Vacuum leak, probably in the brake booster.

Don't know about shakey tires.

Take it to the shop, get it fixed.

Good luck!!!!

'recently had my pads changed', eh? Is that all they were supposed to do? Turn or replace the rotors? If they were working correctly, except for the pad wear of course, when you took it in, it sounds like the shop did something wrong. Maybe a kinked hose.

Were the old pads the originals? If so, it sounds like they did well. If, on the other hand, they didn't last but a year or so, maybe they were dragging too. This sounds like the fluid is not being allowed to return to the reservoir. Therefore, the pads are not retracting completely. Does the pedal return all the way up? One thing you can easily try is to hook your foot under the brake pedal and pull it up while moving (in a safe place). Then, if the brakes work normally, it shows that the return spring is un-hooked, stretched, missing, etc. Could also possibly be a leak in a vacuum hose, but doesn't sound quite like the symptoms. It's easy enough to see if one is loose around the booster.

If these guys want a bunch of money to fix it, I'd get it out and go somewhere else. Hope this wasn't M*****e - we could swap war stories.

The pedal never really goes down. It gets hard and feels like its stuck. I don't know about the pads being original but i have had them on about a year.

Probably vacuum hose cracked or fell off or is just leaking....

Sunny side up.....

A good shop wont charge to tell you what's wrong. Go to a AAA approved shop. I have never had a bad experience with P********n, in 12 years they have always been scrupulously honest and have DISCOURAGED me from wasting money on unnecessary repairs.

When I had a SIMILAR issue, it was the ABS and it was a spendy fix, spendy enough I dumped the car. Nobody is going to diagnose it here.

After you drive somewhere are your brakes VERY HOT?

Hi,

there are a number off issues that may cause this

first was the pedal and brakes working befor the pads were changed?

Second, dont use that repair shop !
if they changed the pads they should have checked the braking system after, then identified the problem, if it was there at that time.

one way or another it sounds like the brakes are binding,
This could be from a faulty servo unit, the pipes to it may be leaking or the unit its self faulty.

or, the pads not fitted correctly, the pistons twisted or binding in the calipers
the shop should have cleaned up the calipers when changing the pads but often they dont as it takes more time, and you dont know till a few months later when they bind or make noise.

Generally its a 10 minute job to change the pads, but 30 minutes to clean the system and ensure every thing else is workign correctly.

Remember to ask for all the replacement parts and whats the issue befor they repair it

Some braking systems have a non-return feature which prevents the pads being pulled more than about a mm off the disk. It is a ratchet type action and if this is incorporated it must be released and returned to its starting position when the pads are changed.

This is normally incorporated on the rear wheels as part of the hand brake assembly.

If such a mechanism is fitted and has not been reset the symptoms will be as described.

The other fault which will have a similar result is if the Master cylinder has been removed and the adjuster on the rod which pushes on the master cylinder piston has been 'fiddled with' = screwed out/lengthened then the master cylinder piston cannot fully return to its rest position when the foot brake is released, then some of the fluid forced into the front slave cylinders is not permitted to return to the master cylinder, hand holds the front brake pads on to the disk.

Vacuum leaks in the brake booster will often cause the engine to run rough and idle speed to vary. They will give you a heavy pedal but not cause the brakes to bind.

If you have hot hubs/wheels after driving the car a short distance your brakes are probably binding, if not, perhaps vacuum leaks are affecting your engine performance as well as giving a heavy pedal. Either way the shop should not have returned your car in that condition and I agree with the previous comments calling into question the breeding and integrity of the operators of that establishment, find someone who knows what they are doing ..... only ever entrust your vehicle to mechanics, etc whom you have fully vetted and found trustworthy - the lives of you, your family and other road users are at stake!

This ratcheting mechanism you are referring to is the self-adjusting feature of DRUM brakes. I believe we are discussing disc brakes here.

FWIW, a leaking vacuum hose will probably be accompanied by a real fast idle. a BUNCH of extra air getting into the engine.

Rear disc brakes incorporate the "ratchet" system on the pistons.

Sounds like a fault with the brake servo, it seems to be operating by itself,ie:- trying to apply the brakes whilst you're driving,you're trying to drive and apply the brakes at the same time which would account for the vibration, you don't say whether it is an auto or manual box, if it's manual could be shaking from the clutch, well you've left it a bit late asking for advice if you're taking it in tomorrow which is today now.

Bazzer

Thanks to everyone for replying! I took my car to Goodyear and was told that I needed new pads debt and back also to have my front rotors turned and new rotors on the back. They wanted to charge 650.00. I asked if they checked the booster and they said that I need to get good brakes on first then they would check. (Which would cost more) I went and bought new pads and rotors front and back also brake fluid so that the fluid can be flushed and replaced. The mechanic that normally does work on my dad's truck will be doing the brake work and will also check the booster today! My parts totaled at 209.00 hopefully the labor won't be too expensive.

If there is air in the system, that will cause your brakes to apply while driving. The air gets hot and expands. This would also account for the hard pedal. In effect your brakes are already applied when air expands. The last shop could have loostened the bleed screws, to relieve the fluid when they were retracting the cylinders, to make room for the new pads.

Have the shop bleed the brakes. There is a proceedure to bleed anti lock brake systems. If you can, make sure they are doing it correctly. If you have time, get involved and ask questions.

Good Luck

Let us know the verdict.

Ok everyone, I got the new rotors and pads all around and flushed the fluids. I drove my car for a while and it was fine. About 30 minutes ago I went to Mcdonald's and the issue began again except this time my car didnt shake. My brake pedal was hard, it was harder to accelerate, and there was a burning smell. THe mechanic says that the booster was fine...... HELP! :(

Your brakes are binding, first find out which one(s) are hot - smell/touch (carefully) then refer to the comments above....

