Rear brakes lock up when wet - '96 Suburban 2500

After getting wet and then sitting overnight my rear brakes stick hard when first used. The pretty much lock up even with the slightest pedal pressure. Using just the e-brake shakes the whole truck. After a minute or so of repeated braking they seem to dry off and start working. This is very dangerous on ice or if anyone is behind me. This is also a major pain when I tow.

I had a similar problem on my '86 1500 Suburban and was told the problem was becauase somehow the shoes got oil on them. My 2500 shoes and drums are brand new.

Any ideas on what the issue is and how to resolve?

Thanks, Luke

Reply to
Luke
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ABS issues, cheapo drums. About all I can think of.

Reply to
A. Baum

It's called flash rust and is a common problem with a lot of vehicles. The brakes are warm/dry when you park. The moisture in the air condenses on the nice clean bare iron surface as they cool down. You get almost instant rust.

With ABS it makes it worse because the brakes grab a bit and cause the ABS to activate.

Two solutions. USE a better drum/rotor. The higher end ones use a better grade of iron that doesn't rust as fast.

Replace the shoes with either a ceramic or carbon fiber type. They will scrub the drum clean in less time.

The easy thing to do is to GENTLY ride the brake after you start out if you had the correct conditions the night before.

Reply to
Steve W.

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