The braking system on a 2001 GMC 2500 equipped with a gasoline engine uses a traditional master cylinder and booster combination to stop the truck. The booster is vacuum operated, and it ceases to be effective if it develops a vacuum leak. The result is a heavy brake pedal, which can become tiresome over a long drive. The fix is to replace the booster, but first you have to remove the old one, which should take approximately 15 minutes to do.
Instructions
- 1
Pop the hood. Unbolt the master cylinder from the brake booster on the driver's side of the firewall using an open-end wrench. Pull the vacuum line off of the brake booster.
2Go inside the cab, and shine the flashlight up the brake pedal until you locate the linkage between the brake booster and the brake pedal. Remove the spring clip holding the pedal to the linkage using the flathead screwdriver. Then slide the booster linkage off of the pedal.
3Unbolt the brake booster from the firewall using the 3/8-inch ratchet, extension and sockets. If one of the bolts is difficult to access with the ratchet, use a 3/8-inch universal joint between the socket and the extension to gain more flexibility.
4Move under the hood. Pull the master cylinder off of the brake booster. Then pull the brake booster off of the firewall.
