Break Pedal Popping

[twiget]

My '08 C6 has developed a popping issue in the brake pedal. When the car is cold and I press down on the brake pedal I feel a little pop about 1/2 through the stroke of the pedal. It does not affect the performance of the brakes though. As the car warms up, the popping becomes softer and softer until it goes away entirely. I've taken her to the dealership (30 miles away) and explained the situation to them. Of course, when the technician tries to replicate it, it does not happen because the car is up to operating temp, and they are not willing to hold on to the car long enough for her to cool down for the issue comes back.

Any ideas what could be causing the popping?

Jason

 

[8850]

I have an automatic. My brakes have a popping or clicking sound too but only in park and neutral. I can hear it and feel it in the shifter. I don't notice it once I start driving.

 

[rmagee7]

might be your abs testing,check your manual and see if the system preforms a self check i know there is a lot of diff between a 88 and an 08 but some systems that work they have a habit of keeping,unless of course this is something that the car has just started doing.if so i would take it to the dealer and tell him to keep it untill they find out whats wrong with it.i'll gurantee if it wasent in warranty thats the first thing they would want to do is keep it!

 

[twiget]

The ABS was the first thing the guy at the dealer suggested. Though he said it should only do it once, the first time I step on the brake pedal, and no more after that.

I'm going to find another dealer closer to me. I have not been liking this dealer very much.

Jason
​

 

[rmagee7]

should have been the first thing they did was leave it here and we'll drive it in the morning and call you

 

[NORTY]

twiget~ I presume when you say "about half way through stroke of the pedal," you meen half way between at rest and when the pads make substantial contact with the rotors. Or, is the pedal doing this halfway to the floor? Does the car start ok? I'm thinking it's the starter lock out switch. But if it goes away when warm, oh never mind.:ugh

Try this~ Since your hand is way more sensitive than a shoed foot, replicate it with your car cold and push the pedal with your hand (you may have to kneel beside your car to do this) unless you're the champion *Twister player.

Try pushing on the pedal before start up also and see if anything is different. This way the car will remain "cold."

How's the brake (break) fluid look?

 

[twiget]

twiget~ I presume when you say "about half way through stroke of the pedal," you meen half way between at rest and when the pads make substantial contact with the rotors. Or, is the pedal doing this halfway to the floor?

Half-way to the floor.

Does the car start ok? I'm thinking it's the starter lock out switch. But if it goes away when warm, oh never mind.:ugh

Yep, no issues with starting. She turns over the first time, every time.

Try this~ Since your hand is way more sensitive than a shoed foot, replicate it with your car cold and push the pedal with your hand (you may have to kneel beside your car to do this) unless you're the champion *Twister player.

Try pushing on the pedal before start up also and see if anything is different. This way the car will remain "cold."

The brake pedal still pops, even with the car off. In the morning, when it is really cold (around freezing) the first few times I press on the brake pedal I can actually hear the popping as well as feel it.

How's the brake fluid look?

Black as pitch, but from what I've seen C4C5 post, that is not unusual. The only way to check the condition of the brake fluid is to have it tested.

Jason

 

[NORTY]

Jason,

I want to make sure we're talking about the brake pedal, and not the clutch pedal. 2 things come to mind.

1. The pedal travel is way too much. You should have "brakes" within the first half inch of travel. If you don't have brakes until you're half way to the floor, you have a SAFETY issue.
2. The clutch fluid resevior is notorious for showing the fluid "black as pitch" in a very short time. There are a few hypotheses on why this happens, but the sure fix is to replace your fluid often.

Let us know so we can help you


NORTY

 

[twiget]

Lol, I'm pretty sure I did not confuse the brake pedal with the clutch. This issue is definitely the brakes. As I mentioned earlier, the performance of the brakes are fine. Well, everything except this popping that happens when the pedal is half way too the floor. As for the brake fluid, it and the clutch fluid is black.

Jason

 

[Hib Halverson]

Boy, this thread has me confused, too.

First, I'm curious about how anyone can push the brake pedal to the floor or even halfway to the floor if the brakes are working properly.

If you can get it to the floor, something is bad wrong. If you can get halfway to the floor, you're either pushing very, very hard (maybe with both feet) or there's a air in the system.

If the brakes are working right, if you get half way to the floor, you ought to be way into ABS.

And, speaking of ABS, the self test occurs whether or not your foot is on the pedal at low speed after a key-up.

