OK, here's the story.
2003 Sunfire, factory brakes, probably never been changed or removed.
Makes an AWFUL grrrrrrt grrrrrrt grrrrrrt rear brake noise when applying the brakes at low speeds. Sounds like it's coming from the rear passenger brake. E-brake works fine, drum DOES NOT make the noise when braking in reverse (?????!!?!)
Last night, I TRIED to take a look at the drum, but no dice. I took the wheel off, but the drum is so seized around the hub that there was no way in hell i'm breaking it off without knocking the car off of the jackstands. Is there some way to bust these loose without a 20lb sledge??? Any tricks? I tried WD-40 but that did nothing.
Also, anyone know what that noise could be? It's a distinct grrrrt grrrrt that stops and starts with the spinning of the rear wheels with the brakes applied. I've never done anything with drums (my SRT4 has rear discs, those are easy...). My 98 Z24's rear drums popped right off with a few taps from the hammer (back in 2001 when I owned it) but i only took those off to paint them.
thanks!
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98 Z24 5-speed
sometimes there are little "holder" on the lug stud...make sure they are on there...also try something a little better than wd-40...some sort of pentrating works..i have some stuff that sprays in a foam...works great...then beat the piss out of it again
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Primer Counts as Custom Paint Right?
BTW: This is my Sig.
yeah, if they have never been off, there will be a little metal clip that is installed at the factory, to keep the drum on going down the line, before the wheels are installed (also on the fronts), make sure these are removed. Make sure you are smackin it around the outer edge, and crack away with large hammer of choice....
post up some pics when off, maybe help diagnose your problem. hopefully it will be obvious what it is when you get the drum off.
usually there is a bit a rust build up on the edges of the drum if it has been on there awhile, all i can say is beat the @!#$ out of it, and try hitting it with your hands on the left then right side of the drum. sometimes this helps
Just throwing it out there.... Make sure you have the E-brake off while trying to get them off.
Wow that sucks. On my '04 I pretty much pulled the drums off by hand but I didn't have it since new so who knows how recently they had been off. But your noise sounds exactly like what mine were doing when the drum was out of round. Had them turned and it fixed it.
the ebrake is off... i can see the drum flexing when i'm hitting it. it's definitely stuck in the center around the hub.
i'm going to gfet some pb blaster and give it another shot this weekend... my guess is that i'll probably need to replace the drum anyway, so i'm just going to pund the living piss out of it until it comes off. at this point i can't wait to throw it across the yard when it finally does come off.
this is the precise reason i use neverseize on all my rotors and lug nuts on my SRT4.
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98 Z24 5-speed
anitsieze + lug nuts = bad news....
John Benham wrote:anitsieze + lug nuts = bad news....
Explain?
And back to the original post...
I turn drums for people rather regularly, you're probably having a bitch of a time getting it off because the drum is past it's maximum diameter, and the shoes don't make contact on about a 1/16 or so on the edge of the drum, which creates a very noticable lip... As you pull on the drum, you're probably getting caught on the lip if it's wiggling around and actually broken free from the rust a bit. I'd just beat the crap out of it, and get new drums and shoes, and a hardware kit ;P Eventually it WILL come off, lol.
There will always be someone faster than you, but thousands slower and dumber than you.
Lug nuts are dry fit only.
If you put lube on, and torque to spec, you are not actually torquing to spec....and they can come loose.
Everytime I work on someones car that has anti-seize on the lugs, I clean it off....Im not loosing my reputation over something as stupid as that. You can put it behind the rotor/drum on the hub to keep problems like the OP is having.
John Benham wrote:Lug nuts are dry fit only.
If you put lube on, and torque to spec, you are not actually torquing to spec....and they can come loose.
Everytime I work on someones car that has anti-seize on the lugs, I clean it off....Im not loosing my reputation over something as stupid as that. You can put it behind the rotor/drum on the hub to keep problems like the OP is having.
x2... get it offa the damn studs!
well, i've had bad experiences with asshats at local garages putting wheels on so tight that i can't even budge the lugnuts. So now, i use the anti-seize to stop that from happening.
I know for a fact that most garages dont' EVER change the torque settings on their air tools. I don't need my lugs cranked at 200ft/lbs. thank you.
Anyways, enough about stupid lugnuts, it was a throwaway comment. when my wheel comes flying off, i'll come back and let you know you were right.
as for the drums... i am so frustrated with it right now. I cannot wait to take a hammer back to it again. any suggestions as to how i'm going to be pounding on them?? right now, they're stuck at the hub, but it's possible that they might be stuck on the shoes as well. Someone said pound around the outside only?? why couldn't i use a screwdriver as a hammering point and pound directly on the area surrounding the hub? obviously i know not to hit the studs.
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98 Z24 5-speed
You want to hit around the outside.....hard. that is where the drum has teh most material, and can take the abuse, the motion will transfer to the hub area where it is stuck, and pop off.
Hit it a few times, and give it a spin, so you arent always hitting it in the same spot, and hit some more.
if it pops free from the hub, but is still "stuck" on the shoes, get a brake spoon back there and adjust down the shoes.
Hit, pull, hit, pull... it's a bitch but it eventually works. I sometimes have luck with sitting on the ground with my rubber gloves on, pulling it side to side towards me.... but then sometimes, that doesn't work either!!!
I hate drums with a passion.
...j
Js don't have the star wheel adjusters either do they? Then again it shouldn't have worn to where there is a lip on the edge catching the brake shoes. Really nothing to do than what has been said, start whacking the sh!t out of it on the sides.
They do have star wheels... how else would they self-adjust?
But they lack an access hole at the rear with a rubber plug, like on most other cars.... so you can dial the star wheel off a bit to loosen the brakes to get the drum off. Cheap GM for ya!!
I know they can be a really pain to take those drums off, I just did a rear drum job, What a real pain I had a rubber malet I beat on the drum. I found the only reason why it wasnt popping off, I got some of that PB blaster fluid, Hosed the center part of the drum that meets the hub, Then used the rubber malet a few time them pry litely on the back of the brake drum it popped off. after 20-30 mins of hammering if worked.
Good Luck.
Well no wonder....rubber mallet....ha!!
get a BFH out there and go to town....drums are pretty stout, you arent gunna hurt them unless you bust out the 50# sledge.
mine was the same way, i had to use PB Blaster and a hammer and about 30min, worth to pounding and wiggling and they finally came off
John Lenko wrote:They do have star wheels... how else would they self-adjust?
But they lack an access hole at the rear with a rubber plug, like on most other cars.... so you can dial the star wheel off a bit to loosen the brakes to get the drum off. Cheap GM for ya!!
Aaah, knew there was something to do with the star wheels and J bodies. That is pretty p!ss poor of GM.
20+ years of anti seize on lug nuts , never zip nada zilch 1 problem ever
20+ years of dry , lots of problems and stripped nuts and studs
use PB rust buster and spray it around the lug holes and center hub hole , coat it several times , also if you have a propane torch , heat the drum in the area around the studs and hub
10+ years of dry studs/nuts, never a problem.
You're a braver soul than I, to anti-sieze your nuts.
14.330 @ 96.37mph
just FYI... after about 20 mins of pounding, they broke loose. I should have known better... PB blaster solves all problems.
I put up another post regarding the stupid ass ebrake cable assembly (03 and up only i assume), but i resolved one on my own. Thx for the help and suggestions.
Next weekend, i get to change the rear pads on my SRT. No way in hell it takes more than an hour. Rear discs FTMFW.
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98 Z24 5-speed
