GRAND AM 93 REAR BRAKE STICKS ,help!

[antoniobanderas]

my 93 grand am is acting up with the rigth rear brake sometimes sticks so bad as to hold the car still while the transmition is in drive! other times it seems to brake more than the other side,and it has a delay to relise as it should,i replaced the wheel sensor,brake cilinder,shoes all the harware,it only helps somewhat but it remains to this day,ho,i bleed the entire system more times than i can remember to no avail,a friend recomends to replace the abs system asembly,but unother told me he had done same thing and it did not cure it either! is this a comon problem on this grand ams from 1993? can it be fixed thanks for any input in advance ,i dont want to couse an accident
tony.

[4kQuad]

When you bleed the brakes do you start at the wheel that is the furthest from the master cylinder?

What does the inside of the brake drums look like, are they smooth or is there ridges?

Is it wet at all in there?

Did you do the last brake job yourself? If yes are you sure you got the correct size of brake shoe? Some thing is not fitting.

What you are describing normally happens when the shoes get worn and metal starts touching. But if you have new shoes and the drums are smooth. Either you got the wrong shoes from the parts store or the drum you have is out of round. Wich could have happenend if you ran the old shoes too long.

answer these and someone may have more help.

[antoniobanderas]

i did all the work myself,the shoes have lasted well over a year,the drums are not groved,not a sign of brake fluid in there,i remember changing the shoes two times in theat period of time,i heard i not alone with this problem,my son told me a frien of him has the same thing happening,i wonder if this is a selenoid sticking? or a bad computer? this car is really scary to drive in winter here in chicago,you have to be really careful,if only i could fix this,brake shops only want to replace everything !i did bleed the brakes starting at the rear l,rr,then the front r ,fl, even bleed the abs front and rear bleed screws,i did compare the old shoes with the new ones and they were same thing ,same size etc,the thing is ,what is cousing the rear left brake to stick this way? and only for a few seconds then after a clunk,it finally relises the shoes hope someone outhere has have same problem and can tell me how to go about it,thank you for traying to help me

[antoniobanderas]

ho,and the drums are not out of round,the pedal doesnt pulsate,the car brakes fairly ok,only when the car cames to a compleate stop and i lift the b pedal off,i feel and heard the l rear brake going puck! thud! then goes normal untill next stop

[4kQuad]

Are all the springs still strong?
Are you sure you put them back in the correct holes in the shoes?

Some of the holes are close and a 1/4" could make a Real differance.

With every thing else you have done I have to question what causes the brake to release, and springs come to mind.

If your in a wrong whole you also change the strength or tesion on the spring. Pull the drum and wiggle the springs. They should all be thight, not slopping around.

Yes, you have probably done and checked this stuff, I just don't know what else to offer.

I just saw where you say the shoes have lasted over a year. If the shoes are a year old, maybe someone road them a little coming up to stop signs. Putting a glaze like serface on them. Get a clean wire brush and brush the shoe pad a little to brake up the glazing to see it that helps.

Good luck.

[antoniobanderas]

hi,yes you are correct on all the suggestions you are giving me,it all chech out ok,i even compared the setup to unother grand am same year and all is the same,same mounting etc,i suspect a truble with the computer since its the computer that manages the pressures maybe it sends alitlle pressure only to that wheel ,that is why i replaced the hub assembly which contains the abs sensor,but it did no diference,i thank you very much for all your assistance,perhhaps a pontiac mechanic familiar with this car and year read this and feels some pity and help me ha ha ha! i will keep my fingers cross thank you again i mean it tony

[HondaHater]

Funny thing my car does the same thing that antonio's does......Its been doing since i've owned the car...thought it was the abs also. All looks good back there and dunno what's going on. It's intermittant too....not at every stop....happens more during a lot of stop and go driving. Hasn't effected anything at all...just annoying more than anything. But i'd still like to fix it.

[4kQuad]

If it happens more when it's raining out or the wheels could be wet. I'd bet it's not the ABS.

Shoes tend to stick more when there wet.

[HondaHater]

No it does it about the same amount wet or dry

[mikem220153]

I have had this problem twice. Both times it was due to faulty shoes. The first time on my 94 Skylark, it started happening about 6 months after I changed the shoes and drums. The last time on my 97 GA, it happened immediatlely after I changed the drums and shoes. In both cases, replacing the shoes cured the problem. As far as rear shoes, I have had best luck with Napa's brand of shoes and the worst luck with Autozones.

[HondaHater]

I was thinking of redoing the rear brakes anyway because i just replaced the master cylinder and front pads/rotors.....so why not do the rear just on GP.....I'll try it and let you guys know

[HeyDace]

Take a good look at the backing plate, the older GM's have wear grooves worn into them from the shoe backing which causes the shoe/shoes to catch and stick in the applied position. Or you have a defective wheel cylinder (sticking), or the shoes are not adjusted properly.

[antoniobanderas]

came on guys,i need some help with this scapping sound in the front,is not fun to drive a car like this one, and very unsafe to say the least,you dont want to drive by me do you? today i removed the rotors one more time put all back on since they look ok ,no wooble while runing the whells with the car on a jack ,the noise went away only to comeback 10 minutes later!any ideas please shoot, dammmmmmmmmmmmm !

[mikem220153]

Tony;

In your previous posts your were talking about the rear brakes. Now your are talking about the front brakes.

I might suggest you jack the car up and pull the wheel off, move the caliper out of the way, and pull the rotor off. Then check the wheel hub for and excess play side to side, up and down, and in and out. I the hub bearing doesn't show any excess play, check the axle shaft CV joints. If you want somethng to compare it to, check it against the hub and axle on the other side. This is where I would start.

[antoniobanderas]

thats becouse i got front brake problems as well and i did not want to mix two diferent problems,i did chech the hub and calipers and rotors,as for the cv joints ,thgere is nothing to check as they are covered by the boot,what i do to check cv joints is to sping the wheel and turn the tire in both directions and lisent for cliking noises ,none are present,anyhow, the problem has been solved by taking the rotors (BRAND NEW) to be cut,that did solve the problem in the front brakes,the rear whell sticking remains but is intermitent

[4kQuad]

Time to change out the back shoes if there still sticking. Think back to when you first did the job.

This is a guess and what I think may have caused your current problem.

When you changed out the shoes, you got your hands dirty. Heck it goes with the job, then while they were dirty you grabbed the drum and got dirt on the shinny part inside the drum the shoes press on. Also at some point when you grabbed the new shoes you got the greasy dirt on the pad.

Again that's just my guess. If it sounds right, you have a glazing on the new shoe pads. Pull the drum and look, are they just a little shinny?

Get some brake cleaner and clean the inside of the drum you currently have, get new shoes. Keep both clean and put it back to gather. Backup and stop a few times to reset the shoes.

Drive a little I bet it's gone.

[BAGAGT1]

I have had a similar problem for years, I still have not been able to figure it out. I have just learned to live with it.

[antoniobanderas]

well,the thing is,,we dont want to learn to live with it,its a caming and going problem,sometimes it just disapears,but when its back its a pain to drive,still waiting for a solution any takers?

[HeyDace]

Originally posted by HeyDace
Take a good look at the backing plate, the older GM's have wear grooves worn into them from the shoe backing which causes the shoe/shoes to catch and stick in the applied position. Or you have a defective wheel cylinder (sticking), or the shoes are not adjusted properly.

Again. :D