Front Brake Drum Dragging When Turning

[69volunteer 84]

I recently replaced the shoes, drums and all the spring hardware for another Sunday driver that I have. Took the car out and it made an awful dragging noise when I turned left and right. Took the wheel off and spun the drum with the lugs on it and it looked way out of round. Would even make a dragging noise at a certain spot on the drum.

 

Took the drums back and got another set. These looked fine when I spun the drum and no noises. Turned the steering left and right while on jack stands and no noises.

 

Bolted wheel on and took it for a drive. It didn't make any noise the first few turns but shortly afterwards was back to making a dragging noise when I turn left or right.

 

Thoughts and where I should look? The brake adjuster is backed all the way out. Drum turns freely.

[MikeStang 247]

Are the bearings adjusted correctly?

Did you remember to put the big washer with the D shaped center hole back on before you installed the nut and adjusted bearings?

Did you install new bearings or old ones?

Did you re-pack the bearings?

[Rsmach1 71]

Primary/secondary shoe orientation correct (Shoe with more material to the rear of the car)?

[rockhouse66 22]

I had this problem once and found that the end of one of the springs was touching the inside face of the drum (not the OD).  You could see that the spring was shiny on the tip.

[69volunteer 84]

I didn't touch the bearings so I don't think that is the issue. Probably should check...there is no play if I pull the wheel inboard/outboard.

 

I did go back and check to make sure the shoes were oriented front t back correctly.

 

I like the spring suggestion as the new springs were slightly different and a pain to reinstall. I'll check that over the weekend.

 

Thanks!

[Caseyrhe 650]

I would think if the drum is secured, turning left or right wouldn't have anything to do with the brake shoes or springs, if so, you would hear the "dragging" all the time. Drum should be secured to spindle. Sounds more like a race or bearing causing the issue. Is there something you can compare the dragging sound to? Metal to metal, tire rubbing fender, Ford dragging a Chevy?

[Rsmach1 71]

Ford dragging a Chevy?

That's my favorite dragging sensation.

[1969_Mach1 333]

I think there should be a very slight amount of drag at all times.  There's a fine line between not enough and too much which can burn the brake shoes.  Definitely an odd issue.  Can you simulate the condition with the car jacked up and spinning the wheel by hand.  Try it with the wheels straight, then turned left and right.  If doing this doesn't recreate the same issue I'd say its something like brake drum flexing, loose wheel bearings, something wrong with the wheel bearings.  If not, a wild guess would be something hydraulic  and I think I would I would crack open the bleeder and see if the drag stops.  Beyond that, I don't know at this time. 

[barnett468 418]

make sure the hole in the center of the drum is large enough to allow the drum to seat against the flange by merely pushing on it.

[Midlife 814]

Since the drum adjuster wheels are different for each side, I wonder if the OP got the wrong one installed....Hmmm...

[RPM 1,190]

I would think if the drum is secured, turning left or right wouldn't have anything to do with the brake shoes or springs, if so, you would hear the "dragging" all the time. Drum should be secured to spindle. Sounds more like a race or bearing causing the issue. Is there something you can compare the dragging sound to? Metal to metal, tire rubbing fender, Ford dragging a Chevy?

I haven't worked on front drums or any drums in decades, but I believe the drum is secured to the hub and the brake shoes are secured to the spindle.

[69volunteer 84]

The drum adjusters are correct. I backed the adjuster all the way out on the wheel with the noise and put the drum back on and that got rid of the noise. However now I hear another noise with the wheel on and spinning freely. It is at a certain point of the drum because it is not constant when the wheel is spinning.

 

One thing I noticed is that there is a small triangle about an 1.5" by 1.5" missing from the outboard portion of the rear shoe. Could this be causing the issue?

 

I think I may pull the bearings, clean and re-pack just because I am in there.

 

I may try and post a video this evening.

[1969_Mach1 333]

Were the brake drunms machined?  If not, sometimes the outer edge of one or more brake shoes will rub on an inner worn edge inside the brake drum.  If they were machined, did the go far enough into the drum when machining?  After you sort this out, hate to say, but I would replace the brake shoes again since that piece is missing.  Maybe the parts store will warranty exchange them.

