Hello! Need assistance with a '96 dakota. Recently had a very loud, grinding/screeching coming from the back brakes when stopping. I removed the rear wheels, and I am able to turn each drum by hand with slight resistance. After removing the drums, all springs and mechanisms appear to be in place. Last year I replaced all the brake hardware, including the drums. However, on the passenger side, the rear shoes appears to be wearing very unevenly. I have included pictures of what this seems to be causing. Would this cause the awful noise, and if so, what can I do about it? Thanks!

 

Do you have a leaky wheel cylinder? That shoe looks oil fouled.

 

I do not see any fluid coming out, but I cannot rule it out. Is there any easy way to test that?

 

Those shoes look like they are wearing more on the outboard edge ?.

if the shoes are uneven, I would look at anything that would cause the pads to not move easily.

One common mistake is not cleaning the backing plate when installing new shoes.
There are flat spots on the backing plate that the shoes rest and slide against, and that needs to be clean/smooth, so the pads can move easily. If those little pads/flat spots are not clean/smooth/and lubed, the inner edge will stick against the backing plate.

When you took the drums off where both pistons on the wheel cylinder out the same amount ?

Was the new hardware installed exactly the same way ? The springs are on exactly the same way so that the shoes move straight in and out ?

Noise:
What do the drums look like ? Is there a rust ridge ? Are the shoes running against the drum in the same place ? Make sure you rinse any brake dust off the pads, drums, etc. with brake cleaner before you re-install the drums.

Bottom line: If there is anything that stops the shoes from running smoothly and flat against the drums, it will cause grinding (due to a rough surface) or a scream (induced by vibration/resonance)... and reduce braking ability.

 

Yeah, the wheel cylinder will be oily. Rub it with a finger and then rub your fingers together. On trucks as old as ours, it's good practice to replace the wheel cylinder when you do a brake overhaul. They are ridiculously cheap to replace (like$12 each!)

 

Further to what Brian says...If they are really old you may end up having to repair the brake lines. It's common for them to rust so bad that you have a 5% chance of getting them disconnected from the wheel cylinder without damaging them.

 

Thanks everyone. Robert, yes I was careful to install the new hardware in exactly the same way the old was installed. I used this guide:

http://www.handymanlyness.com/archiv...96_Dakota.html

As far as cleaning the backing plate, I cannot remember if I did that or not, I will look into it. Everything seems to be in place, and I do not see anything that would cause them to wear unevenly.

Brian, I am going to look into replacing the wheel cylinder, and will go ahead and throw new shoes on it as well. Does anyone have a good online guide for wheel cylinder replacement?

Thanks again!

 

The cylinder is leaking or are you just being preventative ?

Here's a link to guy who does some great videos.
How To Replace a Wheel Cylinder -EricTheCarGuy - YouTube

Not a truck, but you'll get the idea.

His trick for trying to avoid damaging the brake lines is a good idea IMO.
(I use a torch to get rusted lined off but that's not for the faint of heart or inexperienced. I destroyed a bunch before I got the technique right)
If I can, I soak the fitting with something like PB Blaster for a couple days before trying to remove them.
The pins/rods for the wheel cylinder are re-used. I clean them on a wire wheel before re-installing them. That way they won't bind where the shoes fit into the slot on the pins. In fact, for any brake work I clean all the reused metal parts with a wire wheel before reinstalling, to ensure that it's all moving like new.



Brian may have some other tricks/suggestions. He's got more experience than I do.

 

Thanks Robert. I changed out the wheel cylinder yesterday, and when comparing it to the other side of the truck, I think it was definitely leaking. All the hardware on that side was oily. I fortunately had no trouble at all with the brake line. I do not have everything back together yet, I am going to bleed the lines this evening. But hopefully the new cylinder and new shoes will solve my problem. Thanks again everyone!

 

Great to hear !

Kudos to Brian for spotting it in the photo.