3rd Gen Drum Brake Nonsense

There hasn't been a proportioning valve in a Tacoma for 20 years. Toyota has used EBD in place of it since the 2nd gen.

 

Okay, so a more modern, more accurate and electronic way of accomplishing the same thing.

 

Thats makes sense, maybe by saturday there will be a little bit of polishing where the noise is originating from to. Did the dealer or anyone else try switching the drums from one side to the other?

 

Where at in Va are you? Might be able to help you sort a decent dealer. Pm me if you want.

 

Drums are great when they work properly. Disks just work, period. I'd swap mine over if it wasn't so expensive. The drum to disk on my 2000 Celica GT was easy. Backing plates and calipers from a GTS or Matrix (or Pontiac Vibe). Easy, pesy. Cost me $50 on CL.
I HATE servicing drum brakes. I've done it since the '60s.

 

Drums are easier. The last few trucks I've had were rear disc brakes. Disc rear brakes are easy too, just replace everything! Yay! $$$$$ Servicing drum brakes is easy- clean lube and adjust. I was thrilled to find out the Tacoma had rear drum brakes.

 

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Yep. Had a new squeak in the back of my S10, it has rear discs. Pull the drivers side wheel off for a quick look aaaaaand just throw everything away from the brake line on down and replace it all. It's so common here in the rust belt I keep rear brake parts on the shelf in my garage to save on trips to Advance auto.

Ebay is your friend when you have a GM product for a beater.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/352583221733



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OK man I love old school and I love simple but you 2 might be the last drum defenders on the planet! LOL.

 

My 2011 Tacoma has survived the last 12 years in the rust belt with it's original rear drum brakes. Parked next to it have been two rear disk brake vehicles from two different manufacturers. Both have required replacement rear pads every year and new rotors every second. Tacoma panic stopped fine from 110 kph last week when a deer ran across in front of me. What else could i ask for.

 

I never ever thought I would again revisit the bright side of drums...but point taken!!

 

Drums are great, they stop the car better, last longer and are cheaper to work with. They just have to be serviced/adjusted occasionally, cleaned out if you drive through mud or otherwise submerse them. They can fade alot easier than disks since all the heat is contained in them but, from a stopping perspective looking at coefficient of friction not in an overheated condition drums beat the pants off disks easy while also lasting significantly longer

 

My friend has a 1969 Mach 1 Mustang with a 351C and 4 drums! LOLOL. Definitely takes a minute to get used to it!

 

Where the truck lives probably has a lot to do with how long rear discs last.

Side by side comparison in identical conditions, 2013 ferd focus hatchback I sold @ 186k miles had original rear drums with zero issues. My 2000 S10 ZR2 with rear discs, I have lost count of how many times each rear wheel entire assembly has been replaced.

Latest one was entire driver side on Saturday. It just never ends! .




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Yeah, I don't get the love for rear disc brakes. We're driving a pickup truck! If we were on a sports car forum then fine. Nobody could even tell if a Tacoma had rear disc by brake performance. Same with all other pickup trucks. The reason they put them on most other brands isn't because they're better. It's because they make WAY more money for the respective brand. Replacing everything at every brake service keeps the manufacturer's pockets full. They keep selling the fact of how much better they are when in reality drums are more than adequate. Front discs? I totally agree that they are a requirement.

 

The bottom line is, drums suck to service. I've been doing brakes since 1968 and when disk brakes came to America I was thrilled! Drums are easy if someone else does them. Too many parts! Fussy and a PITA to adjust. Replacing wheel cylinders?
I really don't know why so many of you are hung up on drums. They are archaic. Prove me wrong.

 

Maybe you hate them because you just don't want to work on them. Anyone can do a pad slap but to understand and repair and adjust properly is easy. I love drum brakes and never a challenge for me.

 

Yeah, I guess so. To each his own.

 

I like the feel of fresh new rotors and pads and the ease of the job and the knowledge that all the parts are new.

Adjusting old stuff just seems less exciting lol.

 

Good Evening All,

I have a positive update! After replacing the wheel-cylinders, greasing the interface between the backing plate and the drum per @joba27n's recommendaion, and bleeding the lines to get fresh brake-fluid in... No more squeaking after today's test drive! Truck feels like it's braking WAY smoother and don't hear any eccentric "grinding" noise anymore while coming to a stop at low speed.

I guess it's hard to nail down what exactly may have been the issue... but I'm leaning towards it being a seized wheel cylinder. Brake fluid looked perfectly fine - almost brand new, so no issues w/ rust blocking the lines. All that to say... Thanks for the help/recommendations everyone. I truly appreciate it. Hopefully the next time the drums have to come off, it'll be about 10 years from now and 150,000+ miles later
Now time for some garage music and silver bullet... or two... or more

 

Sad update…

After about 6 months noise-free. These suckers on the rear are all up and creaking/squealing again. Have adjusted per Toyota spec and still getting creaking or squealing once per rotation pads have >4mm on em so can’t be wear indicators.

I’m at a loss. Taking it into the dealership on Saturday and having them disassemble and rebuild w/ all OEM parts so hopefully I don’t have to touch em again for another 8 years. Who knows… maybe the PowerStop kit is not machined to Toyota specs so there’s some mating surface that’s just rubbing.