Keep tellin' ya it's not the booster!!!

Did you check the free travel of the pedal at the pedal footpad?

See above......

After a few applications of the brakes the fluid expands in the lines and can't bleed back into the master cylinder resevoir if the piston isn't at it's fully backed off position.

This is when the compensation port is uncovered to let all of the pressure out of the lines.

If the port isn't fully open the pressure builds up with the heat generated by braking and gets worse the hotter the system gets.

Becomes exponential really.

Of course you're smelling burning. You're just destroying the new components you've had fitted.

The car didn't shake because the new rotors are true and not yet warped.

Carry on and they will be.......

The master cylinder could be US. Have someone look at the thing.

DON"T KEEP DRIVING THE CAR. You're wrecking it!

Cheers,

Stu.

Comes back to what I've said the brakes are applying themselves hence the burning smell, Try driving until this happens again the lift the peddle with your foot to make sure that it is releasing the master cylinder, this is to eliminate that as a fault, if it makes no difference then,be very careful on this next test and do it where you're not going to cause any accidents, (you thought I was going to say drive it over a cliff didn't you?) and try to be on flat ground, disconnect the vacuum pipe from the servo & cap it off on the engine side so it doesn't affect the performance, then drive around to see if the same problem occurs,be careful as your braking will be diminished without the servo,if it drives ok then the fault lays within the servo, I would get a repair kit and strip the servo and change all the seals, check the diaphragm & do the same to the master cylinder, you have to be sure you have got all the air out of the system & if you're not confident about doing it, find a friendly small workshop and get them to pressure bleed the system, some garages can reverse charge the system,ie back fill through the bleed nipple to push any air back to the reservoir.

Bazzer

Here is a simple test that will not get you killed, or burn up the brakes again.

Sit on the door sill, and pull up on the brake pedal. If there is no play, your master cylinder is not releasing sufficiently.

There should be an adjustment to the rod that the brake pedal uses to push on the booster. This needs to be made shorter till there is just a slight bit of play. This will assure that the master is fully released.

If there is play here, it can be that the rod between the booster and the master is now too long. The test for this is to back the two bolts that hold the master to the booster up ONE turn and try the car again. If that stops the problem, go back to the fine establishment that you paid to have a master cylinder installed by and show them their incompetence, and have them shorten the push rod correctly. Good luck.

Hello . You have been given a lot of information . Sometimes this is almost as bad as not knowing anything. It will help to establish a starting point for diagnostics to eliminate items that would not cause the symptoms. Take what you do know and work with it. Example:You know the brakes are getting hot. As suggested,carefully drive the vehicle somewhere so as not to get in to an accident collision etc. Stop the vehicle, get out and put your hand near each wheel one at a time to see which ones are getting hot. If after they are hot ( you said you can tell by the burning smell ) and all the brakes are hot then there is a defect in a brake part which affects all four wheels. If however only one or two wheels are hot then you are looking for a brake part which only affects those wheels . Only drive the vehicle long enough to determine which wheels are being influenced by the problem part. It is too late to be concerned about ruining the brake pads/shoes, they are already junk,especially if they are bonded lining.The excessive heat will bring the rosin used for bonding to the surface and they will not have the correct coeficient of friction,so be careful. If riveted lining after determining which wheels are being affected check the lining carefully for cracking which means they are junk. Once you have determined how many wheels are being affected give us a jingle here and i will give you some more go/no go tests you can do.Please include any real information (not guess) you do have concerning the vehicle and the problem as we can never have enough information when diagnosing problems. Hopr this helps you.

This maybe too simple, but try cleaning the cover of your master cylinder, a plugged vent hole and an over fill reservoir will build enough pressure to apply the brakes. When doing a brake job on disc brakes, you have to collapse the calipers and in doing so, if the master cylinder cover is left installed, you push brake fluid thru the vent hole, so contaminants can and will plug the vent hole with the end result of causing a hard pedal and dragging brakes.

you may be correct. there is a check valve in the master cylinder that should be considered. the most probable cause is a caliber that is binding on the slide that applies even pressure to both sides of the rotor or it may be a corroded wheel cylinder"puck" that won't release.

i suggest using a reputable mechanic.

I was able to see which brakes were heating up and it is the front. I was driving and the brake pedal got hard and then my front brakes began to smoke. I did take it back to a reputable mechanic and they couldn't find anything wrong but since I know which end the issue is on hopefully we can figure it out.

reputable mechanic and they couldn't find anything wrong

One of the above phrases does not belong. It is not that strange an issue for mechanics to have this happen to them when a brake push rod component is changed. It shows up in the testing, and it is repaired.

If you do a google search on Pontiac G6 and brake problems you will see that the car is known to have many brake problems.

Hello. I could find 2 recalls related to brakes for your vehicle. Both refer to brake lamp malfunctions which probably are not part of your current problem. There are however multiple Technical Service Bulletins issued for your vehicles Brakes System. You and or the technician working on your vehicle should read and understand this information prior to any repairs. 1. Brakes- Disc Brake Warranty Service And Procedures 00-05-22-002L 03/26/2009 2. Brakes - Rotor Lateral Runout Correction Information 01-05-23-001B 01/31/2008 3. Brakes - Rotor/Drum Refinishing Labor Operations 06-05-22-007 11/30/2006 4. Brakes - Park Brake Lever Handle Replacement Addition 06-05-26-001 01/26/2006 5. Brakes - Wheel Cylinder Inspection Guidelines 03-05-24-001A 03/21/2005 If you do not have a source for this information you can contact www.AllDataDIY.com . This is not an endorsement. ALLDATA also has other valuble information specific to your vehicle's brake system. Hope this helps.