Hello all,

For starters I have an 08 SS 5 speed.

I was getting ready to head to work yesterday and was in a hurry so I jumped in and took off right away. As I approached the first intersection I came to I went to hit the brakes and the pedal went right to the floor. I tried again, and right back to the floor. I ended up pulling the parking/emergency brake to stop. This was one of the scariest experiences of my life.

Ok I pull off the road and the pedal is now firm and fine. I checked the brake fluid and it was right where it is supposed to be and was the right color.

Ok after work I started the car and tried the brakes before driving to make sure it was safe. The pedal again went to the floor, but with a little resistance. I heard a slight "grinding" sound and the boost gauge spiked up to 5 PSI of pressure. I waited til the vaccume built up and now the brake pedal was nice and firm.

This sounds similar to what others with the auto were experiencing, but I have a 5 speed.

Is the known no brake issue only on the auto?

Has anyone else with the 5 speed experienced this?

Any thoughts about what could be causing this?

I suspect some type of vaccume leak, but I am not a mechanic.

Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated so I can have some thoughts when I take it to the dealership.

Thanks,

SPPD

 

The brake problem is mostly a Auto issue but we have had 1 or 2 5 speeds with the same complaint on this web site. Not many but you're not alone.

The pedal really is not going to the floor but you do not have any vacuum boost that makes it feel like stepping on a dead tuna.

The grinding sound I would say is the ABS unit that is tuned to help in giving some braking effort.

As for the fix it is not suited the 5 speed but I would report this to your dealer and with this GM I would GM to adapt the vacuum pump to the 5 speed in the future.

In the mean time let your SS run for a short while before you take off after it sits for along period of time.

But make sure to report this to the dealer because it is not as common on the 5 sp and the more report they have the better chance they will get the pump adapted sooner.

 

My 5 speed does the exact same thing. I would bet it is a little more common than people seem to think. How many people step on thier brakes very hard right after startup when driving a stick? Mine work fine under light braking, ie. backing out of my level driveway onto a level street and then slowing to a stop at the end of my street from not much more than a crawl. Now, if my car were an auto, I would be braking hard enough to hold the car from moving while in gear as soon as it started. I would notice then.

Just my experience and opinion, but you are not alone.

 

I don't think your problem is the same as the hard brake pedal on the automatics. Your problem seems to be related to the master cylinder rather the brake booster. But without driving your vehicle it would be hard to say.

There is no mistaking the lack of vacuum condition. When you hit the brake on the cold start, you only move the pedal a half inch or so, before it is apparent that the system is not working correctly.

 

In the problem with the auto, the pedal is hard, not soft! You can stop, but you have to really mash the pedal.

 

That's what I experience. The pedal is so hard there is no way I could get it close to the floor.

 

yes I have the hard pedal with low vacuum for about 30-45 secs

 

I have a 5 spd and have had th soft pedal issue as well. Only once and it was cold morning, but it felt as though I was driving my old 92 Lumina that had never had the brakes replaced. Almost wished I was Fred Flinstone and could reach through and slow down with my feet. Only happened once and has not recurred. If I took it to the dealer and it didn't act up I am sure they would punt me and charge me for something else.