'98 2.4 problems

Hi, I have a 1998 2.4L Cavalier (4 door) with 105k on it. It is an auto with air. I was wondering if someone could help me. I have been doing some research on these, but still have the following issues

1.My rear brakes seem to lock up sometimes, others they cause the car to 'squat' and sometimes they seem fine. I have done a bit of searching, and I see that it could be - Drums, pads, cylinders, proportioning vavle (they are drum brakes) and I have seen this seems to be sort of common. Does anyone have a good idea where to start? Any help would be appreciated. I even wonder if I put all the springs back together correctly
2.The car seems to idle a bit rough, not alot. it hangs around 700 rpm (using the cars guage) but it 'drops' for a second down to 500 or so RPM causing the lights to dim. Giving a bit more gas helps, but even if you hold it around 1000 rpms, it seems to still do it. other than that it drives fine. Mostly noticable once it warms up (I live in Minnseota, warms up is relative :) ) You see it during braking at lights and in park. I have just replaced the fuel filter (I will be yelled at, but it was just replace at 105k miles) and recently (6 months) replaced the plugs and 'boots (not sure what they are called). It has had a new front o2 sensor in the last year (and the catalytic was replaced at the same time). This stumble or roughness just started a few weeks ago. We even tried better gas.
3.The front drivers door lets in air, like it is out of adjustment. I believe it is the latch that needs to be adjusted, but I couldn't find a good source for this info, so I turned to the car gods...you guys :)
4.I have read if you hear a "dull popcorn" sound coming from the back, it is most likely the mounting tower to one of the struts. Could anyone confirm this?

Thanks for the patience and sorry about all of the questions, but I want to keep it running (I can't afford anything else) and my 1998 saturn would miss its friend :) (its at 145k, they make a sweet couple)

Thanks in advance.

Jamie

I'll take the brakes section, since that's what I have the most experience with.

Sounds like you did some work to the brakes. What all did you replace? Since drum brakes are self actuating once they are applied, they need those springs in the right place to retract the shoes, otherwise you might have brakes that drag. That is one possibility. Also, if you didn't replace the wheel cyliders, you could be having a problem with one seizing up. Moisture in the brake fluid can cause corrosion, leading to problems such as sticking wheel cyliders. If you didn't replace the wheel cylinders, how did the boots on each cylider look? One more thing that I can think of is the emergency brake cables. They can sometimes cause problems if they are used when the cables are dry and don't easily release after being used.

What I would do is, if you don't already have a repair manual, go get one. Then, start with one wheel and disassemble the brakes. Once the shoes and springs are out of your way, check that e-brake cable just to make sure that it looks good. Maybe have a buddy hop in the car and pull the brake, and then have him release it while you pull on the cable from the wheel. Next, check to see how that wheel cylider looks. Is it leaking? Are the boots cracked? You should be able to put a finger and thumb on each side and slide it slightly back and forth. If anything is questionable, replace it. Almost forgot about the brake adjusters. Make sure they are in good condition. They should screw in and out freely. Clean and lube them up. After everything looks good and is clean, refer to the repair manual. They usually have a good picture on how the springs should be set up as well as the self adjusters. Remember that sometimes they only have one picture, so I would start on the side of the car that the picture was taken to eliminate confusion. When installing the brake shoes, there should be a couple of spots where they rub against the backing plate. Some good silicone brake grease should work fine for those spots. Just don't go nuts on the lube...just use what you need to do the job. Once you are done, and your brakes and springs look like the picture, you're almost good to go. You should adjust the shoes so that they are as close to the drums friction surface without dragging.

Well, I think I covered everything in a nutshell. If doing this doesn't fix your problem, then something else is going on. I don't have any experience with any of my cars having a bad proportioning valve. Anytime I've had problems with drum brakes locking up was because something was wrong in the brakes themselves.

If anyone sees something wrong, please correct me. I've done a few dozen brake jobs, but nobody is perfect. My wife has a '98 Cav, and I did the whole brake system on that at around 145,000 miles. It stops on a dime, which is good...my wife brakes late. :iceslolan Hope this helps!

Ok, here is what I did, The back brakes had been replaced early on in the life of the car (probably around 30k) so last year I did them. I replaced just the shoes and bought a spring kit (its the one with ALL of the springs, not the easy one bracket deal :) ). I have the Chiltons guide for the car. I did not replace the wheel cylinders or bleed the system. The only other thing that I did other than what I mentioned is once took the drums off to adjust them (they were not replaced).
Wow, you have some good advice. I think I will do what you say, it makes sense. Thank You. To be honest, it seems this appeared after I did the brake job to it, but I didn't notice as I am not the primary driver (my wife is!!! ). The shoes still seem in good shape, but you have excellent advice. I can't remember what condition the parts were (i am sure I did not check the e brake cables) but I am sure I would have noticed if the boots were bad (although I never know for sure :-) ). I will do this coming up this week (nothing like working on cars in the ice cold :) ) hehee...thank you so much....I will let you know my results....(as soon as I can)
Thanks!




I'll take the brakes section, since that's what I have the most experience with.

