2001 Yukon Brake issue
 

I've got this Yukon and a few weeks ago the rear line rusted thru and leaked.

Looking underneath I found that the rear line comes from the ABS controller which is mounted to the left inside frame rail under the driver seat. 4 lines come from the front, master front line master rear line, and the two front lines, and a single line goes to the rear.

They were ALL rusty and fragile, some showed signs of minor leakage. This sucker is mounted up under there, practically impossible to work on without dropping the entire controller and doing some innovative bending. I needed to remove the OEM running board to even see the tube routing.

It baffles me why GM chose this mounting location for the ABS controller, my other cars have it under the hood, the Yukon has more space under hood than any of the other cars.....they obviously mounted to the frame first, then set the body on it.

The first pic shows the ABS controller with the brake lines attached.

Since i needed to replace everything, I decided to move the controller under the hood, gaining better access, shortening the line and electrical harness in the process.

I added some brackets to the bottom of the controller bracket, also cutting off the existing mounting ears from the controller bracket and mounted it to the top and outside of the left frame rail.

i used the nickel-copper alloy tubing rather than steel, for obvious reasons. This is the first time I used this stuff and it is a pleasure to use, bends and forms easily.

A while back I bought a hydraulic universal flaring tool, expensive, but well worth the price, flared all the joints effortlessly and flawlessly, no leaks.

The next pics show the mount on the frame and close-ups.

Messy, long job, replaced the hoses, front rotors, rear axle hose, tubing to each rear wheel etc. might as well have everything new. I don't ever plan on doing this again.

I could have left it where it was, but forming the lines into that tight spot would be a real pain, plus if the ABS ever needed R&R, it would be painful, AGAIN.

So, those of you with the same age vehicle, check under there and coat those lines to keep them from rusting away.

George

Nice looking work, George. We had my son's 01 Silverado on the lift yesterday changing the oil and I was looking at his brake lines. Not nearly as bad as yours, but the gas line is looking scary.

The abs in the 99-06 Gm trucks suck. They always have issues, and the lines rot out.

Done a few recently at work,PITA even on the lift. The reason for the location like many things is simple- they don't care. Good idea to more George thanks for posting.

Very common hear in my part of PA. We do complete brake line jobs on these and many others on a regular basis. My techs are pros and can do A truck or Suburban in a few hours. We use poly armour coated brake line in bulk 25 ft rolls. Most ext cabs and Suburbans use about 38 feet of 1/4" line. We do not use the copper/nickle as it is soft and may have a chance to expand under heavy braking, the factory uses steel tubing for a reason. I know they make and sell that copper/nickel line and it is easy to work with but being in bussiness I cant take that chance or liability.

Salem...i have a lift, it was still a pita.

Goatnut,how much do you guys charge to replace all the lines out of curiosity? I understand your liability issues. The copper nickle stuff apparently has been used ineurope for a while. I could have used the steel lines but i've replaced too many steel lines in my day.

I needed some 3/16" line at the rear axle and had some stainless i bought for the gto, so i used the stainless there as a test case. Seemed easy enuf to use, at least in that size.

George

My '04 2500HD just started leaking last week, the line was rusted & leaking in between the fuel tank and frame rail. While my lines were not as rusty as yours I was a little shocked that I'd be seeing rusty lines living here in NC. My fuel lines by the tank are getting a little sketchy looking too.

GM does offer a brake line kit, they are steel lines with a plastic coating on them. 5 lines in the kit for a little over $100 retail. It took about an hour but was able to replace the line from the ABS to the rear hose w/o dropping the tank. I've gotta agree with you about the location of the ABS unit, it couldn't be worse!

I`m wondering about thefuel lines also, one of the reasons i wanted to move abs out of the way, otherwise i might have to deal with it again.

George

I did all the lines in my 99 burb.

I then had a local station power bleed.

I had heard the correct way to bleed the ABS was with Tech II, wasn't needed.

I also had a 98 Tahoe that was downright dangerous.
The brakes were awful, took a lot of foot pressure to stop.
Several times I thought I was going to eat.

I sold it because I did not want my wife driving it.

