Schwinn Avenue Hybrid and I pulled front wheel to replace a tube. put wheel back on hooked up the noodle, but the left front brake pad is at the rim and the right front pad is about 1/2" away from rim. Screw adjust on pad does not seem to help and I am at a loss as tohow to get the pads centered. .

Before fiddling with the brake, check this:

1. The lever part of your quick release should be on the left side.

2. Stand your bike up on it's own wheels. Release the quick release lever, push straight down on the handlebar, and retighten the QR.

My bet is that one of those will fix it.

yes , get back after you make sure the wheel is back in the bike , centered.

Like the others said, make sure the front wheel's axle is well-seated and centered. 9/10 times with my bikes that solves the problem.

I just fixed this problem on my late-90's Raleigh MTB (V-brakes). In my case, it appears that the problem was a lack of lubrication, causing one of the arms to stick. I removed the arms, greased the studs, and reinstalled them - problem fixed. I referenced Sheldon Brown's article on V-brake adjustment for guidance.

But, yeah, check the wheel alignment first.

well I took tension off of the front wheel and made sure it was centered. Released noodle and the tension springs on both brake arms, undid pinch bolt, squeezed brake arms together and tightened the pinch bolt, then put springs back on and did a screw adjust to center the pads on the rim and all is well. Thanks for all of the advice.