Chevy trucks

If you buy a Chevy, you'd better live in a desert. Anywhere that the weather is damp or salt air on the coasts or on Northern roads and the brake and fuel lines rust out and leak.
 
ralphc1 said:
If you buy a Chevy, you'd better live in a desert. Anywhere that the weather is damp or salt air on the coasts or on Northern roads and the brake and fuel lines rust out and leak.
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Its def a known issue , they don't use stainless steel for some dumbfuck rea$on. That said , brake lines aren't exactly prohibitively expensive enough that it would be a deciding factor for most people.
 
ralphc1 said:
If you buy a Chevy, you'd better live in a desert. Anywhere that the weather is damp or salt air on the coasts or on Northern roads and the brake and fuel lines rust out and leak.
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Sheeeit son, all three cars I've ever had since the mid 90s have been Chevys and I never had issues like that in the Midwest...
 
Al Gorithm said:
Its def a known issue , they don't use stainless steel for some dumbfuck rea$on. That said , brake lines aren't exactly prohibitively expensive enough that it would be a deciding factor for most people.
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It isn't the cost of the brake and fuel lines. It's the cost of the crash you get involved in. Most people don't push down really hard on the brake pedal under normal driving so the line doesn't rupture until the brake is pushed hard in a panic stop and the brakes fail. The fuel leaks are bad because the pump is in the tank and pushing fuel a 60 psi which can spray anywhere. The first sign is longer cranking time when the vehicle has been sitting for a while.

The cost of replacing them isn't bad if you can do it yourself. Most places won't repair a line and will only install the original replacement parts. A set of factory replacement brake or fuel lines are around $1000 and the labor to replace them is about the same.
 
ralphc1 said:
It isn't the cost of the brake and fuel lines. It's the cost of the crash you get involved in. Most people don't push down really hard on the brake pedal under normal driving so the line doesn't rupture until the brake is pushed hard in a panic stop and the brakes fail. The fuel leaks are bad because the pump is in the tank and pushing fuel a 60 psi which can spray anywhere. The first sign is longer cranking time when the vehicle has been sitting for a while.

The cost of replacing them isn't bad if you can do it yourself. Most places won't repair a line and will only install the original replacement parts. A set of factory replacement brake or fuel lines are around $1000 and the labor to replace them is about the same.
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I had a 1997 Chevy 2500 that I used as yard / dump run truck up until about a year ago. My rear brake lines ruptured one time and while it def affected the braking , it wasnt an " oh shit I can't stop " situation. Luckily I had a pair of vice grips in the truck and was able to pinch the line ahead of the hole and hobble home.

I agree its totally annoying and bullshit that gm lets that problem ride , I'm just saying that all trucks pretty much have their issues. Start looking at the rear fender well of any dodge truck you see with any age on it. 88% chance its rusting out just above the center of the tire. You live up north , how many Toyotas tacomas are running around with wooden beds up your way ? A lot I bet.

I'd still buy a Toyota though if I was in the market for a truck.
 
ralphc1 said:
It isn't the cost of the brake and fuel lines. It's the cost of the crash you get involved in. Most people don't push down really hard on the brake pedal under normal driving so the line doesn't rupture until the brake is pushed hard in a panic stop and the brakes fail. The fuel leaks are bad because the pump is in the tank and pushing fuel a 60 psi which can spray anywhere. The first sign is longer cranking time when the vehicle has been sitting for a while.

The cost of replacing them isn't bad if you can do it yourself. Most places won't repair a line and will only install the original replacement parts. A set of factory replacement brake or fuel lines are around $1000 and the labor to replace them is about the same.
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For Chevy it's the cost of the brake lines. For you it can cost you your life.

How long have standard double flared brake lines been around? 100+ years? They had the shit figured out 70 years ago so there's no reason why they would fail today unless they are just using cheap ass parts to save money. I'm using 50 year old brake lines on one of my vehicles and they are as solid as can be.
 
MoparOrNoCar said:
For Chevy it's the cost of the brake lines. For you it can cost you your life.

How long have standard double flared brake lines been around? 100+ years? They had the shit figured out 70 years ago so there's no reason why they would fail today unless they are just using cheap ass parts to save money. I'm using 50 year old brake lines on one of my vehicles and they are as solid as can be.
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The lines they use are thinner and they have a coil spring wrapped around them that allows dirt to cling and also increases the chance of rust.
 
