There is a very low grinding noise coming from my rear passenger drum brakes while I drive. I jacked up the car, and I can turn the wheel with no effort - but I hear the noise. ?? bad return springs ?? or something else - I removed the drum and there was very little brake dust (normal amount). cleaned the drum, put it back together, same noise.

 

A bad rear wheel bearing?

Jack it up,wiggle the tire/wheel from side to side,if their is looseness/play in the wheel,you have a bad bearing..

Also,maybe the drum may be worn down to the point where it is making contact with parts other than the brake shoe surface..

 

Its not the bearing because the noise goes away when I remove the drum and spin the wheel. The drum is just about at the low end of spec. It does sound as if the drum is scraping something. I am trying to figure out if its the drum or the cylinder. Also - what could the drum be scraping if its worn down ??(So that I can check on wear on that part) If the drum is worn - doesn't the clearance with other parts actually increase . If I replace the drum, can I do just one side?

 

You will hear little if any grinding from a worn bearing when you free spin the wheel while it's jacked up,the weight of the car on a worn bearing assembly is what causes the noise..

I'm not sure exactly which part it would touch,just a shot in the dark on that theory..


If you are going to replace the drums,do both sides at the same time...

 

I hear the sound with the car jacked up when the drum is on - and no sound when the drum is off. So I think I can discount the bearing.

 

Well,sounds like you just self-diagnosed your problem..

Just replace the brake shoes/drums on both sides,this should take care of your noise...

 

Not exactly - I know what its not (bearings), but I'm not sure of what it is. I am still wondering how the drum could be the cause ( more wear more clearance), Also, could it just be the return springs ? or could the wheel cylinder be faulty? Any one who' got a lot of experience in brakes ??

 

Just a thought, maybe take both drums off and see how much travel/return your getting on the other side, that might give you an idea if the springs are bad.

 

Could you expand a little on this ? - Are you saying I should take both drums of and then have someone press the brakes? I thought thats a no-no. Will it not screw up the adjustments ?

 

If you are trying to get away cheap on this fix,just go pick up a drum brake hardware kit from the local autoparts store[under $20],they have the all springs/clips and such for the rear brake system....

IMO though,you should just replace all of it[drums/shoes/hardware],because chances are if the spring is worn,the rest of the brake hardware is just as worn and should be replaced...brakes are just too important of an item on a car to just replace one little spring..

Sorry i can't be more specific on what exactly your problem,maybe someone with the exact same issue will pop in and guide you to the solution..

 

did you look for a point on the backing plate that is cleaner than the rest?
a clean point indicates contact.

 

I was going to suggest the same thing. Remove the drum and inspect the backing plate. If there is contact, most of the time you can bend/shape the backing plate by hand.

The hold down springs are easy to check. Just grab the shoe and give it a tug. Get a feel for how much force is needed to lift the shoe off of the plate. It should be held down pretty strong. I would also rec grabbing a can of brake clean and washing off all of the build up. Make sure you apply brake grease to all of the shoe contact areas on the backing plate.

 

If you can easily pull off the drum, then it's not return springs causing the shoes to drag. What type of grind is it? Heavy metal grinding or light sheet metal sound? Are the shoes worn till the rivets are against the drum? If the drum is worn enough, perhaps the shoe backing plate is rubbing against the drum somewhere? Pull the drum out about a 1/2 " then rotate it and see if it grinds. That'll tell you if its the face or the rim of the drum that's touching.

 

The drum comes out with some wiggling. Pulled the drum out 1/2", spun it, and yes it grinds (so not the backing plate). So ? is it the adjuster maybe? The shoes still have a good amount of material on them. Anyone in Dallas/plano want to help me do a full rear brake job? Do I need to pull the hub to do full job (including replacing one cylinder). If I decide to replace the return springs, can I just pull the springs with a plier and replace them only, without removing anything else?

 

I have worked on my own front brakes (disk), but not on the rear. I have the haynes manual. Any tips to make it easy if I plan to redo rear brakes (drum, shoes, hardware, brake cylinder). Also internetautomart guy, your site doesnt give shipping costs upfront. What are they on 2 drums to dallas.

 

Why not start small, and work your way up? My GXE had a low, dull grinding noise under braking, just starting to move, and oddly, after I had the car in park and I got out I would hear a "creaking" noise. Just disassembled the rear drum, replaced the shoes, put it back together correctly (Haynes) And no more noise.

Might as well try since they're like $12?

 

did you remove the hub assembly like haynes says - or can I do the shoes without removing them.

 

shipping isn't on the same page because it's calculated based on weight and location.
if you want to shoot me your zip I'll calculate it out.
or you can just go all the way through and it will show you shipping too
Brian