brake drum adjustment

[screech985]

i need help, the other day i changed my rear brake shoes on my 04 aveo after the old ones fell apart while i was driving. the new shoes are on and my brakes seem to be spongy i have them adjusted so they just barley are scraping when i had the drum on and i have also bled the brakes and its still seems it needs more adjustment. i know that putting it in reverse and hitting the brakes is suppose to adjust them and ive been doing that with little success so far, does anyone have any ideas.

[serega12]

From what I've heard Les Schwab does free brake inspections... That's what I'm planning to do with my HHR, I'm on the second set of rotors and I just want them to take a look at it and maybe tell me what's going on with them...

[Pontiac1976]

If they feel apart are you saying that they where wore right out to steel?
Did you check the front if the back shoes where that bad that means the front have been doing most of the work or all the work most of the time and they should be replaced or at least bleed the front brakes.
After testing if they still seam the same take brake shop for a free brake test. to see what it might be, oh do you have ABS some time the ABS PUMP switch valve go.

[screech985]

when i mean feel apart i mean the pads came unglued from the shoe itself. the pads were still actually good it they hadn't come unglued.

and it can't be the ABS because i dont have ABS. on the 04 aveo it was an option.

[Pontiac1976]

Well no ABS then you need to re-bleed the brakes to make sure the air is out of the lines . Another thing your bleding the all the them right. if this does not still help then you might have a leak some where of brake system(1) fluid or sucking air in . Or the master is starting to go bad. Good luck

[Shibbs]

Bleeding in the right order can make all the difference in the world. Bleed from longest line to shortest line.

[moonrunner1972]

I had the same phenomenon with the friction lining on the brake shoes on my daughter's 04' Aveo. I had assumed it was a result of the failure of the wheel cylinder. Is this a systemic issue with these cars or just the poor quality of the brake manufacturer? I have worked in the automotive field intermittently since 1987 and have NEVER witnessed the linings come off.

[avguy]

Don't know if you noticed you're posting on a thread that's over 5 years old. All of the people on this thread are most likely long gone and won't be replying to your post.

This separated shoe lining happened to me on one of our Aveos. So with two of this same thing, it's certainly more than just an oddball fluke, but probably can't be called systemic without more history. But getting much more information very unlikely to happen here, because this forum is currently a very quiet place. There are very few active, regular members, and just a handful of us into DIY (along with a couple current or former pros). There have been a number of really good DIYers here in the past, and the archive has lots of helpful information. But most everyone these days just posts about problem once or twice and goes away, never to return.

You sound like someone with a lot to offer to a forum like this, and it would be nice to see you stick around. But I just wanted to give you a heads-up that you won't be seeing a big pile of replies to things that you post. And of course that's not unusual, because lots of these forums are just as sparse as this one, and some are even much worse. It's just the way it is.

[moonrunner1972]

Avguy,

Thanks for the compliment as well as the advice. While I am a Detroit muscle guy at heart, I enjoy fixing cars of all variety. Without question, I will find myself here on and off as I do my bit in keeping my daughter's 04' on the road.

[CheezeMan]

Hi All, I understand this is an old thread and I am the second to re-open after a long time...

Just wanted anyone to comment on the bleeding procedure stated above to start at the wheel furthest from the master and work your way to the closest.

I am getting ready to flush the entire brake system with clean new fluid. Each car has a special order, with some backwards from this method by starting at the closest and working to the furthest. Just wanted to know if anyone has access to the service manual for the '04 Aveo without ABS.

Thanks again!

Chuck