Drum Brake Mystery

mrw

New Member
Original poster
Joined
Feb 17, 2019
Messages
21
Location
nc
I need some help. It was time to do brakes on my TJ. My buddy did the work. He is a Chrysler master certified technician who runs his own shop now. We installed new NAPA Ultra Premium rear shoes. Drums looked really good so I didn't turn or replace them. Brakes work good but there is a rotational squeak we can't locate. My mechanic buddy suggested new hardware for the brakes. We changed out the hardware and springs including the adjusters and still have the rotational squeak.
We went back to his shop, put it on the lift, put it in drive and let the axle turn with wheels on. The squeak was obvious. Thinking maybe the drum was warped we put another set of used drums from a another parts TJ. Still the same squeak. No squeaks before new brakes.
Any ideas? Is there any reason why brand new drums could make a difference?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Does it squeak if you back off the adjusters?

Does it squeak if you just turn the wheel by hand?

-Mac
 
It does squeak if spinning the tire by hand. No squeaks before brake job. Bearings were replaced about 5 years and maybe 20,000 miles ago. I would suspect something other than brakes if it had not started after doing the brakes. No squeaking before new shoes.
 
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I can't locate which side is making the noise. I can't see any evidence of damage or the backing plate being bent. There was no hammering or banging on either side so no real reason for the backing plate to be bent. Thanks for the suggestion though!
 
I will say it seems to be quiet until I've been driving and braking for 10 or 15 minutes. So heat might play into it.
 
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Drop your front driveshaft and see if it goes away. It might be the centering ball on the front shaft.
 
Since you say it squeaks when turning the wheels by hand I would remove the drums, put the wheels back on and spin the wheels again, then you'll know if it's the brake shoes or not. Just don't let anyone near the brake pedal while the drums are off.
 
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I appreciate everybody's help!
 
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