hi, new here. i have a 1996 neon i got from my mom that has a brake locking up once in a while (rear left). i think its my shoes not releasing all the way because there was grinding noise before this happened. i know i need new brakes too. its only my left one too, right doesnt do it. i was pulling out of my parking lot and i heard a big bang and stopped and saw a 30' tire mark on the tar so i thyink they finally released then. any thoughts? also losing 2 1/2 quarts od oil every 2 months. oil pressure sending unit?

 

You probably need to replace the wheel cylinder on that side when you get the brakes redone. Along with that, you may want to check to see if the rubber hose coming from the metal line to the cylinder is bad, because it can decay on the inside and little black pieces of hose rubber crap gets loose and clogs the line/valve, causing the problem you are talking about. Also, I don't know when/if you have ever flushed the brake fluid, but when you do decide to redo the brakes, buy a couple of extra cans of fluid and pump the old fluid out to get some fresh in there.

As for losing a couple of quarts of oil every 2 months, if it is leaking, you can put a can of dye in the oil and use a black light to trace where it is going. Doesn't cost a lot and can save you a lot of headaches tracking it down.

How many miles on the car? Have you checked the compression? Does it smoke (ie burn oil). You could have oil burn due to weak valve seals, oil scraper rings not doing their job due to age/wear, etc.

 

123,000 miles. i checked oil again today and is at same level as before. when i brought it in 2 weeks ago to get a shorter belt to bypass ac they said they couldnt find a leak. it locked up again today(thursday) and it seems to do it onl when i push harder on brakes. plus i get really sudden and stiff push on brakes back. im going to have them do hardware (spring..etc) and shoes. about 30 for parts. i quess this is why im going for automotive service tech. lol. and two more thing. i get a small vibration at highway speeds from left wheel on floorboard. but it goes in and out. and i noticed my car was idling low and caused a small vibration in wheel untill throttle was pushed. any thoughts on these?

 

well, found problem. shoe broke off inside.