Hey all...

I'm hoping someone can help with some good advice.

I have a 2000 Camry 4cyl (US model) and a few months ago, I noticed the front brake pads needed to be replaced. So, I did a full brake job on the front pads and rear shoes, including having the rotors and drums turned. Nothing was clicking at the time I did the entire brake job.

Since then, after about one month of driving, I get big "clicking" noises from the rear brakes. The brake action/feel doesn't feel compromised at all. No excessive pedal travel, no squishiness or any pulsating at the pedal. Car still stops on a dime, but just makes a big time clicking noise from the rear. If you LIGHTLY use the brakes (I mean taking a long time to stop and lightly pressing the pedal), then the clicking doesn't happen or is barely there. But if you use the brakes normally, the clicking is definitely there and fairly loud from inside the car.

So, I then took the brakes back apart and put on another new set of shoes, thinking maybe the first set was bad or something. So, I cleaned up everything, re-greased the contact points on the backing plate and put it all back together. No clicking...but, after a month of driving goes by, it clicks again!

So, just this last month, I took it back apart again, bought a different brand of shoes (first two sets were the same brand) and cleaned everything up, re-greased it all and put it back together. It was great for a month again...then it just started clicking again today! :mad:

I'm about to lose my mind with this car. :argue: I don't understand why it's clicking. Anyone have a similar experience and how did you correct it? They did say when they turned the rotors and drums that it was the last time they could be turned, but I wouldn't think that is affecting it, but who knows. :confused:

Any assistance is truly appreciated as I'm taking a long trip soon and would like to get this fixed for good!

Thanks!
Mat

I'll post this in the forum what I have advised.
If anyone else has an idea please post too.
It sounds like the drums were cut to fast or the bits might have been loose and that they might look like an old record. This winds up the shoes and then they click when they release. Re-turning of the drums should take care of this and you can resue the shoes.

Thanks a bunch for your reply, Mustang.

I'm going to try and see if the drums can be re-cut and then I'll advise here what the results were (or even if I have to buy new ones because they have already been cut too much). This way others can get the benefit of the info if it happens to them. :D

Ok...

Just to update this thread...I put on a new set of drums tonight and poof, the noise/clicking is gone. I didn't do anything else, but take the old drums off, clean the new drums with brake cleaner, put the new drums on and adjusted the brakes until there was slight drag on them and that was it.

Took it for a test drive and it stops wonderfully, no pedal problems (not that there was before) and no clicking or noise other than normal brakes working to slow the car down. :D :cool:

I'm very happy. Now let's see if this works for more than a month! LOL

Thanks Mustang for the help! Greatly appreciated. :beavbutt: