Need urgent help no brakes stuck on top of giant hill

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Wiley
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Need urgent help no brakes stuck on top of giant hill

Post by Wiley »

I feel defeated right now. My rotor exploded taking the caliper with it. I have no brakes including emergency. I am in a desert in colombia and drove almost all the way out by using 1st but cant possibly get down the last giant hill. Luckily the town is a 10 min walk but they have nothing. Today i took off the caliper and have tried clamping the brake line but i assume i alreaady lost too much fluid pedal goes to floor. Im goint to the nearest city tomorrow for fluid but already know i cant open the bleeders from a previous attempt. If i add fluid and pump brakes a bit can i get down this hill to drive the hour to the nearest city?

Im trying to save my battery as i dont have power right now, does anyone have whatever model numbers i might need to try and order the following parts so i dont have to waste electricty with searching? This is the drivers side rear

Caliper
Rotor
Possibly the shoe thing, as im typing i think that may be the culprit.


I have a set of pads already


Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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LiftedAWDAstro
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Re: Need urgent help no brakes stuck on top of giant hill

Post by LiftedAWDAstro »

The shoe in the hat is the parking brake and is mechanical only so you don't have to have it right now. If you get some fluid, you should be able to clamp off that caliper and have 3 wheel braking. The fronts shouldn't have lost all of their fluid as the reservoirs are partially separated. I don't have the GM part numbers but can find the local auto parts numbers but not sure they will help down there.
Current rides:
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2008 Dodge Nitro 4x4
2005 Nissan Sentra 1.8S Special Edition

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Vans owned:
1986 Safari 2.5L 4 speed manual - scrapped
1995 Astro 2WD conversion 4.11 posi, shift kit, DHC rock rails - sold to Skippy
1998 Astro 4x4 D44, D60, NP231, full hydraulic system with 9k# Milemarker winch and snow plow - sold to Lockdoc
2003 Astro AWD all stock - traded for a 3/4 ton truck
2005 AWD, 4.10's - sold to skippy
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Wiley
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Re: Need urgent help no brakes stuck on top of giant hill

Post by Wiley »

Thanks. I clamped it yesterday so hoping the fluid will solve the problem. Also got a good tip to pass along. Stick a block of wood in the calipre and tie the assembly to the van so the other brakes work. Not a bad idea since that brake hose is difficult to clamp down.


Yeah i dont think they will help either so no need to look. As long as i can get down this hill out of the desert everything else will fall into place, if im stuck here its gonna beca bitch to take care of. Also was reminded the import fee is 50% in colombia so id like to stick with my original plan of making it to ecuador, feeling much more confident after some rest and its raining which is great temp wise!

Its all part of the adventure.
2guys1truck.com: 2004 AWD Chevy Astro from California to Colombia!
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LiftedAWDAstro
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Re: Need urgent help no brakes stuck on top of giant hill

Post by LiftedAWDAstro »

Yeah the block of wood is a great idea. If you can't get the bleeders open, you can loosen the banjo bolts and bleed to the caliper at least. All you really need is to remove any air in the lines.

Good luck with the adventure! :muhaha:
Current rides:
2013 Toyota Tundra DC 4x4
2008 Dodge Nitro 4x4
2005 Nissan Sentra 1.8S Special Edition

Mileage spreadsheet

Vans owned:
1986 Safari 2.5L 4 speed manual - scrapped
1995 Astro 2WD conversion 4.11 posi, shift kit, DHC rock rails - sold to Skippy
1998 Astro 4x4 D44, D60, NP231, full hydraulic system with 9k# Milemarker winch and snow plow - sold to Lockdoc
2003 Astro AWD all stock - traded for a 3/4 ton truck
2005 AWD, 4.10's - sold to skippy
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Wiley
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Re: Need urgent help no brakes stuck on top of giant hill

Post by Wiley »

Found the dot iii but got back at dark. I filled the master cylinder but once i start the van pedal goes to floor, is this due to needing to bleed or other issues. Can i bleed alone, and can i access that banjo bolt without removing tires? I have the haines manual so see how to bleed but how do i do it with the banjo bolts, do i still use a clear hose?

Think the crimped hose is ok as no fluid comes out, and i dont believe there are any other leaks but cant check till tomorrow. Not exactly sure what i need to do i was naievely hoping to fill the cylinder and roll.