Lastly, on the brake pedal pop...I'd find a new dealer. Even though I do all my own work on my cars, I've still rely on dealers for warranty work. Twice in since 1995, I've had warranty problems on new Chevrolets which needed to be diagnosed when cold. Both time, the dealers simply kept the cars over night. Road tested them the next morning then fixed the problem. A dealer that's not willing to keep a car overnight to facilitate diagnosing a characteristic that only occurs when the vehicle is cold is not a dealer you need to do business with.

 

[twiget]

I'm not sure where the confusion is coming from. :confused I do not know how I can explain it better.

I get in the car. I start her up. I press down on the brake pedal, and about 1/2 way to the floor "pop". During normal driving, I do not need 1/2 the distance to the floor to stop. Just the ball of my foot and a little pressure on the brake pedal works fine. Even in emergency stops, where I have to floor the brake pedal, I still feel the pop, but it does not seem to affect the performance of the brakes.

As for a dealer, I've gone to a couple Chevy dealers in my area. Every one of them treats me like I bought a used Cobalt, instead of a new Corvette. In comparison, when I took my 325ci in to the BMW dealership for service, it was red carpet all the way.

Jason

 

[Patrick]

As for a dealer, I've gone to a couple Chevy dealers in my area. Every one of them treats me like I bought a used Cobalt, instead of a new Corvette. In comparison, when I took my 325ci in to the BMW dealership for service, it was red carpet all the way.

Jason

Jason,
I can't speak to the brake 'popping' issue- I haven't experienced anything like that.

But on the Dealership Service Department question, my advice would be that you find some Corvette clubs in your area, and see if they have any Chevrolet Dealerships as sponsors. Generally speaking, Dealerships that relationships with Corvette clubs tend to treat Corvette owners who come in for service work better than those who do not.


-Patrick

 

[Yoda]

Jason,

On the Dealership issue's...

Ask the Service Manager who their Zone Rep is and when his next visit will be and see if that doesn't light a fire under their butt

Document every visit, and any out of pocket $$$ you've spent toward this "problem" and don't be afraid to demand to talk to their Zone Rep, or how to contact them.

Also you might ask what the mech qualifications are, and if any are Corvette Certifide or what ASE certs they have for working on your Corvette. I know there are various certs that can be issued to Deserving Mech that don't use the old easter egg trouble shooting proceedure Paul C4,C5 is a "World Class Cert" for GM, I'm sure there is a list somewhere of like Cert Mech's, as I recall Paul even posted a site with names and assoc. certs

Good Luck Young Jedi, only use the Light Sabre' as a last resort but use it if needed :dance

Bud

 

[gmjunkie]

Anything to do with Brakes is definitely a Safety Problem!!

Good Luck Young Jedi, only use the Light Sabre' as a last resort but use it if needed :dance

Bud

Screw That,Get Out the Sabre!!!
I believe somewhere in the owners manual there will be a small blurb about the Lemon Law!! (Might be so small that you will need a Electron Microscope to find it!!)
I believe somewhere in there it will tell something about if a vehicle has been in Verifiable 3 times for the same New Vehicle Warranty Problem and is still not Satisfactorily Repaired,you can file for Lemon Law, and they'll get 1 more Chance to fix it!!

Lemon Law that Bad Boy!!! They'll Fix it or Own It!!

 

[twiget]

I'm going to try another dealer that is a little closer to home. We'll see how that works.

There is a dealer that sponsors one of the local Corvette clubs, but they are even further away than the first dealer I took her to.

Jason

 

[yellow_2002_germany]

I think some of the confusion might be with the use of the word "floor." Twiget probably most likely means "when the brake pedal stops" and has used the word floor instead.

Of course if the pedal goes all the way to the floor before it stops it is a serious problem.

Twiget, I hope you find out what is going on.

 

[NORTY]

I'm not sure where the confusion is coming from. :confused I do not know how I can explain it better.

I get in the car. I start her up. I press down on the brake pedal, and about 1/2 way to the floor "pop". During normal driving, I do not need 1/2 the distance to the floor to stop. Just the ball of my foot and a little pressure on the brake pedal works fine. Even in emergency stops, where I have to floor the brake pedal, I still feel the pop, but it does not seem to affect the performance of the brakes.



Jason

Sorry for the confusion, Jason. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't the clutch pedal that you were referring to.

Now, I'm concerned about,"Even in emergency stops, where I have to floor the pedal..."

I'm with Hib, I thought I was clarifying an issue, but it seems I've muddled it. If your brake pedal is traveling to the floor (no matter how hard you mash it) the car needs to be inspected, PRONTO.

 

[NORTY]

Jason, one other thing~ If your fluid is "black as pitch" then it has oxidized to the point of severe contamination. You need to change it out. BOTH clutch & brake fluids need changing. This could be the source of your problem (or, at least a contributing factor.)