I brought my van in for a rr wheel bearing. They said i needed a new rear axle which i allowed them to do.
Before the axle job, i had just put on new shoes, drums and cylinders.
Soon after the axle replacement(within 5 minutes) i noticed my breaks rr wheel was smoking and smelled of burning break shoes.
I brought the van back 3 times, each time having the van returned to me with the same problem. This was making me crazy so i brought the van to a different mechanic. I told him the story. He put new drums on, new spring assembly, new cylinders(again) and readjusted the breaks. This cost me an additional 400$. I got the van back yesterday and after driving the van around town some i noticed the damn rr wheel is still smoking slightly and it smells of burning breaks.

I am about to lose my mind. Is it possible the rear axle i had put on is bent? Could the hub on the rr side be slightly bent? Would this cause drum breaks to burn? I told them to check the parking break cable and all the other break components back there. They checked the wheel bearings. Everything checks out! Myself nor 3 different mechanics can seem to solve this. Im starting to think i'm gonna have to replace the rear axle again. Does anyone have any idea?

work already done.
new shoes, new drums(twice), new cylindars, replaced rear axle.
Again, this started happening after i had the rear axle replaced in my 94 chevy g20 5.7 liter

 

Is it possible that they don't know how to properly adjust the brakes? I never had to replace an axle, but I'd guess that disassembly of the brakes is needed.

 

You mentioned you did a brake job just before axle change - how long did you drive on new brakes before the axle work - just verifying they were fine for a bit before the axle work was done

 

I wonder if the brakes were bled properly and if the proportioning valve got out of sync.

 

New axle or rebuild of the old one? If a new axle, did they use the old backing plate and brake assembly, or mix parts? I know there were several types of drums on those vans...plus 2 diff widths, and two diff diametres.....

 

The rear axle is not a rebuild. It was salvaged from another vehicle which i never saw.
The axle replacement comes with rear diff, axle shaft,backing plate bearings, seals and brake line run. They reasembled my new brake shoes, springs etc.

Yes i did the brake job before the axle replacement. I didnt drive the vehicle much, but didnt notice anything unusual.
Since the axle replacement, besides the burning brakes on the rr side, i have also noticed a warbly feel coming from the rear while coasting at slow speeds.
im guessing its drag? or not?

I trust the last mechanic that adjusted the brakes knows what he's doing.
Im thinking now i will bring the van in early next week and ask them to try another adjustment or just completely deatach the E brake cable.
If none of that works i fear i will have to replace the rear axle once again.
Running out of options.
I dont believe the master cylinder has anything to do with this.

 

Wait a minute, I understood you that the right side rear axle was replaced. Are you saying the complete rear axle assembly (rear end housing, differential, axles etc) was exchanged?

 

Yes the complete rear axle assembly was exchanged.

 

What he's asking , was the entire rear end replaced, that would be differential, ect. I've never had to replace an axle, but several bearings.

 

OK, lets backup here a little. One day recently you replaced the rear brake wheel cylinders, brake hardware kit (hopefully), brake shoes, and brake drums. Unless you are a pro mechanic, most DIY’ers should replace the parts one side at a time, leaving the other side still assembled to use as a reference guide. You said that after you did the brake job the van was driven for a short period of time but everything seemed fine. When did you determine you needed a RR wheel bearing? Was it a longtime issue (before your brake job?), or it just started making noise? Then the question is why didn’t the shop just replace the bearing? I don’t know but if the bearing seized somehow, and was spinning in the housing, that would make a racket. The bearing could have worn out, and damaged the axle, but a new axle isn’t that much money, I’m sure less than acquiring a boneyard complete rear end and removing and replacing the existing.

It’s amazing three mechanics, (do these people have shops?), or guys who work at a shop can’t see what’s happening. I wonder why all the brake parts had to be replaced after you had just installed new, what 10 miles on them? Did the emergency brake work properly before all the work, most that age are rusted and locked up. The drag you are talking about could be checked easily up on the rack and spinning the wheels, that's how you adjust drum brakes. You said you trust the last mechanic who adjusted the brakes, but how did he send you on your way apparently without a test drive, he to would have felt the drag.

My recommendation would be, before spending any more money, find the highest quality repair shop, or even a GM dealer in your area, and have them diagnose the problem. That might cost you $100-$200, but I think it will be well spent. In the back of my mind I’m thinking the brake parts were not installed correctly, good luck, and let us know what happens.