07cobaltowner

so for those of you who have a 2.2 i am assuming, as long as you still have stock brake hardware, you have some kind of braking problem.
i have talked to several 2.2 owners who all have a problem braking.
i have even taken it to the dealer and all they say is that there is nothing wrong with the hardware thats just what it does, and they refuse to fix anything since there is "nothing wrong" i HAVE had a second and third opinion. there is nothing wrong with the hardware.
unfortunately me being scared when i gotta stop isn't enough to get them to fix my ****.

the problem being:
-strong vibration in the brake pedal
-car does not slow down effectively.
-scares the living **** out of you if you really need to stop.

so my question to you is... What can we do about it.
if you have had this problem before and fixed it, tell us how.
if you have had the dealership fix it, tell us what they did, and maybe what you said to get it done.

halfj99

i got vibes but i think i warped the rotor, dont have any of the other problems

jigyflyuk07

just a couple weeks ago i had the shaking in the brakes. They told me warped brakes, so they put in new ones. that could be the problem.

3fo893013L

buy better brakes & rotors.

my 2.2 sedan does the same thing. just better gauge your distances in front of people. This is a econobox. Performance brakes not included.

07cobaltowner

i bought full ceramic pads, and it made no difference. has anyone installed aftermarket rotors and eliminated this?

Vin

Fixed all the issues you described above. With new rotars and pads the problem never went away. A shaky brake was here to stay it seemed until it occurred to me to check the back drums. The shoes were not as tight as they should be. The ratchet gear was stuck and not tightening up the shoes it should have. I played with the ratchet gear until it wasn't as stiff and then ratchet up the shoes so they are snug on the back drums. I then put my wheels back on and I haven't has a braking issue since.

Incase you didn't know how back drums work I'll tell you. Every time you back up the ratchet should click a few times. This spring loaded mechanism is a simple design that is on many, many cars and most mechanics often look past them. If the ratchet is stuck momentarily the shoe will not tighten up against the drum so your back wheels will not be braking the way they should be.

The computer will detect this, I don't know if slippage is detected in the back wheels but maybe or the front has to compensate for the crappy braking in the back. The ABS kicks in and your car shutters and shakes like a bitch. It took me two weeks to solve this problem I had.

gashousecobalt

i dont have shaking brakes but i do hear this sound like they are wore out i have heard it every since i got the car

Mr.N00bLaR

iTrader: (7)

MY brake pedal doesn't shake but my whole car does. Feels very weird...

Sorry to change up the thread but could get have a different braking system installed?

Vin

The brake pedal started shaking then the whole car for me. It was really bad on the highway. Traveling around 100MPH and slamming on the brakes I could feel the bolts loosening up around me. Check your back drums and make the shoe really snug and see if it helps? What can it hurt?

SVghost

i hate drums...

im gonna have to tighten up those back brakes too, even though u don't have those problems, they still may be looser then they should be. Dosent that help with pedal feel as well?

This car going to be getting:

SSBC 12 Inch Big Brake Rear Conversion Kit


SSBC 12 Inch Big Brake Front Conversion Kit

Vin

I don't mind the back drums that much. I had them on my Sunfire and they weren't as bad as everyone seemed to make them out to be. They are a bit of a pain no doubt though. All wheel disc brakes would be nice.

OrngBalt

I had this same problem lately.. and its not my rotors cuz they are on the newer side. Vin... could you take pics of this ratchet? I've worked on drums before and they are a PITA but if this is an easy fix I would be down.

Lemme know... sounds like you could make a how-to from this. Do we need to remove the drum?

kenstacy125

I had this same problem but it happened two weeks after i got my brand new car so i was like no way in hell this could be warpped rotors so i took it to the dealership and they said **** you the rims you put on it are bent. They said they were bent then i asked to see the manager and i asked him when rims are bent dont they vibrate all the time ? he replied with a yes thats correct, then i said to him, the ******* behind the counter said my rims are bent cause the whole car starts to shake when i slow down, and apply the brakes. and they wouldnt even touch my car they blamed it on the rims bastards.

