Picked up a 1997 Chevrolet K1500 Silverado Z71 for my son a couple weeks ago. Seller said it needed brakes and shocks. Rode like a piece of crap and pedal went to the floor and was slow to stop.

Hauled it home and put new rotors, pads, calipers and hubs on the front, and new shoes and drums on the rear. Installed 4 new Rancho 9000 series shocks. Wow what a difference. Truck rides so much better and it will actually stop. Well sort of. That is where the 2 issues arise:

1. Pedal still goes almost to the floor. I did bleed the brakes all the way around. I cycled thru the pedal about 6-7 times on each wheel. Not sure if maybe I should have done more but there was no air coming out. I thought that was good. It will stop a lot better but there is still no pedal.

2. The brake light is on in the truck. Yes there is brake fluid in the reservoir. I tried setting and releasing the E-brake.

Any suggestions?

It may be worth a shot to try bench bleeding the master cylinder, and look through the brake lines to make sure there is no rubber failing or lines rusting through. It may be time for a master cylinder however if nothing clears it up.

I see a new master cylinder in your future.


A spongy pedal that firms up when you press it a few times is a sign of air in the brake lines. A pedal that feels firm but drifts to the floor if you hold it down usually means you need a new master cylinder.


A couple of things to confirm before you start ordering parts. Did you bleed the brakes in the proper order? Should start with the furthest from the master cylinder and work toward the closest. Also, if the reservoir was ever allowed to go dry you could have air in the ABS controller that no amount of bleeding will get out. The proper way is to use a Tech II scanner (or something similar) to activate the ABS while bleeding. The redneck way is to take the truck out on gravel roads and (in a safe manner) slam on the brakes to engage the ABS a couple of times. After that, bleed the brakes again, and repeat the whole process a couple of times.

Does this have ABS?

My same thoughts...if air got into the ABS pump, you will need to take it to a shop and have a Tech2 computer hooked up to do a ABS Bleed procedure. No pocket scanners will do this. Tech2 or equivalent. About $3000

So did some checking like all you said. It'* actually not the ABS light. That is a separate light. It is the "brake" light. Same light that comes on when you set the parking brake.

Thought I would let the experts weigh in before I threw my 2 cents worth at your problem, with a combination disc/drum braking system you should have a proportioning valve that may need to be bled in conjunction with bleeding your brakes to get proper pedal. The fact that you mentioned your brake warning light makes me think this may be your problem. You can get a simple tool that replaces the brake warning light switch that will let you bleed the prop valve, I found one on-line for cheap, like $8. Good Luck.