Hey Folks, my first post...forgive me please if it isn't in the proper area, I've been lurking a little here and there so I'm fairly familiar. Seems as though whenever I search the 'net to solve an issue I end up on this forum reading a post, and since you all seem like friendly, helpful folks I figured I'd pop in and ask. I'm not a very mechanical person, but I'm gonna try to describe this as best I can. Again I'm in a 2000 LS two-door, 4x4.


Earlier today as I was pulling into the gas station, my brakes did a curious thing---they refused to operate. The pedal did NOT go to the floor, in fact it stayed put, didn't give an inch. I stood on that sucker, and in the nick of time it "popped" and I came to a halt seconds before plowing through the glass storefront. I wasn't going fast, but quick enough to where I'd have caused damage. A little rattled, I checked under the pedal in case a piece of trash or something was wedged under there but there was nothing.
As I was leaving the lot, the same thing happened. Again the pedal stayed stiff and didn't give an inch, then it "popped" and I came to a halt in the nick of time. WTF? I made it home with fingers crossed, and my brakes worked fine all the way to my driveway, thank god. I pumped them quite a few times while parked but could not get them to lock as they had. As I was running behind schedule, I only had time to pop the hood and check the fluid level. All seemed fine. I did not inspect anything else, yet.

Here's a spot of background: A few months ago my ball joint separated (while I was doing 70 on the freeway!) and the mechanic who fixed the resulting carnage decided to splice the ABS cable that was torn instead of replacing it. My ABS light has been on since, but lately (since I engaged the ABS in a snow covered parking lot) it has been coming on and off seemingly at random. Not so sure if that would have anything to do with my issue. Up until today my brakes have been behaving wonderfully.

A friend who happens to be quite the blazer fanatic has suggested that it may be my power booster? He has told me that they seem to go on Blazers right around 150-160 thousand miles. Mine is at 159. I have no problem in admitting that my knowledge of the booster consists of this: I know it's there and may be broken.

Sorry for rambling, but any help from you fine folks would be much, much appreciated. Please don't tear me up too bad if I need to ask for clarification. I'm a musician, not a mechanic, I can make the car go, steer and stop. Most of the time, anyway!
Thanks in advance.