Author Topic: Torque Your Rear Brake Drums! (Read 3222 times)

kirin · « **on:** April 21, 2006, 06:12:22 PM »

I've been complaining of a weird bearing squeak as for a few months now. I've never been able to figure it out. Well today I did. I went for a test drive after fixing my throttle cable and it came back and would be eliminated on right turns. Finally I got out and started pushing my car through a elementry school parking lot. It was coming from both rear drums hmm.. Got down on my knees and checked it out and tried shaking the wheels. Well it turns out that both rear drums were not really torqued down. I could wobble them about a quarter inch. Kind of scary if you think about it. Anyways since I wasn't the last one in the rear brakes I have no idea what they were set at. However if the last person that was in there who gave me flack over not being strong maybe we need to revise your torquing procedure or readjust your torque wrench...
Be careful out there.

blarneyman · « **Reply #1 on:** April 21, 2006, 08:04:25 PM »

Might be a good idea to take a good look at the splines on the axles. Hopefully there is'nt any wear.

slammedbus · « **Reply #2 on:** April 21, 2006, 08:35:07 PM »

Isn't there a cotter pin to keep the nuts from coming loose???

kirin · « **Reply #3 on:** April 21, 2006, 09:48:48 PM »

there was one but I don't know. The whole drum I could \"wobble\" a fair bit. When I cranked down on the nuts a bit after removing the pin it tightened up enough to stop the wobble.

Hansk · « **Reply #4 on:** April 21, 2006, 10:02:42 PM »

Keep an eye on them ! Now that they have been run loose you probably will have a hard time keeping them tight no matter what you do. Possibly why they came loose for you now even after a good torque. Had this happen to me several times. Ended up replacing the drum and or hub each time.

GRK · « **Reply #5 on:** April 21, 2006, 10:43:38 PM »

Did you take the drum off and look @ the splines? If not chances are most of the spline is gone and when you retightened you caught the outside edge and that's what's holding. Had that happen and so has Brent we were able to tighten enough drums caught and were able to get the rail home.

I now beat the snot out of the slug wrench when tightening.

Gary

silas · « **Reply #6 on:** April 22, 2006, 12:07:27 AM »

Quote

When I cranked down on the nuts a bit...

a bit or to spec?

afaik the 36mm nut should be torqued to a little over 200ft/lbs. (not sure of the exact number). your best bet is an impact gun or a torque multiplier. and the others have great advice about checking the splines. hopefully there is no major damage.

thank god you found out sooner than later, eh.

kirin · « **Reply #7 on:** April 22, 2006, 12:53:09 AM »

Hey guys,
I cranked down on them enough to just get me home. Normally I crank them up to about 250 on my half inch torque wrench. I've lent mine out but I borrowed mine tonight. Strangely these are brand new german drums on there...... I'm so glad I found out now rather then say on the highway or something? its very strange. Anyways I will tighten up and see what happens...

Bruce · « **Reply #8 on:** April 22, 2006, 02:46:04 AM »

Like was stated, your splines on the drums are probably ruined.

Your

kombikruiser · « **Reply #9 on:** April 22, 2006, 03:37:33 AM »

i had a mexican nut work loose a few years ago driving the tofino road; winding and crazy road. ever since i use a 6' pipe, and generally break the breaker bar torqing these things down now. i consider the $15 bar from princess auto part of the brake job total cost now!

blarneyman · « **Reply #10 on:** April 22, 2006, 08:02:36 AM »

If the drums are new and the axles are not you may have a slightly bad axle. This will continuously give you problems. If it happens again after tightening them down I would look into replacing the axles. IMHO

slugbug · « **Reply #11 on:** April 22, 2006, 09:49:11 AM »

I remember my neighbors son had a '71 Bug some years back. He pulls into the driveway one day on 3 wheels. He had done the rear brakes a few days earlier and didn't replace the cotter pins. He lost the right rear wheel and drum and drove it home like that :wacko:

kirin · « **Reply #12 on:** April 22, 2006, 11:26:58 AM »

Ummm my torque wrench does goe up to about 300 ft/lbs. Normally bounce it past that. I've done it a couple times in the past and never had some loosening problems. I'mjust about going to go out and snug them up and take a spin out to airspeed and see what happens...
-Kirin

GRK · « **Reply #13 on:** April 22, 2006, 11:50:20 AM »

Quote

Hey guys,
I cranked down on them enough to just get me home. Normally I crank them up to about 250 on my half inch torque wrench. I've lent mine out but I borrowed mine tonight. Strangely these are brand new german drums on there...... I'm so glad I found out now rather then say on the highway or something? its very strange. Anyways I will tighten up and see what happens...

