I recently had new drums put on my D and when it rains they lock up (well I think it's the drums). This only happens when I first apply the breaks. I just tapped them and the tires screeched and I immediately released my foot from the brake and seemed to unlock. Thereafter everything is fine. I took it back to the shop where the drums, pads and rotors where replaced and was told the drums shouldn't lock up and if it happens again bring it in... well it did when it rained, but I want to do a little homework before I bring it in and they tell me it's not the drums again.

 

1) Rust in the ebrake cable. The old shoes were too worn to display it. My #1 culprit. 2) Worn out return springs. Less likely due to rain precipitating the symptom (no pun intended). 3) Wrong size shoes, that are too wide, causing the shoes to catch on the back plate. While it is unlikely, my 78 Ram was made in the old Fargo truck plant in Canada and I had to special order the shoes for this exact reason. American spec trucks had a slightly wider shoe than the Canadian spec truck. If you're wondering, it was a large special order by the Forest Service and it had a large large door plate that said "Made in Canada by Fargo-Dodge". Even the air filter was a little smaller than the American 318 filter.

 

It is the shoes they used... Did they use new shoes or reuse the old ones? I bet they used cheaper shoes... You need a good quality brake shoe for it not to do this... Something about the materials and characteristics when wet...

 

Only if they used organic shoes, which I haven't seen in alot of years (for drums anyways). Semi metallic and ceramic should never do this.

 

Take it back and make em fix it.

 

Heck ya, have the rear lockup in the rain is BAD NEWS.. Back when I was young and dumb I was driving 89 Mustang 5.0.. Anyways it was raining out and my buddy flew by me and he was flipping me off lol.. So, Ya thinking I was all cool and all I was going to blow his doors off, well I dropped down to third and let the clutch go and instantly spun around... Now I am finding myself going backwards into the median, I swung around so I could drive the car backwards, did the best I could to keep it strait (not easy because it was all wet grass in there) Well kept it strait and at the end when i had it under control did a Duke of hazard move and spun it back around heading forward, jammed it into gear and gave it WAY to much gas because the adrenaline was flowing big time, came up out of there back onto the interstate and ended up doing a 360 lol... Anyways got'r back strait and all was good..


Anyways You don't want to find yourself with the rear breaking traction in the rain, you may not be lucky as I was that time around.

 

Unfortunately, this is just how it is with the D. Mine did it too and I replaced the rear shoes. Still does it when it gets real humid or rains. What I do is apply the brakes and then drive against them. After about three revolutions of the rear wheels all is ok. When this first happens it scares the begeebees out of you. Just drive against them for a little and it goes away.

 

Anybody think maybe they didn't bleed the brakes after installing them
2. if they are lockin up on you I'd never go back to those S.O.B.'s again
I've done many ah break job. never one have they locked up unless there was still air in the line

 

If the rear pads are locking then the brake job wasn't done correctly. This can and happens all the time. You just can’t pull it apart and put new pads or shoes on it and it’s good. To many people try to play mechanics and 90% of those people don’t know how to do it properly.

As for your question DRO318<------ Yes.

Anytime a brake job is done correctly the caliper is supposed to be bled. This is critical for 1 reason though. As the caliper extends and retracts the same fluid stays inside the caliper and a little in the line and is heated and cooled on and of hundreds of times during the life of the shoes and pads for the front. This fluid can oxidize and cause failure of parts or pressure related characteristics.

 

If I where you chequita68 the next time I drove would be back to the shop
Think of it as a serious liability to be driven. One bad fish tail and thats going to be blamed on you.
I'd hate to see that tight Durango wasted