I have a '03 sx 2.0, and the drum brakes have been making this awefull grinding/squealing noise for awhile now at slower speeds ( just before coming to a complete stop). I have had it looked at by Dodge, and Minute muffler and brake, they both say there is nothing wrong with them. I even took the drum off myself and cleaned it all out, and the pads and drum look fine. This usually stops the noise for a day or two, but it still comes back.
Does anybody have any insight as to the problem?

 

It a common problem for Neons equipped with rear drum brakes. I'm sure someone with some rear drums will chime in though...

 

Mine do that too. It might be my front rotors or my rear drums. I would suggest getting some of that brake silencer

 

I would just suggest turning your sound up. Then you don't hear it. LMAO. But seriously, my brakes make noise at times. Most the time it seems to be after it has either rained or dewed and it usually takes a few times of braking to clean things off. Then it seems to go away after that. Can't say I notice my drums making that much noise.

 

Usually the first few times I hit the brakes in the morning,they screech like hell. So, I just tap them a few times while pulling out of my driveway. They don't make a sound after that, if theydo my radio is too loud to hear them.

Mat

 

m my experience with my car, i believe the way you adjust them is you reverse up to ~10 mph, then brake and i believe yo uwill hear a clicking noise and that's the brakes adjusting themselves.

i had to do that when i put on new drums and pads on my rear end.

also, be careful, i had a peice of my drum brake break off and puncture the brake plunger in there and i couldnt figure out for the life of me what happened till me and my dad took a look at all the brakes.

 

yeah, it's like that... it's normal ... i service my drum brakes so many times i pretty memorize everything it in. Basically there's 2 ways to this... one... when you clean the rear drum (ex spray the whole thing with brake cleaner) make sure you re-lube everything beside the brake pads... all the componenets inside with grease or high temp grease or brake grease... this would help quiet it down... but sometime even that won't work... second way which is what i'm using... is getting a little brake fluid on the brake pads (yeah i know bad idea and probably make the rear brake less effective.. but i didn't mind since most of my braking is on the front and i just need the rear for parking brake/hand brake). I was servicing the brake when i step on the brake with the drum off so i basically popped the rod in the cylinder thingy for the rear drum off and squirted brake fluids all over the place... it even got onto the pads and drum itself... but it was late so i let it be and put everything back on... braking for the rear is really bad... pretty much didn't work at all ebcause of all the fluids... but after like a week or two it starts to brake in... probably rubbing some brake fluid off or something... so now i get decent hand brake but without all the annoying drum noise. So whatever you do... good luck on it! and if you have some other ways to fix it... let us know

 

have you tried taking them drum to autozone and have them cut em??

 

u mean resurface them ? thats a waste since its cheaper to buy whole new drums then to get the old ones resurfaced.

 

well....wouldn't that just be paying money so you can wear your pads down faster to buy new ones? I mean its really just paying for them to be worn down faster. Plus they won't be as effective. Its liking machining rotors. You just pay(not much cheaper in most cases) to make them smaller and less effective. I have heard from some mechanics that after you machine your rotors its doesn't deal with heat as well. But back to drums...I would just buy news ones instead of having them cut. my opinion though.