and see what happens. if nothing happens there is a cable that runs to it.. it might be loose, maybe.

**vncj96** · 05-03-2009, 12:32 AM

Where do most of you live with all the ebrake problems, is this a problem with design or just because of the area and rusting or something?

**zebra308** · 05-04-2009, 06:03 AM

The emergency brake on my '99 are infact internal. It's a drum system inside the rear rotors. The older designs ('73-'98) allowed you to adjust that cable tension externally.
This one does not. You must remove the rear rotor and adjust the internal drum. If the e-brake drum pads are worn you must replace them. It doesn't sound like a big job.

**tbplus10** · 05-04-2009, 07:24 PM

Originally Posted by zebra308

The emergency brake on my '99 are infact internal. It's a drum system inside the rear rotors. The older designs ('73-'98) allowed you to adjust that cable tension externally.
This one does not. You must remove the rear rotor and adjust the internal drum. If the e-brake drum pads are worn you must replace them. It doesn't sound like a big job.

Check the back side of the drum, most times theres a rubber plug that can be removed and you can use a brake adjustment spoon to adjust the brake shoe tension.

**truckinon** · 05-07-2009, 09:23 AM

Merk, I have the same truck as yours, except auto tranny. There is an adjustment link in the e-brake cable underneath the cab, near the cab rear. If still no e-brake pedal after all the adjustment is taken up, inspect the drum-type e-brake linings by removing the rotor housings. The linings may be worn excessively or they may no longer be secured to the back plate. This is a rinky-dink design by GM, IMHO, so be careful when removing the tiny bolt used to secure the brake assembly to the back plate. It breaks easily. Spray it with PB Blaster before removal. If it breaks, the rear axle assembly will have to be pulled to facilitate replacing this small fastening bolt. It's a good idea to inspect those e-brake linings and drums even if you have enough cable adjustment to get pedal pressure and effective e-brakes.
In NC, the DMV safety regs require a functional e-brake, with a firm pedal at 3/4 of its travel. I have yet to see a truck with this design e-brake that meets the requirement. Even with a new installation adjusted to meet the DMV requirement, the e-brake linings will be contacting the drums. So after passing the safety inspection, I readjusted the cable to the point where ebrake linings were not dragging on drums, yet enough cable tension to have brake pedal for effective e-brake operation.

**merk1177** · 05-13-2009, 10:05 PM

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! I took the time last week to go under and check and I found that the cable on the passenger side had rusted through and broke. So, I got new cables and so far have replaced the broken one and the e-brake works again. I figured I would replace the driver side as well, but I couldn't figure out an easy way to move the spring enough to be able to push those tabs down to get the cable loose at the brake itself. Anyone have an easy way of doing this! The passenger side was easy since it was broke, although I did have a heck of a time getting the new one on by myself!