I dont think it affects the procedure but i did pull the abs fuse in the past due to the slow stop issue just an fyi.


Thanks
Last edited by Wiley on Thu May 02, 2013 5:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Need urgent help no brakes stuck on top of giant hill

Post by Kidhauler »

Pump the pedal several times to compress the air in the lines it should stiffen up at the pedal.
If it never stiffens up and just hits the floor you have a leak in the system somewhere. Once you pump the pedal stiff keep pressure on the pedal with a stick or the jack against the seat. Then you could go and quickly crack the banjo bolt loose and quickly tighten it again. This will only get a small amount of fluid out at a time but will eventually bleed the air from the lines. You just need to do this alot of times. Remember to just crack th nut and tighten it right away so you don't suck air into the caliper end of the line.


Good luck
1999 Safari Touring edition.
trailer tow pack with a 3:73 posi
Bucket bench seats, Rear heat, Rear Airconditioning.
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AirRide air bags in the rear to fix soft stock suspension.
Onboard aircompressor to make it all work nice.
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Re: Need urgent help no brakes stuck on top of giant hill

Post by Wiley »

The pedal feels firm when off so i can pump that but if i start the engine pumping does nothing it immediately goes to the floor and doesnt stiffen which do you mean?

Ive read you can tear the master cylinder seal Ill look at that. Otherwise could it be my crimped line even though no fluid comes out?

Thanks this suuucks
2guys1truck.com: 2004 AWD Chevy Astro from California to Colombia!
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Re: Need urgent help no brakes stuck on top of giant hill

Post by Kidhauler »

Usually if its stiff it's stiff it shouldn't hit the floor with the engine off or on. When the engine is running the pedal will always be a little softer because of the power brakes. It sounds like you might have blown the master cylinder seal. That is very common when you loose pressure because the cylinder slides farther than normal when the pedal hits the floor. It slides the seal into the rough part of the stroke past where it is all nice an polished. You might be able to get a rebuild kit if you can't find a new master cylinder. They don't last forever but it will get you running for a few weeks.

Wish I had better news
1999 Safari Touring edition.
trailer tow pack with a 3:73 posi
Bucket bench seats, Rear heat, Rear Airconditioning.
teal green
300 000 kms
AirRide air bags in the rear to fix soft stock suspension.
Onboard aircompressor to make it all work nice.
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Wiley
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Re: Need urgent help no brakes stuck on top of giant hill

Post by Wiley »

Oh shit any idea how to seal it im in colombia? Superglue? A shitload of plumbers tape? I have no idea where or what this seal is will google but im sure theres no ghetto fix. I want to give up


Luckily i found a chevy dealer today but they dont even have dot iii or dextron iii fluids let alone know what an astro was.
2guys1truck.com: 2004 AWD Chevy Astro from California to Colombia!
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Kidhauler
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Re: Need urgent help no brakes stuck on top of giant hill

Post by Kidhauler »

I don't think you can patch a master cylinder. If they have a Chevy dealer and if you can get a part number off the master cylinder and off the other broken parts hopefully they can cross reference the parts off something else. The good thin with Chevy is they order a billion parts and then throw the same parts in everything they build.

I Know it sucks right now but these are the stories you will look back on an tell a thousand times. Remember the time we blew the brakes in the middle of nowhere and spent 3 days getting out of the bush. Keep your chin up and dont give in you will always regret what you didn't do. Most people only dream about doing the trip your on. This could be the one big crazy adventure of your life before kids a wife and bills takes over the next 25 years.

Smile and remember where you are it's the problems and bumps along the way that make the trip and the stories you will tell your grand kids about.
1999 Safari Touring edition.
trailer tow pack with a 3:73 posi
Bucket bench seats, Rear heat, Rear Airconditioning.
teal green
300 000 kms
AirRide air bags in the rear to fix soft stock suspension.
Onboard aircompressor to make it all work nice.

Kidhauler
I sleep in my van
Posts: 877
Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2006 5:46 pm
Location: Vancouver B.C.