Inline tube sells a Kit for this, they also repost a ABC news video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRDQyrWvJ-k

Mine I coated with marine grease before it was too late, but I will probably end up doing a kit. I love the nickle brake line though.
I will "Re oil" my truck after anyway. Im not dealing with salt rust...

Anything ever come of the NHTSA investigation?

I never heard anything else.....no recall/anything else like $500 off coupon from GM on next new purchase...report says "open".

Here's the six mill 99-03 that may be affected make model and years in question below and document at link;

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/pr...h&summary=true

CADILLAC / ESCALADE 2002-2003

CHEVROLET / 1500 2003

CHEVROLET / AVALANCHE 1500 2002-2003

CHEVROLET / AVALANCHE 2500 2002-2003

CHEVROLET / SIERRA 1999-2003

CHEVROLET / SILVERADO 1999-2003

CHEVROLET / SUBURBAN 1999-2003

CHEVROLET / TAHOE 2000-2003

CHEVROLET / YUKON 2000-2003

CHEVROLET / YUKON XL 2000

Have seen plenty 04-07 around here with bad rust in these areas, and many "partial" failures. Not sure it ends in '03..
as of Feb 28, 2103 GM responded with lists of VIN numbers and pending lawsuits from various states, but that info is confidential..
I bet another "loyal customer postcard" is comming like I got when the fuel tank ( non) issue occurred in the 80's trucks with saddle tanks.
500 bucks off my next best deal on a new GM truck....

The Action Nu: EA11001 I posted was for 99-03, I didn't have anything in GM that was newer so wasn't looking, but I've seen plenty on GM/Chevy /Trucks sites with later models complaining.

I got one of those tanks coupons myself.

I have a 2011 GMC Sierra now ...had a 2002 before that. Had to replace the fuel filter which is adjacent to the ABS controller, under the drive side frame rail. Noticed all the corrosion starting, kept it oiled. Barely was able to get the fuel lines off the filter, lots of penetrating oil and basically luck and they came off.

In general I like GM trucks, brakes suck in general, on all their trucks though. Other than the brake issues with rotors, calipers etc. I sold the 2002 with 102,000 miles ...nine years old, still had the original battery, air filter, alternator, water pump, was on it's second belt. But it was throwing a code that no one could ever fix (random mis-fire ...that was NOT actually mis-firing) ..yes air filter was fine even after 100k miles, even the dealership said that it was still fine. Overall a decent vehicle with a couple of stupid, poorly designed issues.

Anyway... on my 4th GM truck ...I live in the upstate NY, lots of salt. Every year I mix up my used motor oil and some kerosene and put in my little pressurized sprayer and just hose down critical areas. Works wonders in the long run, even gets behind the factory "undercoating" that starts to peel off in sheets when the truck is about 2 years old. I also have found some NAPA Asphalt based undercoat which is like the old school stuff, not the rubberized crap that does nothing but trap moisture between it and the frame.

All you gotta do is go in a junk yard, find a 40 year old pontiac with a rear main seal leak and noticed that the entire area in the spray pattern behind the engine is totally free of rust underneath the grim. Often you can find body color paint still shiny somewhere down there. That makes you a fan of spraying oil.
JohnnyB

PS. Sure wish there was a factory "Winter Climate" package that included SS lines, SS brake components etc etc. I'd pay $1000 for that as an option. In other words I'd pay $1000 to have the truck actually designed the way it should have been from the get go :)

Interesting, I had no idea it was that widespread.

All owners should check the condition and start spraying oil or some kind of protectant. In my case the rear line about 1foot to the rear of the ABS went first, but ALL of the other lines were ready to go or leaking already.

Since both rear and front lines had essentially the same rusting, a total brake failure may be possible at any time in my opinion; both halves of the system could fail at once.

Scary thought, in retrospec.

George

Exactly my thoughts! I agree 100% ... have an "oiling party" here in late fall

I've had that happen to me. It was on my 85 K10 though. The worse part was the truck didn't have an e-brake, so there was no stopping it.

Just another reason why I won't ever buy another GM product.

Toyota trucks aren't as bad, they just need the whole frame replaced.;)

they all have at least One issue. If you oil a GM truck from day 1, youll be fine