Tools you need for rear brakes on a 2019-2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Rear brakes on the T1 Silverado 1500 are one of the easier jobs on the truck. Single-piston floating calipers, two guide pin bolts, two bracket bolts, and the rotor slides off — no piston wind-back tool needed, because the parking brake is a separate set of shoes living inside the rotor hat rather than being built into the caliper. Plan on about an hour per side the first time.

Two things trip people up. First, on trims with the electronic parking brake, the cable-puller actuator has to be released (service mode with a scan tool is the clean way) or you will fight a rotor that is being held by the internal shoes. Second, the rotor hat rusts to the hub face; instead of beating on it, find the small access hole in the hat, rotate it to line up with the star adjuster, and back the shoes off. Also clean the hub face flat before the new rotor goes on — most complaints of "new rotors that pulsate" are rust scale under the hat.

Complete tool and parts list

Differences within the 2019-2024 generation

Fastener sizes are identical across 2.7 turbo, 5.3 L84, 6.2 L87 and 3.0 Duramax — brakes follow trim and GVW, not engine. Rotor diameter and pad set differ by RPO brake code, with max-tow, Trail Boss and heavier-GVW packages using larger rear rotors, so order parts by VIN or RPO rather than engine. Electronic parking brake is fitted to higher trims; base trucks use a foot/pedal-actuated cable and need no scan tool.

Torque specs

How the job goes

1. Park on level ground, chock the front wheels, and fully release the parking brake. On EPB trucks, use a scan tool to put the park brake in service/release mode.
2. Loosen the 22 mm lug nuts a half turn while the tires are down, then lift the rear axle and support it on jack stands under the axle tubes.
3. Remove the wheels. Note how the pad clips and shims sit before disturbing anything.
4. Remove the two 15 mm caliper guide pin bolts (some builds have 13 mm heads; hold the pin with a wrench if it spins). Slide the caliper off and hang it from the coil spring with a bungee — never let it hang by the hose.
5. Pull the old pads out of the bracket and remove the abutment clips.
6. Remove the two 21 mm caliper bracket bolts with a breaker bar and lift the bracket off.
7. Pull the rotor. If it will not budge, spray the hub area with penetrant, tap the hat with a dead-blow hammer, or rotate the rotor to the access hole and back off the parking brake shoe star adjuster with a brake spoon.
8. Wire-brush the hub face clean and flat, and file rust off the bracket abutment ledges. Inspect the parking brake shoes inside the hat while you are in there.
9. Wipe the new rotor with brake cleaner to remove shipping oil, smear a light film of anti-seize on the hub face only, and fit the rotor. Hold it with a lug nut if needed.
10. Reinstall the bracket with the 21 mm bolts and torque to spec.
11. Compress the caliper piston fully with a spreader or C-clamp, keeping the old pad or a flat plate against it. Crack the bleeder open if you prefer not to push dirty fluid back to the ABS unit.
12. Fit the new abutment clips, grease the pad ears and guide pins lightly with silicone brake lube, install the pads, then refit the caliper and torque the guide pin bolts.
13. Refit the wheels and torque the 22 mm lug nuts to 140 ft-lb in a star pattern.
14. Pump the brake pedal until firm before moving the truck, check the fluid level, and on EPB trucks exit service mode and cycle the park brake several times.
15. Bed the pads in: eight to ten moderate stops from about 35 mph, then drive a few miles without dragging the brakes.

Watch out

Lug nuts (22 mm, 140 ft-lb) and the 21 mm caliper bracket bolts are firm for the T1 generation; the guide pin bolt head is 15 mm on most trucks but some builds use 13 mm, so check both before buying tools, and confirm all torque values in the GM service information for your VIN.

Other jobs on the 2019-2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Rear Brake Pads and Rotors on other vehicles