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Thu May 10, 2007 7:30 pm

Anyone ever had that annoying drum brake squeak that you just can't get rid of? All the brakes on my bus are new within the last year and a half, everything. Tore apart the fronts yesterday, cleaned it all, repacked all the bearings, now the fronts perfect. The rears a different story. Cleaned all the components, checked the bearings and topped off the trans. But it still squeaks when i'm on the brakes, sounds like rear drvr side. Know any witchcraft or voodoo magic to get it to stop?

Fri May 11, 2007 2:39 pm

your pads my be glazed over. you could try and sand the pads and drums to scuff them up a bit.

Fri May 11, 2007 7:18 pm

I tap on my drums and put the air compressor nozzle in the adjustment hole and blow out dust, it seems to work ok.

Fri May 11, 2007 8:30 pm

Ya usually a bit of a build up of brake dust, may be some deposits or just generally glazed.

Fri May 11, 2007 9:03 pm

All the abouve cause squeaking brakes, but theres more. Worn hardware, not common and I find the og hardware will last for tens and tens of years. The drums can wear past the limit and the shoe only contacts in the very center of its cuver, very common.

What kind of squeak is it, a continuous sqeak throughout the stop or just a quick squeak as you first apply the brakes?

Sat May 12, 2007 8:56 am

its throughout the whole braking process. The drums are all new as well. Scuffed up the shoes and drums yesterday, helped somewhat, but its still there.

Sat May 12, 2007 10:37 am

Try coming to a rapid stop from about 30mph 20-30 times. Its called burnishing the shoe friction material. It helps form the shoes to the drums and may help. Make sure the shoe contact pads are lubricated. And the hold down pins and hold down pin springs are in right and holding the brakes firmly to the backing plate. Double check all the rest of the hardware and springs. and make sure the adjusting stars are lubed and adjusted so the shoes just barely touch when not applied.

Mon May 21, 2007 6:12 pm

How about a squeak (front) that happens only at the end of coming to a stop? I can't get them to squeak at speed, even with hard breaking. It starts maybe 40ft. before the point I want to stop and gets louder and louder as I slow.
I just did the breaks, new pads, cleaned/lube all hardware and scuffed the drums.
Any ideas?
Thanks

Mon May 21, 2007 6:43 pm

Start with all the stuff I listed. Really focus on the shoe pads. Its the flat spots on the backing plate where the shoes ride, make sure you lubed there and the adjusting assembly. The grease not only lubircates, but also cousions the vibration of the shoe. I use a lubircant/grease called "Sil-glide". Remember the sqeak is the shoe vibrating really fast.

Mon May 21, 2007 7:02 pm

It's all vibration, like a squeaky door, the slower you open or close it the louder the squeak. Since you can't put oil on your pads, try drawing on them with some magic marker, put your drums on & spin them, take the drums off & the high spots on the shoes will have the marker rubbed off, check the inside of the drum for marks due to spots in them, then take the high spots down. If your drums look bad, have them turned by a brake shop. You can also try putting silacone between any metal parts that touch inside there aswell IE: between backing plate & springs, backing plate & metal line inside(Front only) & ect.

Mon May 21, 2007 7:52 pm

I believe the return springs go to the outside of the shoes. That may have some thing to do with your sqeak.
Don't you love those gear wrenches?

Mon May 21, 2007 10:04 pm

Nope, they go inside - holds the shoes against the backing plate that way.

My springs actually touch the backing plate. I'm sure that'll be annoying in the future.

Fri Nov 13, 2015 6:42 pm

My front driver drums are squealing while moving and braking. This happened all of the sudden. Brakes, cylinders are all new. Probably 100 miles on them. What could be making the noise? Bearings?

Sat Nov 14, 2015 9:14 am

HELP! I cannot get my front drums off of my 57 Kombi. I am pulling and pulling but they won't come off. I have tried to adjust the stars (both toward the spindle hub to loosen?) but it will not pull off. I have a loud squeal when the drum rotates that all of the sudden started to happen.

Is there an inner lip that i need to clear and am I adjusting the stars correctly to create space between the drum and pad?

Sat Nov 14, 2015 9:51 am

Dubskii wrote: Is there an inner lip that i need to clear and am I adjusting the stars correctly to create space between the drum and pad?

No inner lip. Each star needs to be spun toward its own brake shoe.

The drum's bearings are a loose interference fit and sometimes need coaxing. Try hitting on the drum's cooling fin from the back where you can get a good swing with a medium hammer against a wood block. Hit all around.

Try that first then come back here. There's a beefier way to try next.

Sat Nov 14, 2015 11:33 am

Nothing has worked. My fingertips are sore down to the bone. Not sure what to do. A nasty squeal is in there and I can't get to it.

Sat Nov 14, 2015 12:05 pm

Dubskii wrote: HELP! I cannot get my front drums off of my 57 Kombi. I am pulling and pulling but they won't come off. I have tried to adjust the stars (both toward the spindle hub to loosen?) but it will not pull off. I have a loud squeal when the drum rotates that all of the sudden started to happen.

Is there an inner lip that i need to clear and am I adjusting the stars correctly to create space between the drum and pad?

I've had to use a drum puller to remove my front passenger side drum. The driver side always seems comes off easily though.

Sat Nov 14, 2015 6:35 pm

Dubskii wrote: HELP! I cannot get my front drums off of my 57 Kombi. I am pulling and pulling but they won't come off. I have tried to adjust the stars (both toward the spindle hub to loosen?) but it will not pull off. I have a loud squeal when the drum rotates that all of the sudden started to happen.

Is there an inner lip that i need to clear and am I adjusting the stars correctly to create space between the drum and pad? Lossen the adjusters all the way in. You may have to make a puller; Someone even posted the other day that you can rent a puller in some auto parts stores that have a free tool retal.

Sat Nov 14, 2015 7:02 pm

If your spindle has been heated too much in the past due to dragging brakes/bearing failure/ lack of grease whatever, no amount of star adjusting will work. It's either the cold blunt chisel on the fin method, or a puller. Once it's off, make sure you polish your spindle with some sand paper and that your inner bearing slides all the way on freely. It's the bearing seal flex that you are fighting because the bearing is caught. Most likely the drum is gonna have to come off and leave the bearing/seal stuck on the shaft. It isn't fun without a puller. Take your outter bearing off and wiggle the drum - that will tell the tale. The angle may also help you when hitting it as far as negotiating the inner seal out of the drum.

Sun Nov 15, 2015 8:30 am

I will pickup a Harbor Freight puller today. Once the drum is off, assuming the bearing is stuck, is it a few more chisel hits on the bearing to break loose?