My 96 ram 2500 v1o is making a loud screeching noise on one of the breaks and I don't know if it is front or back or even what side. It is really loud and is getting worse. It generally only squeaks at moderate brake pressure and will stop if I press the break harder. If I hold the break right at the pressure where the squeak is it squeaks like something is bent and scrubbing. Any ideas????

 

what your hearing is either the front "screamers" or the rear rivets on the brake pads. take you front tires and look for a flat metal hook at the front of the pad. if it's touching the rotor then your brakes are gone. get new ones and have the rotors turned. If its not the front then it's the back. It might be hard to take the rear drum off if you've been dealing with that noise for a while. the pads might have dug into the drum. Either way, take the drum off and check the pads. if the metal rivets are leveled off with the pad material, you need new pads. Have the drums turned also if they are the pads that are gone. MAKE SURE TO CHECK BOTH FRONT AND REAR. YOU MIGHT HAVE BOTH FRONT AND BACK SCREECHING. Hope that helped some.

 

If the wear sensor on the pads is screeching ... take a hard look at the thickness of the friction material. I had one screaming at me but when I checked the pads, they had more than a 1/4" of material left ... WAY to early to replace them. If that's the case, bend the sensor back to a more realistic depth and press on.

If there's no sensor ... the pad thickness will be a dead giveaway ... as will the severe scoring of your rotors.

If it's the rear ... the SHOES will have already scored up the drums as there's no wear sensor back there.

 

I feel like an idiot. I said rear pads not shoes when there drums. I thought there were wear sensors in the back. not like the disk pads, but in the form of rivets. once your rivets are level with you SHOES, then its time for new SHOES,right? Check it out TMSBill, I said SHOES twice (three times including this one) in order to make up for my f#*k up.

 

Just yankin' your chain.

I've seen a LOT of people refer to shoes as pads ... and not as an honest mistake either. They really don't know what a shoe is.

By the time you hear the rivets scoring up your drums, it's too late. I've only found rivets on OEM shoes ... the aftermarket variety are usually bonded so there's less chance of tearing up your drums if you leave them on too long. It's also cheaper for them to make.

 

I went on a mission to figure out what wheel was screaching. It is definately th front right. I guess my pads wear unevenly because the truck does tend to pull to one side when stopping hard. I'm gonna take the wheel off and have a look after lunch if I can find a tire wrench...

 

I bet the slides are rusted solid and the inner pads are shot.

 

Well the front right is fine and now I realize that it is actually the back right. I' going to take it off next and try to figure out this whole drum deal

 

You know how to back the adjusters off, yes?