1998 Chev Venture, I replaced the rear brake shoes. Shortly afterwards the ABS light came on solid. All the wiring looks good and even undisturbed by me. Any ideas?

Inspect both the front and rear brakes. Including rotors, drums( if equipped in rear), abs sensors and wiring to the sensors, and brake pads/shoes. Also be sure to remove the calipers and look at the brake pads to check for worn out or uneven wear and replace if necessary. Hope this helps

is the abs light on?the abs system only effects the pedal when you are stopping quickly to activate the system. you still have a hydrualic brake pressure problem. are the rear brakes shoes or pads? rear shoes out of adjustment can cause a low brake pedal.even though the master cylinder has been replaced doesn't mean you got a good part.if the part was a remanufactered part very likely it is bad. to determine if it is the master cylinder, plug off the lines from the side off the master cylinder and hit the brake pedal. if the pedal stays up look for a problem elsewhere in the system. if the pedal drops the the master cylinder is defective.

Did you bench bleed the MC before installing it? If not, that's the problem. MUST be bench bled or you'll always have air. If brakes lights are on, the brake switch is out of adjustment OR (since you replaced the MC), the push rod is out of adjustment

hi would the ! be like ( ! ) ? if this looks like that symbol it could mean that your rear shoes have worn or the pads have worn and may need replacing hope this helps

Did you adjust the rear shoes out? If the rear drum brakes are out of adjustment they will give you a lot of pedal travel. If the pads are worn have no fear of that U-CLIP brake spring, just change one shoe at a time. Take the spring off one side, change the shoe, put the spring back on the post and do the same to the other shoe, no problem.

if you have abs the electic noise you hear is most likely coming from the abs modulator. as for the rear brakes intermittently locking up, the most common problem is overadjusted rear brake shoes, under adjusted rear brake shoes, or excessive brake dust inside the drums.

the rear wheel sensor is going to be located inside the brake drum. if you remove the tire, the drum behind the tire will also slide right off. theyre fairly easy to replace. also check to see if the wires leading to that sensor arent damaged, which could also turn your abs light on. as for the weak brakes, it could be a number of things.check to see if the brake pads or shoes are worn. if not, try bleeding the brakes first. if that doesnt help, then take it to a brake shop. most of them will do a free evaluation. and tell you whats wrong with it. it could be the master cylinder, power brake booster, or even a leaking brake line or seal.

Replace master cylinder.

Removal Procedure Tools RequiredJ 38400
Caution: Keep fingers away from rear brake shoe springs to prevent fingers from being pinched between spring and shoe web or spring and backing plate.

1. Remove the brake drum. Refer to Brake Drum Replacement



Notice: Do not over stretch the adjuster spring. Damage can occur if the spring is over stretched.

2. Use the J 38400 in order remove the adjuster spring (1). Disengage the adjuster spring loop from the tab on the adjuster actuator.
2.1. Remove the loop end of the adjuster spring from the adjuster actuator. 2.2. Remove the straight end of the adjuster spring from the secondary brake shoe.



3. Use the J 38400 in order to spread the brake shoes apart.
4. Remove the adjuster.

Installation Procedure

1. Use the J 38400 in order to spread the brake shoes apart.



Important: Ensure that the adjuster (2) engages the brake shoes (4 and 5), the park brake actuator (3), and the adjuster actuator (1) properly.

2. Install the adjuster.



Notice: Do not over stretch the adjuster spring. Damage can occur if the spring is over stretched.

3. Install the adjuster spring (1).
3.1. Install the straight end of the adjuster spring into the secondary brake shoe. 3.2. Install the loop end of the adjuster spring to the adjuster actuator.
4. Install the brake drum.

Not wanting to be too general but at least trying to help I would suggest looking under the back end, and specifically at the rear backing plates and to the insides of the rear wheels, to see if you notice any fluids dripping. If these are drum brakes, then you could very well have either a wheel cylinder leaking brake fluid, causing the brake shoe linings to swell up, or it could be a leaking axle seal, allowing differential gear lube out, which will also cause the linings to swell, and minor braking will cause that particular side to lock up.
If this vehicle has rear disk brakes, or was just recently changed from rear drum brakes to rear disk brakes, it is possible that the proportioning valve in the brake line was not changed to match with the disk setup.
Drum brakes operate at approximately ten pounds per square inch pressure (10 PSI) whereas disk units operate at a lower pressure of about 2 PSI.
Just some things to look at. Some brake fluids have no smell, others are very distinctive in odor, and differential gear lube has a very distinct odor...not hard to miss once you've smelled it.