General Operation

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2010 GMC Sierra and 2010 Chevrolet Silverado. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

The driver applies the pedal and thereby builds pressure in the primary chamber of the master cylinder with the primary piston. The fluid from the primary chamber is transmitted from the master cylinder by the brake tube to the electro-hydraulic control unit through the orifice and check valve and into the simulator chamber. With the slip control boost system active and working normally, the fluid from the primary master cylinder chamber does not get applied to the wheel brakes but to the simulator. The pedal simulator spring, the orifice, and the check valve combine to affect a force/travel characteristic that feels smooth, normal, and controllable to the driver. A pressure transducer on the primary master cylinder chamber/pedal simulator (Master Cylinder Pressure), a pedal travel sensor on the input piston assembly, and the brake switch are inputs into the electronic control unit. These inputs are used to determine the driver's braking intent which is used to control the torque applied to the wheels.