Drum brake time

Lug nuts torqued to 83lbs? Clean drum to axle flange mating surfaces? New drums being out of true is not all that uncommon.Only way to tell drum true is on a brake lathe at brake shops.

 

Lugs are torqued to 90, which is my standard. Axle flange is clean, actually. The drums are power stop. I was hoping going with what I think is a good name brand they'd be true. Maybe I'm going to have to pull them off and have them turned.

 

I don't remember whether it's possible on the tacoma setup (you do enough and they all start blending together) but on certain vehicles it's possible to put the shoes in with the leading edge the wrong way round (reversed). Under braking the shoe will grab the drum and vibrate/shudder. You sure you got the orientation correct?

 

Pretty sure I got the orientation right. I was pretty careful.

It just occurred to me that I can put the old drums back on and see it goes away. I think I'll try that today.

 

I always pull both drums, then leave 1 side alone while I finish the other- gives me an 'unmolested' picture to compare to. Dropping the old drums on is a great idea.

 

Yeah, I did the same when swapped the shoes - left one side alone.

I've swapped the drums. I still feel a shudder at times, so I put the new drums back on. I've looked carefully over both sides and compared to my "before" pictures. I've got it put back together correctly. It's now sitting in the driveway thinking about being bad. I'm hopeful that the shoes will bed in over some miles and stop doing that. Is that even a possibility?

 

Before swapping drums I would apply Ebrake only by hand at moderate speed to rule out power assisted front .discs contribution to the "Shudder" . If it is rear brakes the shudder may be exaggerated by Ebrake as only braking force in play.

 

Yes it is. Try this trick to help bed the shoes: FLAT stretch of road, neither uphill or downhill. Accelerate to 20mph, no more. Put the truck in neutral. Pull the parking brake, nice and even, don't yank hard- we're not looking to lock up the rear wheels. Let the truck come to a stop using the parking brake only. Do this 3 times, with a bit of time in between to let them cool.

 

What he said. If you don't get brake shudder while Ebraking it's coming from front rotors.

 

Ok, boys. Tomorrow I'll try. I don't suspect the front because I didn't fuck with the front. But we'll see.

 

I am a big fan and have had good luck with Centric Daily Driver Premiums from Rock Auto:

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1279145&cc=3354143&jsn=410

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=2031398&cc=3354143&jsn=397

The surfaces that the pads or shoes do not touch are painted and don't turn to complete rust 2 hours after you drive in the first rain. Worth the couple extra bucks IMO.

 

Well, I tried it. 3 times, 20 mph, about 50 yards per. Still shudders under moderate braking. I can duplicate it by pulling the ebrake handle when doing 40 or 50. I'm at a loss. May have to take it to someone better than me.

 

It sounds like out of true drums. Where ever you got those drums from must have a warranty. Take them back, exchange for new ones. Don't throw in the towel yet!

 

The drums were, in fact, out of round. Far enough that guy turning them ran through twice and stopped fearing we'd be out of spec if he did a third, and it's still not quite right. To remind, these are brand new Power Stop drums from Rock Auto. Check this spot out:

It drives better, but I still feel it. Perhaps hyper-sensitive now. I'm having the originals turned now and I'll see how they do.

 

Wow dude, I'd have never believed it unless I'd seen it myself. That sucks man, no wonder people are Gung ho over oem parts.

 

Have you called Rock Auto?

 

I haven't, yet. For two reasons. The first is that I just confirmed for certain what the problem was today. The second is that I've not had great customer service from them and I'm not quite in the right mind to go to battle. I'll drive them 100 miles or so and see for sure before I do. In the meantime, I'm having the original drums turned for a backup.

 

I recently upgraded the brakes on my 1999 model. Surprisingly, the rear brake shoes at 229,000 miles did not need to be replaced. I had the drums turned at O"Reilly Auto for added smoothness. That worked out for the original rotors. Over the years, I've felt better about buying brake components locally where I have an "at the store" warranty. Also, I like to see what I'm buying before I leave the store. Once in a while I get into something that exceeds all expectations.

 

Good thing drum brakes last a long time...cause I don't want to do those things again any time soon. Fuck drum brakes! Seriously though. It wasn't all that bad, but glad they're done.