Re: Need urgent help no brakes stuck on top of giant hill

Post by Kidhauler »

I just did a quick search and they made s-10 pickups in the brazil market so maybe they have them there chances are the master cylinder would be the same but I don't know about the rear brakes.
1999 Safari Touring edition.
trailer tow pack with a 3:73 posi
Bucket bench seats, Rear heat, Rear Airconditioning.
teal green
300 000 kms
AirRide air bags in the rear to fix soft stock suspension.
Onboard aircompressor to make it all work nice.
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Wiley
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Re: Need urgent help no brakes stuck on top of giant hill

Post by Wiley »

Thanks for the help, since its such a pain to get to the city I spent today reading up stuff online, cleaning the exterior of my brake lines so I can verify theres no other leaks, and pb blasting the bleeders and lugs to get the other wheels off and take a look at everything now. In one of the threads I saw that the bleeders should be up when installing calipers, is this always true. It appears the other rear caliper has the bleeder on the bottom, with a sticker that says left. I didnt replace the calipers only brakes and rotors, and one at a time so couldnt have reversed them...so either I put it on facing the wrong way, or the previous owner mixed up which side...of course more than likely maybe I am just looking at it wrong. I dont see why they wouldnt be the originals as I bought the van with 85,000 miles. I searched for nipples up but found nothing, I know the pervs said something like that haha! Maybe it was the other astro forum but I searched there too.


edit: After rockcrawler verified the caliper is upside down, I took a look at the other caliper. Now its been a long 3 days, but I am pretty sure I have two left rear calipers. To get the caliper bleeder on top I would have to position the caliper behind the axel, towards the exhaust pipe, opposite the one on the otherside. If that is the case someone who wasnt very professional did the work and I would imagine that may be why over time I ended up with this explosion of metal, who knows what they did. But maybe I am becoming delusional, it is the desert after all
Attachments
Exploded Caliper, Left as well????
Exploded Caliper, Left as well????
Rear Passenger Caliper
Rear Passenger Caliper
Last edited by Wiley on Fri May 03, 2013 2:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Need urgent help no brakes stuck on top of giant hill

Post by 97CargoCrawler »

The nipples should be up. Think about it....air in brake fluid wants to travel upward where there's less fluid pressure...like bubbles in water.

Calipers can be installed upside down and still work, but there could always be some bubbles in there after bleeding.

Only bleed from the nipples, NOT the banjo bolt.

I recently made this mistake on my '76 BMW and then removed and corrected it just so some knowledgeable guy didn't look between the spokes and think I was a dumb@ss.

Mmmmmm nipples up.
Last edited by 97CargoCrawler on Fri May 03, 2013 1:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Need urgent help no brakes stuck on top of giant hill

Post by Wiley »

So the one in the pic is upside down correct? What the hell
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Re: Need urgent help no brakes stuck on top of giant hill

Post by Wiley »

Also, can one of you pros verify these are the right parts, I dont fully understand everything they say. Im just using the site for part numbers now, and to see what other vehicles share them. doesnt look like the S-10 does according to what I see. If anyone here works for chevy and can lookup the numbers for me that would be great, calling them from here isnt an easy option, and I am really low on power. Im gonna try and have the chevy guys here look them up but they were worthless yesterday and all i wanted at that time was fluid.


Master Cylinder
Part # - 18048897
http://parts.nalleygmc.com/products/Che ... 48897.html

Caliper - Is that the right or left, im so confused and burnt out at this point
Part# 18040087
http://parts.nalleygmc.com/products/Che ... 40087.html

Rotor
Part# - No idea. 19211496
http://parts.nalleygmc.com/products/Che ... 11496.html
Says front and rear, but obviously they are not the same as the rear rotors are huge.

Pretty much out of power on my computer, and this has been day 3 of hell. Luckily I can charge my iphone off my car battery. I cant even get the other 3 tires off. Sacrificed a very good craftsman socket to get the last rounded lug off yesterday, today after 1.5 cans of pb blaster each wheels has rounding lugs. I hate the tool that came with the astro, and have been trying to use a jack stand to help hold it in place, as well as the handle from a high lift jack as a breaker bar. I know I sound like a whiney bitch but I have had a few minor break downs here, I bought a van with 85K so I could avoid being stuck in desert, the heat is terrible, I have been bitten X amount of times by mosquitoes and ants, and am nowhere closer, I just keep getting deeper and deeper into problems with this.

Anyone want to buy an Astro, must pick up. I am at a loss.


You guys rock, I dont know where I would be without this site.
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