rear brakes locking up

[stevens cummins]

sorry to be a:postwhore:but my rear brakes have gotten to where they lock up when jus barley applying the brakes it started out just when i was settin and it rained the first time applying them theyd lock up but now i can feel them grabbing all the time:banghead:. i know the shoes arent wore out due to a few months agoe i had a wheel seal and bearings go down:spend:due to prevous owner over tighting the nut:doh: the shoes where cleaned with brake cleaner. has any one else had this issue ?

[Mopar1973Man]

Rust in the drum problem... I use to have that problem all the time with the 96 Ram I've got I roll down the driveway barely touch the brakes and the rear wheels where skidding... Now that I drive the truck more the problem isn't there any more... Also keeping the truck in a shop at night...

[stevens cummins]

thats what i thought to that it was rust in the drums but my truck doesnt do much sitting its me daily driver for work and i can feel the braking harder than the frunt all the time now

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

i notice lockup after driving in rain to work. when i leave i barely touch them and they GRAB!!! but after a few lights they clear up.

[stevens cummins]

the prob im having is it dont matter if it rains or doesnt or if i drive a mile or a 100 i can still feel the rear brakes gradding much harder than the frunt

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

possibly the proportioning valve is failing or somehow the adjusting wheels are messing up. Try loosening the adjusting wheels inside the brakedrum and let them reset. if it still does it then i would look at the proportioning valve. It is above the axle driver side linked with a rod. when the rear squats down it will turn the valve arm up giving more braking force to the rear wheels. when empty it is the opposite.

[stevens cummins]

ok thanks could they just need adjusting where i had the one side apart? whats the best way to adjust the properly

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

take the tires off then drums, loosen the adjuster wheel on both wheels. then put the drums and tires back on, drive around normally and see if they adjust properly. you can inspect stuff too while you are in there.

[stevens cummins]

so they shpuld adjust there selves i read some where to adjust them where you can just start to hear them scrubb when turning the wheel

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

so they shpuld adjust there selves i read some where to adjust them where you can just start to hear them scrubb when turning the wheel

you can manually adjust them but they have auto adjusters (sprung mechanism) as well to compensate for wear through the life of the brake shoe.

[roadrunner]

We have a 2001 Durango that did that I took it in to a shop after 6 months of trying to fix it and all it was is not using the emergency brake they said the e brake needs to get used because that's what adjusts the rear brake it did fix my proplem don't know if it would be the same way for the truck

[Rogan]

I went through this with my '96. (mostly when rain or air was damp). It was a couple of issues, combined.. riding the brakes for the first 5-600ft or so, of initial movement, would usually help dramatically.#1 - Rear seals were leaking a little, and putting grease on the pads. I replaced the seals and pads - Problem got a lot better, but still did it. Usually it was the first brake application of the drive, that was the worst one.#2 - replaced drums - problem went away completely. There was grease imbedded in the pores of the steel drum that I could never seem to get out, even after a severe cleaning of the old drums. They were also slightly out of round.

[stevens cummins]

ok so about ho much does replacemernt drums run

[Rogan]

$50-70, depending which brand you get. They aren't hateful. Do both lock, or just one?

[stevens cummins]

im not sure if both are yet i love in town and finding gravel to try and see is hard im thinkin just one on the passenger side due to that tire is wearing quite a bit more than the drivers

[Rogan]

that's the same one that was the culprit on my '96. just make sure you use brake-clean on the new drum to get all of that crap off of it they use to keep it from rusting..Do you notice it being really touchy the first couple of brake applications then taper off? or does it do it all the time, every time?

[stevens cummins]

it like you asked if it sit over night the first couple times touching the brakes the rear is really grabby than it eases off but i can still tell it rear is holding alot more than the frunt

[Rogan]

yeah, pop that pass. side drum off and have a looksee your first opportunity. TAKE PICTURES if you need help! That's what we're here for, buddy.

[stevens cummins]

i will asap that is when weather gets beter its been warm here right untill i get ready to put some time in my truck and it turns of rainy and cold just my luck:doh: i do know this is the side i had to replace the wheel seal and bearings do to prevous owner over tighting:banghead: and my dad cleaned the drum and pads with brake parts cleaner while i ran all over finding parts:ahhh:as no one place here had them all i had to go to 4 dif places to get them but then when we got it back to geather he tightend the brakes back up cause we had to loosen them to get the drumm off i wonder if he got them to tight is there a way to back the off a lil whit out removing the drum

[Rogan]

Oh, if your parking brake works okay, then on your first brake application of the morning, once you leave your driveway, get about 15mph or so, let off the throttle, and slowly apply the parking brake ONLY.. see if it still grabs. If it does still grab, then it's DEFINITELY not a proportioning valve or ABS control issue ( or anything hydraulic-related, for that matter.)