Sounds like you did some work to the brakes. What all did you replace? Since drum brakes are self actuating once they are applied, they need those springs in the right place to retract the shoes, otherwise you might have brakes that drag. That is one possibility. Also, if you didn't replace the wheel cyliders, you could be having a problem with one seizing up. Moisture in the brake fluid can cause corrosion, leading to problems such as sticking wheel cyliders. If you didn't replace the wheel cylinders, how did the boots on each cylider look? One more thing that I can think of is the emergency brake cables. They can sometimes cause problems if they are used when the cables are dry and don't easily release after being used.

What I would do is, if you don't already have a repair manual, go get one. Then, start with one wheel and disassemble the brakes. Once the shoes and springs are out of your way, check that e-brake cable just to make sure that it looks good. Maybe have a buddy hop in the car and pull the brake, and then have him release it while you pull on the cable from the wheel. Next, check to see how that wheel cylider looks. Is it leaking? Are the boots cracked? You should be able to put a finger and thumb on each side and slide it slightly back and forth. If anything is questionable, replace it. Almost forgot about the brake adjusters. Make sure they are in good condition. They should screw in and out freely. Clean and lube them up. After everything looks good and is clean, refer to the repair manual. They usually have a good picture on how the springs should be set up as well as the self adjusters. Remember that sometimes they only have one picture, so I would start on the side of the car that the picture was taken to eliminate confusion. When installing the brake shoes, there should be a couple of spots where they rub against the backing plate. Some good silicone brake grease should work fine for those spots. Just don't go nuts on the lube...just use what you need to do the job. Once you are done, and your brakes and springs look like the picture, you're almost good to go. You should adjust the shoes so that they are as close to the drums friction surface without dragging.

Well, I think I covered everything in a nutshell. If doing this doesn't fix your problem, then something else is going on. I don't have any experience with any of my cars having a bad proportioning valve. Anytime I've had problems with drum brakes locking up was because something was wrong in the brakes themselves.

If anyone sees something wrong, please correct me. I've done a few dozen brake jobs, but nobody is perfect. My wife has a '98 Cav, and I did the whole brake system on that at around 145,000 miles. It stops on a dime, which is good...my wife brakes late. :iceslolan Hope this helps!

Hi, I have a 1998 2.4L Cavalier (4 door) with 105k on it. It is an auto with air. I was wondering if someone could help me. I have been doing some research on these, but still have the following issues

1.My rear brakes seem to lock up sometimes, others they cause the car to 'squat' and sometimes they seem fine. I have done a bit of searching, and I see that it could be - Drums, pads, cylinders, proportioning vavle (they are drum brakes) and I have seen this seems to be sort of common. Does anyone have a good idea where to start? Any help would be appreciated. I even wonder if I put all the springs back together correctly
2.The car seems to idle a bit rough, not alot. it hangs around 700 rpm (using the cars guage) but it 'drops' for a second down to 500 or so RPM causing the lights to dim. Giving a bit more gas helps, but even if you hold it around 1000 rpms, it seems to still do it. other than that it drives fine. Mostly noticable once it warms up (I live in Minnseota, warms up is relative :) ) You see it during braking at lights and in park. I have just replaced the fuel filter (I will be yelled at, but it was just replace at 105k miles) and recently (6 months) replaced the plugs and 'boots (not sure what they are called). It has had a new front o2 sensor in the last year (and the catalytic was replaced at the same time). This stumble or roughness just started a few weeks ago. We even tried better gas.
3.The front drivers door lets in air, like it is out of adjustment. I believe it is the latch that needs to be adjusted, but I couldn't find a good source for this info, so I turned to the car gods...you guys :)
4.I have read if you hear a "dull popcorn" sound coming from the back, it is most likely the mounting tower to one of the struts. Could anyone confirm this?

Thanks for the patience and sorry about all of the questions, but I want to keep it running (I can't afford anything else) and my 1998 saturn would miss its friend :) (its at 145k, they make a sweet couple)

Thanks in advance.

Jamie
Anyone have a shot on the idle or other problem?? THANKS!!! :grinyes:

Jamie

Sure.

What you are probably seeing when the idle drops and the lights dim is your Fan kicking in. Once the car temp heats up, the fan will kick on, and drop your idle due to increased strain. Best guess, since that does it in my car when the fan kicks in.

try and check the bolts and seals on some of the stuff cause i had same problem but when i found loose bolts and tightened them it fixed it. then i had to replace o2 sensor. check the idle speed control motor if u have one or the Idle Air contorl valve (IAC) mine were dirty and cleaned it up and it runs fine. for the brakes i have the same problem but didnt get it fixed yet and my mechanic told me it just need new shocks. my drivers door does the same but i havet found anything except for the seal strip i hear to take RTV and just spray it under seal so it pushes it up and then it tighten and seal hopefully if i were u i would take and get new seals.

The IAC is a problem on my Saturn, wouldn't doubt it would effect this one. I love you guys...great stuff :) Thanks thanks thanks thanks!!!

:) :) :) :)

try and check the bolts and seals on some of the stuff cause i had same problem but when i found loose bolts and tightened them it fixed it. then i had to replace o2 sensor. check the idle speed control motor if u have one or the Idle Air contorl valve (IAC) mine were dirty and cleaned it up and it runs fine. for the brakes i have the same problem but didnt get it fixed yet and my mechanic told me it just need new shocks. my drivers door does the same but i havet found anything except for the seal strip i hear to take RTV and just spray it under seal so it pushes it up and then it tighten and seal hopefully if i were u i would take and get new seals.