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Drum brake noise

8K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  CoolHandTurner 
#1 ·
Hey guys,
so I've had my 2005 Tundra DC since May, and I've taken it to the Toyota dealership numerous times for this problem. Every so often (and it's not every time) when I'm coming to a stop, right before I quit rolling I'll hear this loud sound coming from my brakes. It's not a shrill or a grinding sound, but like a loud moaning noise.

The Toyota dealership I bought it from has looked at it now 5 times trying to pinpoint the problem. They have replaced the shoes and have made several adjustments. The problem will appear to get better, then I'll notice it again and it'll be the same song and dance.

Has anybody else had this problem? Or have an idea of what it might be?
 
#2 ·
I bet you it's the flimsy backing plate/dust plate rubbing against the drum as it rotates. The plate can easily bend and if it did during removal/installation of the assemby, this could be where the sound is coming from.

It's an easy fix. Place some tire chocks for the front tire, jack the rear up and put the truck in neutral. Spin the tires. Determine which side, remove the tire and spin again. Hopefully, it's the backing plate and you can just bend it away from the drum. Another cause, could be wheel bearings.
 
#3 ·
I had a similar problem on my Yaris for a couple of years. I would take it to a brake shop and they would check and clean the drums and shoes. It would go away and then show up again.

I finally found (via Yarisworld.com) out that by cleaning and then applying some anti-seized to the friction points between the shoes and the backing plate (where the shoe and plate make metal to metal contact) the groaning went away for good.

Those friction points between the shoe assemble and the backing plate were lubed at the factory with brake grease, but that can get old or de-greased with brake cleaner. You can see where they are if you look at the backing plate behind the shoes (there was a bit of rust on my Yaris friction points). I used a flat tip screw driver to pry the shoe assembly away from the plate. Cleaned with a toothbrush and smeared a bit of anti-seize (High temp brake grease will work as well) at each point (there are 4/drum) using a Q-Tip.
 
#7 ·
Does it get worse in the winter? On my '01 AC, when the temperature is below 40 F, my rear brakes will "howl" as I'm coasting to a stop (worst is from 30 down to 20 mph). If I lightly apply the park brake while maintaining that speed, the noise instantly goes away.

It's stops doing it entirely after a mile or two, once everything is warmed up. Been doing it every winter for the past 8 years, and coincidentally started happening after I replaced my rear shoes and drums. I'm thinking that I didn't grease the points on the backing plate sufficiently. It's not a big enough issue to make me pull everything apart.....
 
#8 ·
I bought the truck in May so I don't know how it is in the winter but it has done it regularly in the summer.

I took it back to the dealership where I bought it last night. This is what they did: "cleaned and adjusted rear brakes, scuffed shoes and drums with sandpaper, installed toyota brake grease in between shoes and backing plate. noise is gone"

The noise is still there. I asked them to check the items on this list from this thread. The backing plate wasn't bent or damaged. This is the 2nd time they've re-greased them too!

Anybody else have any other ideas?! HELP ME HELP THEM HELP ME!
 
#10 ·
Are you leaking any differential oil into the drum or brake fluid? Usually you can smell the gear oil or see signs of the leak. Anytime I have had a leak it has caused the rear drum to make a sound as you described. Leaking brake fluid does not necessarily have to be in amounts that will be visible in the reservoir but you will be able to see evidence of it up around the piston at the top of the plate inside the brake drum. Any sign of moisture or shininess inside the brake drum is a dead giveaway.
 
#11 ·
Do you know the history of the truck or the previous owner to find out if there had been any rear end work done? If it's not the brakes then, my next steps would be to start inspecting the driveline components: driveshaft, center bearing support for the driveshaft, pinion bearing, carrier bearing, ring and pinion.

If it's not a mechanical issue, another possibility, although a long shot, is the retainer that sits on each side of the axle housing. It's a thin piece of metal that looks like a soda can. It's used to help keep gear oil in the center of the axle housing during movement. In anycase, I had this piece become dislodged when I had snapped axle shaft. When the axle shaft snapped at the splines, it rode on this retainer until I was able to get home and inspect what happened (was on an off roading trip).
 
#12 ·
Are you leaking any differential oil into the drum or brake fluid? Usually you can smell the gear oil or see signs of the leak. Anytime I have had a leak it has caused the rear drum to make a sound as you described. Leaking brake fluid does not necessarily have to be in amounts that will be visible in the reservoir but you will be able to see evidence of it up around the piston at the top of the plate inside the brake drum. Any sign of moisture or shininess inside the brake drum is a dead giveaway.
I don't believe I'm leaking any fluid but I will check later on. I did check the brake fluid level and it all seems to be fine. However I'll check out the drum itself.
 
#13 ·
Do you know the history of the truck or the previous owner to find out if there had been any rear end work done? If it's not the brakes then, my next steps would be to start inspecting the driveline components: driveshaft, center bearing support for the driveshaft, pinion bearing, carrier bearing, ring and pinion.

If it's not a mechanical issue, another possibility, although a long shot, is the retainer that sits on each side of the axle housing. It's a thin piece of metal that looks like a soda can. It's used to help keep gear oil in the center of the axle housing during movement. In anycase, I had this piece become dislodged when I had snapped axle shaft. When the axle shaft snapped at the splines, it rode on this retainer until I was able to get home and inspect what happened (was on an off roading trip).
All they have inspected so far are the brakes. I described the problem to them and they informed me it was the brakes. I'm not too mechanical when it comes to anything more than basic maintenance.
 
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