I can't see 1/2 inch doing the job . Like I said I use a slug wrench and a 4 lb hammer. Hans use a 1\" breaker bar with a jack handle on it to tighten the wheel nuts.

Again you might want to pull the drum and check the spline!

Gary

silas · « **Reply #14 on:** April 22, 2006, 03:46:13 PM »

Quote

Your

Bruce · « **Reply #15 on:** April 22, 2006, 05:54:59 PM »

Quote

I remember my neighbors son had a '71 Bug some years back. He pulls into the driveway one day on 3 wheels. He had done the rear brakes a few days earlier and didn't replace the cotter pins. He lost the right rear wheel and drum and drove it home like that

Chris · « **Reply #16 on:** April 22, 2006, 06:13:04 PM »

Quote

When I use my combination wrench with the 4' pipe, I don't lean anywhere near all my weight on it.

Bruce, even if you did lean on it do you think you could beat 40 ft/lbs of torque ??

kirin · « **Reply #17 on:** April 22, 2006, 10:49:03 PM »

K guys,
I know this may seem a little daft but however hear me out.
I don't beleive if my torque wrench is rated to over 300lb's it would just break at that weight. That being said I do not understand your logic that if I'm bouncing off the torque wrench(166lbs) pushing it past 300 ft/lbs of torque at the end of a 2.5 ft long bar how that can't be enough. If you can enlighten me great. But I will do things my own way unless you can make me see this great epiphany that you guys have.
That being said I torqued them up today with a 1/2inch breaker bar and about 4 ft of cheater pipe. Shouldn't be going anywhere now.

And my car is still making that scraping noise

Hansk · « **Reply #18 on:** April 23, 2006, 12:39:06 AM »

What I'm saying is , it has been my expereance that now that those drums have been run loose like that , in time they will loosen up again and again no matter how tight you get them untill you finally replace them. I don't know why but I've seen it happen many times. Keep an eye on them. Good luck.

blarneyman · « **Reply #19 on:** April 23, 2006, 08:06:41 AM »

Quote

That being said I torqued them up today with a 1/2inch breaker bar and about 4 ft of cheater pipe. Shouldn't be going anywhere now.

And my car is still making that scraping noise

The drums are wobbling even though they are tight. Had the same thing happen years back. The sqeak is the back of the drum moving on the outer bearing. You can try going tighter but that may not do anything.

doubledoor · « **Reply #20 on:** April 23, 2006, 09:14:38 PM »

Kirn I am sorry to here that your drums were loose.
Like i told you when i changed the seals that they might still leak,This is because the wrong axel spacers on each side of the bearing were used and I ran out of threads and the nut bottomed out before the drum was realy tight.If you want to stop this problem either use another axel spacer between the drum and the nut or pull the wheel bearing and put in the right spacers. hope this helps
If you have any problems just let me know.

kirin · « **Reply #21 on:** April 24, 2006, 01:22:29 AM »

Hey Darren,
Thanks for the feedback. I had an idea that could be related interesting though. Any ideas what could actually work for a spacer between the drum and nut? You obviously have more of an idea then me.

doubledoor · « **Reply #22 on:** April 24, 2006, 12:54:06 PM »

There is a small spacer that goes behind the bearing it is about 1/4 to 3/8 thick and i think they forgot to put yours in.That would make up the difference.
Try geoff he should have some.
I don't know the long term affects of this because now your axels are to far out of the tranny.
The noise you here could be a falcrum plate getting jammed behind the end of the axel.

kirin · « **Reply #23 on:** April 24, 2006, 04:14:57 PM »

Quickie. Gotta pull the axles to get to those spacers or can you do it without pulling the whole deal.

doubledoor · « **Reply #24 on:** April 24, 2006, 09:35:49 PM »

If you use a bearing puller that pulles of the inside of the bearing you can do it.
BUT if the axel pulles out to far.
Out comes the tranny.

Custom76Bus · « **Reply #25 on:** April 26, 2006, 12:23:54 AM »

squeaking....

make sure your backing plate is not bent inwards towards the drum, or rubbing anywhere... i think i remember having that problem at some point somewheres....

good luck....

the previous owner to one of my old busses had a wheel come off.... the brake drum was all sheared out and included in a box of extras I got when i bought the bus,... kinda scared me ... changed the brakes right away and discovered lots of fun issues he left for me in there... good ties

....