Al Gorithm said:
I had a 1997 Chevy 2500 that I used as yard / dump run truck up until about a year ago. My rear brake lines ruptured one time and while it def affected the braking , it wasnt an " oh shit I can't stop " situation. Luckily I had a pair of vice grips in the truck and was able to pinch the line ahead of the hole and hobble home.

I agree its totally annoying and bullshit that gm lets that problem ride , I'm just saying that all trucks pretty much have their issues. Start looking at the rear fender well of any dodge truck you see with any age on it. 88% chance its rusting out just above the center of the tire. You live up north , how many Toyotas tacomas are running around with wooden beds up your way ? A lot I bet.

I'd still buy a Toyota though if I was in the market for a truck.
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It usually won't take out both the front and rear at the same time so you might be able to stop, but it will take a longer distance. I had a problem when I was maintaining a proper following distance and some idiot moved over in front of me just as the line slowed quickly. I had to hit the brake hard, popped a rear brake line and was lucky to be able to steer onto the shoulder. That got me in the habit of checking my brakes by starting the engine and pushing down as hard as possible before moving the vehicle. If a line is going to rupture, it should do it then.
 
I have a 30 year old chevy 1/2 ton that I drove off the lot in 1987, it gets driven all the time. Original motor and trans (never been rebuilt yet) close to 200k miles. It's been good to me over the years, I don't seem to have that luck with the used cars we've bought through the years.

 
Eazy123 said:
Sheeeit son, all three cars I've ever had since the mid 90s have been Chevys and I never had issues like that in the Midwest...
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lived on the coast most of my life and never had a problem with Chevy brake lines either. Never even heard of this problem until this thread.

What problems I have had with my trucks are:

2000 Chevy 2500: none, other than it getting stolen a few years ago but it had 300k miles on it and never had any issues
2002 ford F450 dump truck with the V10: had so little power couldn't make it up a steep hill under load. It broke down so often it was in the shop more than in the field.
2003 Chevy 3500 dump truck: replaced the ford at half the cost and could do everything the ford couldn't. Still going strong.
2002 ford ranger: I abuse the little bastard and have even rolled it in the desert and the thing just keeps on going like its new.
2000 Chevy S10: used to break down all the time so I sold it. Mostly electrical problems.

Brand loyalty is the passion of stupid people, every company makes some great products. Except dodge, they suck at everything, that's why people that work for a living won't touch one.

Edit: All new full sized trucks are garbage, none come with manual transmissions.
 
Man, they got the demographic wrong with this one.
 
ralphc1 said:
The lines they use are thinner and they have a coil spring wrapped around them that allows dirt to cling and also increases the chance of rust.
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Chevy will install them for free if you buy the lines. My buddy had it done last year on a 99 Silverado 2500. I don't remember the price but it was pretty reasonable, under $500 for sure.
 
ralphc1 said:
It usually won't take out both the front and rear at the same time so you might be able to stop, but it will take a longer distance. I had a problem when I was maintaining a proper following distance and some idiot moved over in front of me just as the line slowed quickly. I had to hit the brake hard, popped a rear brake line and was lucky to be able to steer onto the shoulder. That got me in the habit of checking my brakes by starting the engine and pushing down as hard as possible before moving the vehicle. If a line is going to rupture, it should do it then.
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You guys got lucky with the rears going out. They only carry like what, 30% of the braking power? The front goes out and you're in big trouble. Either spinning or rear ending someone.
 
My 2007 Duramax trans cooler lines started leaking last winter when it got cold. I was pissed, I ordered some commercial rated aftermarket lines for $200.00. Other than that it runs fine.
 
It is a victory for Chevy if their shit doesn’t break down after 5000 miles.
 
MoparOrNoCar said:
You guys got lucky with the rears going out. They only carry like what, 30% of the braking power? The front goes out and you're in big trouble. Either spinning or rear ending someone.
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The Federal government needs to step in and require stainless lines on all vehicles for brakes and fuel. The manufacturers won't change voluntarily because that would be like admitting the other lines are bad.
 
Jack Reacheround said:
It is a victory for Chevy if their shit doesn’t break down after 5000 miles.
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I had a 1986 with 120,000 miles, a 1990 with 140,000, a 1989 with 230,000 and a 1999 with 125,000 miles.
 
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