OrngBalt

I woulda gone home put the stock rims on and said.... "Well if it is the rims... why is the car still shaking"

Vin

Sure I'll make a howto. Yes you should remove the drum. The ratchet gear is fairly obvious once you remove the drum. If you can't move the gear with your thumb then use a wide flat head screw driver and click the ratchet gear upwards. Do a few clicks then slide the drum back on to see if it is snug. If it isn't snug do it again. Count how many clicks it takes then move over to the other rear wheel and do it there. You'll want both shoes having equal resistance or close.

This really, really helped my braking problems.

I thought it was my rims or my tires as well. The only way a bigger rim would cause this type of shaking is if the rim wasn't balanced or was bent. A blown wall or belt in a tire would also cause the shaking but here is the thing.... The shaking would also be in the car not just when you brake. The dealer was just blaming your aftermarket parts because they don't know how to fix the problem either. The car would shake more at faster speeds I would think.

Novajoe

take off the drum? you don't even have to take off the wheel. Just go throught the little rubber insert on the axle side. then spin the wheel. It should rotate about 2 full rotations before it stops. Then it's adjusted. Spray a bunch of brake clean in there too for good measure.

Personally I don't even worry about it. I stop when I hit the little old lady in front of me anyway.

OrngBalt

^^^^ ahhh you Krazy Kanadians.... Ratchet Gear = Star Wheel. I know exactly what you are talkign about now. You can normally access theses from behind the wheel as well. there is usually an opening big enough for a screw driver. Damn.. I am gonna have to take a look at this when I get home. Good tip man. + for you

Vin

Not if the gear is stuck which is exactly what the problem was. The gear wasn't clicking back. You can spin the wheel all day and it won't help. This problem is suppose to fix itself everytime you back up but not if there is a malfunction. This was a malfunction right from the factory. What is brake cleaner going to do?

Yup star wheel is the other 'term' I couldn't think of. I never checked to see if I could access it from behind the wheel but I'm sure you can. If you take the drum off you can slide it back on to see how snug you've made it. I find it easier and less guessing. If its stuck momentarily then I dunno if working from behind is the best way to check them. If you take the drums off check your springs too.

Smitty1017

Take off a drum with your bare hands? wow that woulda been nice. On my cougar I had to borrow a gear puller that pos was so tight on there.

Vin

Its easy to do. You just tap it off. These are new cars. I guess I'll have to make a howto

OrngBalt

Yea, on an older car they are really tough to get off... they rust on. PLUS... that is what the star wheel is for. you loosen it so that the brakes arent clamped onto the drum when you try to remove it.

woohoo... 10 years later.. auto tech class is all coming back to me... LOL

Vin

If you are planning on doing this without a howto I have a few suggestions.

Don't use anything to pry against the brake plate if you can not get the drum off. You should look for the rear access hole (it might have a plug on it). Use a small screw driver and move the adjuster downwards until the drum pulls off easily. It will not take much effort if the adjuster is working properly. Then adjust the brakes back up by moving the adjuster upwards putting the drum back on every few clicks to see how tight it fits.

If you can not get the drum off after adjusting then maybe the adjust is broke or there is some corrosion on the plate. Use a small block and a hammer and tap the drum off all around the wheel. It should take little effort if you do it this way. I took the drums off of a 10 year old Cavalier a few weeks ago using the same procedure.

OrngBalt

we used to use a rubber mallet.. just s few taps to loosen up the rust. should work fine.

Novajoe

cleans dirt and gunk that could possibly keep the star wheel from working properly... one of the reasons when you have your drums adjusted at a shop they clean it all off with brake clean...

Vin

True but guys are talking about brand new cars its likely not dirt. The drum should be plugged anyways otherwise those crappy china springs are going to rust and brake fast.