[69volunteer 84]

I was thinking about getting a new set of shoes for that side....just to be safe.

 

The drums are new. The old ones were on there from way before I bought the car and we couldn't find any Max Dia markings anywhere....just bought new.

 

If that is the culprit (shoes wearing on new drums), what is the solution?

[1969_Mach1 333]

You have to look for rubbing marks on the drum that would be caused by the outer edge of the shoe.  Without seeing it, it's difficult to determine the cause.  Maybe you got a bad brake shoe. The shoe with lining that chipped off is suspicious.  Maybe the drum is warped, bell mouthed, or wasn't machined correctly.  Usually machining new brake drums is not needed.  However, I have had some imported brake drums that had a "bell mouthed" condition.

 

I would first try switching the left side and rt side brake drums and see if the noise moves to the left side?  If not something might be wrong with that brake shoe that chipped the lining.  At least that shoe needs to be replaced.  Unfortunately, you have to purchase shoes for both sides.

[1969_Mach1 333]

Look for markings inside the drum where the outer edge of the shoe could possible rub.  If they are there, the solution is to machine the brake drum.  Since it is new I think I would exchange it before machining it.  But in your case, the brake shoe with the chipped lining is suspicious.

 

First I would change both shoes on the side with the brake shoe that chipped.  This needs to be done regardless of the solution.  The lining might continue to chip off.

 

Then If you cannot determine if the outer edge of the shoes are not rubbing on the inside of the drum where they shouldn't be, and the noise still occurs I would switch the brake drums from side to side and see if the noise moves.

 

Hopefully you will have resolved it or found the problem by doing these things.  Sometimes its a process of elimination.

[69volunteer 84]

Thanks for all the help. I Looked at the outer edge of the shoe and the inside of the drum and don't see any bright shiny marks where they could be rubbing. I decided to clean the hubs and re-pack the bearings while I was in there last night so I will replace the shoes as well.

 

I did have an issue with one drum being out of round and returned that set--it was obvious when I spun the drum bolted to the hub. This set of drums appears to be ok.

[69volunteer 84]

I finally got around to fixing this. It was the driver's side front that was making the noise. It still did it after I re-packed the bearings and replaced the shoes. Another thing was that it pulled hard to the driver's side under hard braking.

 

Last night, I swapped drums from L to R and the noise is gone. I did several turns both directions. I also braked hard multiple times and was relatively straight.

 

I am at a loss of WHY?

 

PS the broken shoe was on the passenger side.

[1969_Mach1 333]

Glad its fixed.  I had thought the noise would have followed the brake drum from side to side.  Brake pull with front drum brakes is caused by different side to side brake adjustment, unless something is wrong.

 

FYI with drum brakes.  Over time the backing plates get grooves worn into them where the metal part of the shoes rub.  If the groove is small it can be easily smoothed out with a sanding disk on a die grinder or something similar.  If the groove is large and not corrected it can cause strange problems because it will prevent the shoes from moving correctly as you apply the brakes.  Also, most people put a small film of white lithium grease on those spots to help the shoe slide. 

[RPM 1,190]

As for why it fixed itself, I'm not a scientist so I don't care. For me the end justifies the means. Be happy that issue is gone.

[69volunteer 84]

FYI with drum brakes.  Over time the backing plates get grooves worn into them where the metal part of the shoes rub.  If the groove is small it can be easily smoothed out with a sanding disk on a die grinder or something similar.  If the groove is large and not corrected it can cause strange problems because it will prevent the shoes from moving correctly as you apply the brakes.  Also, most people put a small film of white lithium grease on those spots to help the shoe slide. 

I neglected to put a little bit of grease on those contact points, next time I have the wheels off (I need to re-bleed the brakes again) I'll correct that.

 

As for why it fixed itself, I'm not a scientist so I don't care. For me the end justifies the means. Be happy that issue is gone.

TRUST ME, i'm not going to take apart again to try and figure out why its working!!     :-)

 

Thanks everyone.