Yesterday was the first really really cold day where I live and after my 91 LX had been sitting for a while I started it up and put it into drive (its an automatic obviously). Normally when you let off the break it will begin to roll however this time it did not. I needed to give it a good amount of gas to get it rolling. Then I noticed an extremely loud schreaking sound almost like really bad breaks, however I redid all the roters, pads and shoes only a few months ago. The sound continued for a few minutes which was the time it took to get out of the crowded stop and go parking lot. The sound turned a lot of heads...haha. Anyway, it was running sluggish and making this sound and I am wondering if it could be somthing with the transmission. Any ideas?

 

Did you drive it several times throughout the day? Did it continue to do this??

 

Last night was the first time it did it. It was real cold and I started it up around 9pm and drove it home. That is when it happened. I haven't driven it since.

 

I8URVTEC

When you done your brake job, did you replace your calipers ? They are noted for seizing up. Does'nt matter what car neither. The old vettes were the worst!
Almost sounds like the piston inside the caliper was slow releasing, thus your brake was slow releasing. Might want to check that out!

 

That could very well be it...when I did the breaks I only did rotors, pads and shoes. Could the cold cause the piston in the caliper to release slowly like that? Its the first time I have had it happen to me and it also happens to be the first really cold day so I figured that was what it was.

 

How were the breaks while you were driving?

 

Do you have disk on the back?...

Just fishing for info but, cars that
I have experienced a caliper freeze up on the front.

Well you usually feel the steering wheel pull towards the direction of the bad side.
Did notice you made no mention of pull during your squeling experiance.
thus this makes me think rear.

However, either way you could test each wheel by jacking each up and trying to spin them by hand. this may help in locating the bad one.
Before doing so break HARD.

Calipers are often victims of rust on the piston walls causing them to stick. Lack of use will more than likely make it worse.

Large c clamps or welders vise grips are my favorite tools when trying to shut calipers. Tho I did have a teacher tell me to try a hammer (what a dweeb).

Have had bad calipers nock the pad off tho................

 

A teacher told you to try a hammer...unbelieveable. I have always used c-clamps myself. Anyway, I didn't notice any pull to either side but then again I was going so slow in traffic getting out of the parking lot that I wouldn't have noticed a pull one way or another.
The sound and sluggishness also stopped after the car was running for a few min. Is it possible that the cailiper pison was just stuck out for a little while and then went pack to its correct position? After it happened I drove about 10 miles home with no further problems or squealing noises.

 

What about the parking brake? Did you have it set and then release it? I've noticed that sometimes (most always) the parking brake takes time to FULLY release. I'll notice it usually when cold outside. The handle will pull up really easy when the parking brake cable is still tight. I've always chalked it up to the cable grease and release mechanism being cold. Louder MUSIC will make that squeek go away....

 

I did have the parking break on and I definatly released it before driving. Is it possible that it didn't release eventhough I released the handle?
P.S. I would need and actual live AC/DC concert going on on the hood of my car to cover this sound up...it was really really loud haha.

 

It is possible. Like I said, sometimes the parking brake doesn't want to release the rear shoes. (Actually, the shoes dont want to release when it's cold.) Next time you release the parking brake and its cold outside, keep your thumb pressed on the handle button and slowly pull the handle back up. You be able to tell if the shoes didnt release because the handle will pull up easy from the slack in the cable. And when you try to pull forward, the rear drums will "groan/squall". Plus your brake pedal will seem higher than usual.

I didn't notice if you had your drums turned on the last brake job? Also, lubing the cable, and all related linkage on the rear shoe hold-down/backing plate, will decrease the occurrence.

 

I definatly think it was the breaks, possibly a lock up of the rear shoes as you had mentioned b/c it has not happened again since that time so I think it was a freak thing. I did have the drums turned when I did the breaks back in September.
For now I will chalk it up as a freak thing and if it happens again I will definatly post.
Thanks.

 

Older vehicles hae notorious braking issues, do u use the E-Brake often?

 

Yea, I think it was because I had the E-brake on while it was sitting. I think the rear shoes froze up. My friend just had the exact same thing happen to him yesterday in his 2004 Ranger. Of course it was -20 degrees without the wind chill where he lives.