Passenger rear brake lock up

FMALOTT

MEMBER
1998 BUICK SKYLARK
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
200,000 MILES

The rear passenger brake always locks up my mechanic has blead the lines put new wheel cylinder on new drums new brake shoes even new springs and clips that hold everything togther so put it this way everthing is brand new it would work fine for a couple of weeks than it would lock up again, if your on snow the rear passenger brake would lock up turn car side ways, if your on wet pavement the wheel would skid just that one wheel, if your on gravel or very dirty road it would lock up, in the summer time when the pavement is hot it would lock up and squeel to a stop, also when I get into the car first thing in the morning and warm it up when you start backing up man does that rear passenger wheel clunk like it is out of adjustment BUT! Even when we adjusted(we even tried back it off and tightening it up)it made no difference it would do all the same things listed above my mechanic and I are pulling our hair out I don't have much left.
is this a common problem with this year of car or similar one to it. I'm pretty mechanically inclined and of coarse my mechanic is very good so what the *&#!% Is going on

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,916 POSTS

There's three things to check. First check the left rear or the right front to see if brake fluid will flow from the bleeder screws. If not, the master cylinder must be reset. Only the right rear and left front are working. Next, remove the right rear drum again and check if the shoes are touching the anchor pin on top. If they are not, the parking brake cable is sticking and the shoes are partially applied. That will cause very easy wheel lockup. If the shoes are both touching the anchor pin, use your thumb to push the parking brake strut rod against the anti-rattle spring. It should move a good 1/16" to 1/8". If it won't move it is holding pressure on the shoes, again, from the parking brake cable sticking or it is over-adjusted. If the cable is fully retracted by prying the parking brake lever back, and you still can't move the strut rod, remove the anti-rattle spring and try it again. There was a problem with that spring being too fat and causing easy rear wheel lockup, but that goes way back to the early '80s. The only way that would happen today is if the wrong spring was installed recently.