I don't think they have anything to do with the hydraulic brakes but your park brake obviously uses the brakes to keep the car from moving which if you drove around like that you should notice less power and your brakes wearing out faster which would cause hot rotors from your brakes being constantly applied.

 

Yes they are mechanically separate but that doesn't mean that the parking brake isn't adjusted too far out and is actually creating friction by trying to hold the wheel still while you're rolling.

 

A guy I work with has a 2002 GMC 1/2 ton truck. As he pulled into his driveway he put his foot on the brake and before he new it the only thing stopping him was the foundation wall on his house.
He's owned it since day one with only 63K on the ticker, it's had new pads and rotors just two years ago.
He took it to the dealer and they returned a diagnosis of rusty ABS pickups in the front hubs.
Each hub was $550, the repair work to the brakes alone was $2,500. New hubs, rotors, pads, ect, ect. Yah I said $2,500. Glad I do my own work.
the body damage was another $1,500. Ouch!!
I've heard stories about GM ABS systems going hay wire. The first time mine does, trust me I'll find a way to bypass it. My 98 2500 GMC has an ABS system that I hate, so far the Blazer works great I just can't make the lights go out.
Without getting an ABS light you can only hope that the condition is limited to the master cylinder or an air bubble in the system. I'd make sure that the E-brake is in good working order seeing you've had problems already. Good luck.

 

OK Just because the master cylinder is new does not mean it is good I had a friend put 3 on before his brakes were fixed,as far as your brakes on one side wearing and not the other check your caliper it is probably sticking and keeping Constance pressure on the pads and wearing them out prematurely.

 

I am going to have the right rear caliper checked and replaced if necessary on Tuesday because it seems to be the culprit. The parking brake seems fine and I also believe there could be an air bubble in the system since the pedal does feel a bit softer than usual. Until then, I will keep the truck local and drive it slowly if I need to at all. That wheel and rotor are getting so hot now I can't even go near that part of the car. I was even concerned that the tire could explode or set something else on fire. I can't stand the heat just being near it and the wheel burned my hand before. Luckily, it wasn't serious.

P.S. With the ABS, I have never had any issues with it and I had both front wheel hubs replaced in February. If I ever did have any issues, I would just do what I would always do if there is a malfunction: PULL THE BIG ABS FUSE UNDER THE HOOD AND FORGET ABOUT THE ABS. Someone I know actually had a problem that the ABS motor started to run after the ignition was off and it drained the battery (this was on a 2000 Silverado). He had the module repaired by someone on ebay and that fixed it. He pulled the fuse to disable the system before he got around to removing the control module so the motor doesn't burn up or drain the battery. If I have an electrical malfunction, I pull the fuse and try to do without it. That is what I did when my turn signal lever shorted out and went up in smoke last year and I replaced it the next day.

 

I have never had an ABS light in relation to a problem. Especially during this whole situation. The only warning light I had during the past week of these problems was the BRAKE light. No ABS or SES light. I have only had the ABS light when I intentionally disarmed the system because I didn't want it kicking in driving on snow and ice (but I was not on any road. This was off road.). All I did was pull the big 60A ABS fuse under the hood and after the system does it's initial test once you move the car, it will throw the light because the motor has no power. However, during this whole situation, I HAVE NOT touched any part of the ABS system, including the fuses. I don't know about the mechanics, but I am sure that they didn't either, but they bled the brakes properly. If you really want to disarm it, just pull the big fuse under the hood and the system will realize there is a problem, stop working, turn the ABS light on and stay out of the way. As far as I know from what I have heard on here and other forums, that is how it works because it seems to allow the brakes to work normally (minus ABS) after the fuse is pulled. If this is incorrect, please feel free to correct me.

 

Ok, I am going to take the truck to the shop tomorrow. What should I ask them to check or replace? I realize now that in this particular instance, the problems are limited to the rear end. The front end has good lines, calipers and pads. The new problem is that the right rear wheel/brake is getting superheated after driving it short distances. I could not stand near it for a second after I pulled it into the garage on Saturday night. I made sure nothing was nearby because any flammable material would have caught fire if it was nearby. The master cylinder, rear left caliper, rear left rotor and pads on both rear wheels have been replaced already. What else should I have checked or replaced to make sure I don't have another brake failure? I already know there are no leaks anywhere in the system and the system will have to be bled again and I am not getting an ABS (never did) or BRAKE (did several times when the brakes were not working and once when the switch got stuck) warning light anymore. I already know to keep my fire extinguisher handy for the 3 mile drive to the shop (I already know AAA will not cover another tow), but is there anything else I should know? Thanks for all the help so far on this.

 

I don't know how similar your setup is to my Sonoma, but definitely check the lines between the brake booster and master cylinder. One the metal brake line to a braided steel line blew out on a dirt road avoiding a deer. I missed the deer, but if your replacing everything else, it may be a wise choice. Also check the hydraulic hoses (About $15 ea. for the part) that run to the caliper in the front. When those start to deteriorate, its only a matter of time.

 

I'll be sure to ask that the lines be checked again, but as far as I knew, even though the metal lines have some light surface rust, they are fine and they are not even close to failing (they have been checked every time the truck was in the shop for anything that is close to them because I would ask that they be checked for safety reasons (I have a habit of making sure everything with the truck is safe. Brake lines are no exception. I even check them myself if I believe someone I know might have tried to vandalize the truck by cutting them (It almost happened once when I was in high school).). I even painted some of the lines with engine enamel a long time ago to prevent them from rusting further (the front ones since the flaps that covered them are now gone since the other mechanic who put new shocks in cut them off to replace the shocks) and they are not leaking at all. I have never had to add brake fluid at all since there was no drop in fluid levels over the years. I check all the fluids a couple times a week. I will also have the hoses (front and back) inspected and possibly replaced if they find anything out of the ordinary.

 

The truck is at the shop getting the right rear caliper replaced, the parking brake inspected and the warning light switch checked. I'll post updates after I get the truck back later this afternoon. I don't want this whole ordeal to happen again if I can prevent it because next time I might not be so lucky getting the truck to stop without a scratch.

EDIT: The right rear caliper is now confirmed to be the culprit. It also completely destroyed a new set of brake pads in less than a week. The shop owner has not seen this before with 2 calipers failing at almost the same time and it seems to be limited to the rear axle. I suspect something is wrong here. Maybe the shop in New Jersey sabotaged it after the 2nd tow somehow just out of spite? Maybe dumped some junk in the brake fluid or tampered with the calipers? Something doesn't seem right here. I will be sure to post the name of the shop in New Jersey and this whole ordeal on Ripoffreport.com, the Better Business Bureau, Google Local and on this forum (whichever section is appropriate) as soon as all these brake problems have been resolved.

I appreciate everyone's advice on this brake problem. Hopefully in a couple hours, it will be resolved.