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Tue Mar 21, 2006 12:21 am

My car is dropped 2 splines in the back, sits on the bump stops so its higher than being completely bottomed out on the sping plate to give you an idea of where it sits. Anyways the rear passenger side brake drum gets buring hot even after a short drive. It is getting the hottest right at the tallest point (the lip on the outer piece of the drum). No matter how hot it gets the car still rolls fine and the brakes do not bind at all. Any ideas?

Not my drum but just a pic for reference

Tue Mar 21, 2006 5:31 am

Two things will make a drum get hot. Brakes adjusted too tight and bearings. If it was the bearings, I'd think that you would have noise, so try re-adjusting the brakes and make sure that the e-brake is not hanging up on that side.

Tue Mar 21, 2006 5:58 am

I once had a flexible brakeline get blocked which binded the brakes on. This happened on the front (figures, they are only flexible on the front), but it was pretty scary, particularly as I pulled into a petrol station cause I could smell something! The brake got very hot, and took the paint off the wheel. If you havent changed the pipes, do it, even if they dont block its a good idea anyway.

Si.

Tue Mar 21, 2006 9:00 pm

There are flex lines in the rear also. Maybe they are breaking down.

Tue Mar 21, 2006 9:13 pm

One of the most forgotten parts of the brake system is the soft lines - always check those when you're either under the car or doing anything brake related! I've had to replace both my rears (suspected blockage, now I've actually got rear brakes!) and didn't mind paying the money or doing the work because it's neither hard nor expensive. Just to note, make sure you don't strip the threads 'cuz then you've really messed yourself up!

My fronts are dated, something like March '91 for the driver and January '90 for the other, neither which seem to be in bad shape. Check to see if they've got a date stamped on them, and also make sure that nowhere in the line is it squishy - lines should be stiff but not crackled or dry-rotted. Lines rot from the inside out and also tend to catch nasty stuff in them, especially the rears. Don't forget there's more to brakes than the master cylinder and shoes - there's a component in almost part of the car dealing with the brakes!

Wed Mar 22, 2006 6:20 pm

Are you sure you don't have a dead squirrel caught in the brake drum from dragging to close to the ground?

Wed Mar 22, 2006 6:37 pm

If I understand you correctly, the drum turns freely and the brakes work fine, right? So much for a dragging parking brake or a bad brake line. Do the shoes show any signs of undo wear?
Also, didn't you say the drum gets hot at the outer-most edge? So much for bearings as the culprit.
Since you mentioned that the car is lowered, I'm wondering if the drum isn't rubbing on something on that side, causing the heating of the drum at it's outer edge.
It's got to be either that or constant contact between the drum and the shoes for whatever reason.
Let us know what you find out!

Wed Mar 22, 2006 6:46 pm

mailman wrote: If I understand you correctly, the drum turns freely and the brakes work fine, right? So much for a dragging parking brake or a bad brake line. Do the shoes show any signs of undo wear?

Not necessarily, soft brake lines can and will collapse allowing pressure in to the wheel and then slowly over time release.

Wed Mar 22, 2006 8:08 pm

I thought he meant literally the tallest point of the picture he showed.
Sounds to me that it's a simple case of a bad bearings caused by lack of lubrication. There's NO gear lube getting to the bearings with it lowered all the way.

Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:37 pm

Jeckler wrote: I thought he meant literally the tallest point of the picture he showed.
Sounds to me that it's a simple case of a bad bearings caused by lack of lubrication. There's NO gear lube getting to the bearings with it lowered all the way. I didnt mean the tallest point on the picture, sorry for the misunderstanding, i meant the tallest point on the outer edge of the drum.

I messed with it today and i coundlnt find anything. I adjusted the breaks again, still getting hot. Felt the soft lines and it seemed fine. Even jacked it up spun the wheel, had a buddy hit the breaks, spun it again and it still spun freely... what the hell???

Thu Mar 23, 2006 3:51 am

Aloha Kellen. I had the same problem with my rear driver side. I replaced my wheel cylinder cause I found out the cylinder was clogged and no brake fluid was going to it. Bought a new one and installed it, adjusted my brake shoes, bled my brakes, and the heating stopped. Could be something else in your case though. Just wanted to share my experience with the same problem you have..

Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:04 am

Kals57rag wrote: Aloha Kellen. I had the same problem with my rear driver side. I replaced my wheel cylinder cause I found out the cylinder was clogged and no brake fluid was going to it. Bought a new one and installed it, adjusted my brake shoes, bled my brakes, and the heating stopped. Could be something else in your case though. Just wanted to share my experience with the same problem you have..

Good point. If the other brakes are not functioning properly, and that wheel is doing increased duty to compensate, it will cause that one to get hot. Check the other brakes.