I have a 1991 Chevy Caprice and I am having.

Tiny
ANONYMOUS
  • MEMBER
  • 1991 CHEVROLET CAPRICE
  • 190,000 MILES
Hi, I have a 1991 chevy caprice and I am having rear brake issues. I have replaced my drums, shoes, all hardware and wheel cylinders and within a 100 miles or so of driving, they start pulsating real bad. Ive replaced the shoes and drums and hardware about 4 times in the last year and a half because of this. Everything looks okay, ebrake is not sticking. It is 100 percent the rear. What could be my issue? I have had the car to over 10 mechanics and they cant figure it out.
Monday, April 1st, 2013 AT 1:07 AM

16 Replies

Tiny
FREEMBA
  • MECHANIC
  • 1,152 POSTS
A bent rear axle could cause this.
With the car in neutral and jacked up and supported, turn the wheel and feel for the brakes dragging (the tire will speed up and slow down as it moves from the dragging area to the non-dragging area).
You make have to remove the tire to really get a good idea of whats' going on.

Question: how are you 100% sure it is the rear?
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Monday, April 1st, 2013 AT 1:45 AM
Tiny
BAD305BOWTIE
  • MEMBER
  • 16 POSTS
Ever since I first replaced the rear drums, ive had this issue. It goes away for the first few hundred miles after I replaced them. Then comes back, also did the ebrake test.
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Monday, April 1st, 2013 AT 8:26 AM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
For the drums to warp that fast, there has to be something causing them to stick and overheat. Can you spin the rear wheels? If you apply the brakes, stopping the rear wheels from spinning, can you spin them as soon as you release the brakes?
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Monday, April 1st, 2013 AT 12:16 PM
Tiny
BAD305BOWTIE
  • MEMBER
  • 16 POSTS
Yup, I can spin them after stopping it. Sometimes the car does feel as if its "limping" like the brakes may be grabbing still, when in let it coast. Perhaps it is an axle issue? I also do get a clunk from the rear when I make turns, or push the car side to side.
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Monday, April 1st, 2013 AT 12:43 PM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,796 POSTS
Did you verify the fronts are working? As Joe said, they are overheating by doing all the work.

Roy
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Monday, April 1st, 2013 AT 2:21 PM
Tiny
BAD305BOWTIE
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  • 16 POSTS
Yup, fronts are workin just fine.
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Monday, April 1st, 2013 AT 2:25 PM
Tiny
BAD305BOWTIE
  • MEMBER
  • 16 POSTS
This issue didnt start until I first replaced the rear brakes.
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Monday, April 1st, 2013 AT 2:42 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
IF you sometimes feel they are hanging up, check to make sure all springs are positioned properly. Make sure the shoes aren't hanging up on something. Other than that, I question the parking brake and a possible bent axle. (Are the drums the correct size?) Are they aftermarket from China?
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Monday, April 1st, 2013 AT 3:29 PM
Tiny
BAD305BOWTIE
  • MEMBER
  • 16 POSTS
They are raybestos, ive tried four different types of drums. As for thr ebrake, it is currently not hooked up. Jus had new shoes/drums and hardware done last week. Looks good. As for the bent axle, if I cant tell if its bent by looking at it, could it still possibly be bent?
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Monday, April 1st, 2013 AT 4:09 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
If you pull the axle, use a straight edge to see if there is a bend in it. However, I would think you would hear and feel it.
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Monday, April 1st, 2013 AT 5:29 PM
Tiny
BAD305BOWTIE
  • MEMBER
  • 16 POSTS
There is a clunk from the rear when I turn either direction, also when I push the car side to side. Do u think the brake issue could possibly be a proportioning valve?
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Monday, April 1st, 2013 AT 6:12 PM
Tiny
BAD305BOWTIE
  • MEMBER
  • 16 POSTS
I just jacked it up and let the wheels spin, doesnt seem to be any wobble in the tires. Also brakes dont seem to be dragging.
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Monday, April 1st, 2013 AT 11:15 PM
Tiny
FREEMBA
  • MECHANIC
  • 1,152 POSTS
In order to check for a bent axle that is not obvious you'll need a dial indicator. A bend of.010 can cause a significant amount of wobble once you consider the angle it creates from the center of the axle to the outer edge of the tire.

How are you installing the wheel on this vehicle, manually or with an inpact wrench?

Also, rotate your tires from front to rear to see if it makes a difference in the "wobble" or eliminates it altogether.
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Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013 AT 12:06 AM
Tiny
BAD305BOWTIE
  • MEMBER
  • 16 POSTS
What are the symptoms of a bad proportioning valve?
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Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013 AT 5:32 PM
Tiny
FREEMBA
  • MECHANIC
  • 1,152 POSTS
Rear brake lockup on relatively light applications of the brake pedal.
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Friday, April 5th, 2013 AT 2:23 AM
Tiny
BAD305BOWTIE
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  • 16 POSTS
Possible clog in a rear brake line/ flex hose?
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Friday, April 19th, 2013 AT 5:32 PM

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