My rear brakes sorta grab and hop sometimes. Anybody know what's wrong with it?

gotta be more descriptive....brakes are supposed to grab



My car may run 18s, but I can do your taxes in 10 seconds flat.
JBO lube - they would never have enough in stock and we'd never see RodimusPrime again

Buy can of brake cleaner. Remove brake drum. Use 1/2 of can per side on drum and internal parts.

or it could be a leaky brake cylinder, *the two pistons that push the pads out*

If it's leaking, it may only grab some of the times, and not in a smooth way. Some stops it works, some stops it doesn't. (untill it blows out, and you have zero brakes.... happen to me once.... )


...

hmmm that actually sounds like the problem. so i would need to get that replaced. makes a horrible squeeling noise too when i brake. so how much would that run me?

jesus christ... when was the last time you changed the brakes?


Drums should be changed every other time you change the pads.

You may need new drums now too.

Get the following for sure.

Brake shoes
Brake cleaner

check your drums for ware, or scaring. If it's present, have them mic'd and resurfaced, or buy new ones.

Check for a leak of fluid around the rear wheel cylinder (as its called). Check the rubber seals around the pistons for leaks. You're brakes will probably be covered in what looks like grease (which is really brake fluid and brake dust combined).

If you think it's leaking, check your brake fluid level. If it looks really low, than yes, your leaking. But you may just have a rusty piston in the wheel cylinder, and its seized. if your unsure how to do it your self, take it to a shop. Brakes are highly needed. A small leak can turn into a big wreck.

My old cavalier developed this problem. And when I got it off the roll back, and pulled the drum off, the inside of wheel cylinder practically exploded out the sides. Then it 'caused a spring to let go (due to the force) and the entire shoe's unhooked and the internals were scattered.

I rebuilt the entire rear brake assembly. Just to be safe. Cost more, but never had a problem from them.


...

dude thank you for the clean cut info. i will definitly get it done. btw you wouldn't have the info on how to change the shoes would u?

Get a Haynes or Chilton's Manual. It'll give you a image of what it should look like assembled, and I think a how-to.

A trick I've always used was to Jack the car up on both sides in the rear. Take off both wheels, and drums. Then use the other side drum as a reference to re-assemble the brakes.

Another trick you can use, is when removing a part from the drum assembly, place the parts inside the drum, and position them, how they came out.

Or do both.

Just make sure you have some good pliers to do them.

And if removing the rear wheel cylinder..... have fun. Because its a tight fit.


...