GMC Sierra Brakes: the Dummies Version

Schematic of hydraulic brake system

It always confuses us when we run across people who claim to be experts, but still do a really crappy job of explaining their field. We begin to wonder whether they're not as "expert" as they claim. A case in point is today's DotD candidate, eHowian Gregory Crews. Greg's bio gushes that, "His expertise in the automotive industry has given him the skills to write detailed technical instructional articles." Well hold on there, Pilgrim: based on his ItStillRuns.com post called "GMC Sierra Brake Problems," Greg's not the expert as he told the folks at Demand Media (now Leaf Group) he was.

Why would we even think that? Well, we read his introduction:

"Troubleshooting your brakes on a GMC Sierra is a simple process. The brake system is a vacuum-controlled system that sends fluid through the brake lines and to the calipers. The fluid is what pushes the caliper to the rotor to make it stop. If this system has a leak in fluid, you will lose pressure, making it difficult to stop."

Either Gregory is ignorant of brakes or he's a lousy writer. Either way, we need to correct some misinformation:

• The brake system is hydraulic, not "vacuum-controlled." The power assist is vacuum-controlled, but the brakes will still work if it goes bad.
• Disc brakes aren't stopped by "[pushing] the caliper to the rotor"; they're stopped by closing the caliper and pushing the pads to the rotor.
• We didn't look at them all, but some Sierra models have rear drum brakes, Greg.

So much for that expertise, we think. Crews, however, wasn't done. Here are some of his other comments:

• "Grinding is a warning sign that your brake pads are going bald." – Tires go bald, pads get thin.
• "Bald" brake pads and rotor damage "[M]ay tell you that a front end job is in order"... – Wait, what?

"Remove the front wheel and inspect the axle assembly. Look at the caliper and you will notice the brake pads touching the rotor." – A) that's not the "axle assembly" and B) the pads won't be touching the rotor unless the caliper is stuck. "The master cylinder is the component that holds your brake fluid." – No, Gregory, the brake fluid reservoir holds the fluid! After that, we pretty much gave up on reading Crews' bushwa. Suffice it to say that the staffers will be looking at more of his "expert" advice to see how many more Dumbass of the Day awards are in Gregory's future.

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DD - BRAKES