Drum Brake Cleaning During Routine Maint

[The Critic]

Hey guys,

At every oil change, I rotate the tires and inspect the brakes.

On a car with rear drum brakes, I remove the rear drum and empty out any dust that had collected inside the drum.

I would like to hose down the drum brake assembly with brake cleaner to give it a good cleaning.

Will this cause any lubrication to be dissolved from the contact points on the backing plate?

Thanks.

 

[Scott_Tucker]

Yes, it will. You can reapply it by bending back the shoes with a screwdriver and using a brush to apply new grease.

 

[Sequoiasoon]

Also check and pay attention to the star wheel adjuster. My last 2 drum brake cars that got stuck and brakes wouldn't self adjust. That led to improper brake force distribution (front to rear) which made fronts wear faster etc.

Both of mine adjusted with combination of backing up and parking/emergency brake to "rock" the shoes. One was a stick shift and it was easy to tell when they were not adjusted as handle came all the way up. Forward/reverse 2-3 times wheile pulling handle and tightened right back up.

 

[86cutlass307]

I take the rear drums off and use compressed air to blow the dust out and look everything over periodically; keeps things quiet back there. I try to keep water and chemicals out if I can. We can never avoid deep puddles at intersections though after a rain storm.

 

[demarpaint]

Just try and avoid breathing in that brake dust. Years ago the linings were asbestos, I'm not sure what they use now but I'd be willing to bet breathing it in is not good for your lungs.

 

[eagle23]

+1 on avoiding the dust. It isn't asbestos but it's bad for you.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Hey guys,

At every oil change, I rotate the tires and inspect the brakes.

On a car with rear drum brakes, I remove the rear drum and empty out any dust that had collected inside the drum.

I would like to hose down the drum brake assembly with brake cleaner to give it a good cleaning.

Will this cause any lubrication to be dissolved from the contact points on the backing plate?


Yes. Lubricant may be washed from the backing plate. Washing down the assembly is not a good idea, in my opinion.

I'm not sure why you're inspecting the rear brakes so often. Rear brakes on a FWD car are generally happy to be left alone for 70 or 80,000 miles. In general, dust isn't important: drum brakes are designed to operate in the presence of dust; you can wait until the shoes need changing for that cleanout. Adjusters usually work by OPENING as the brakes wear, so adjusters stuck from dust aren't usually likely.

If I were you, I'd leave the rear brakes alone and worry about more important things.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Tegger


If I were you, I'd leave the rear brakes alone and worry about more important things.


+1 if they start squeaking or binding then have a look. I had 20 year old rear brakes on my van when I finally decided to change them. I checked them for wear, and threw the drums back on. Funny thing when I changed they were still good and working properly. I just thought it was time for new brakes because of their age.

 

[hsd]

I use a shop vac to remove the worst of the brake dust in my drum brake cars.
+1 on checking the adjusters.

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Tegger


If I were you, I'd leave the rear brakes alone and worry about more important things.


+1 if they start squeaking or binding then have a look. I had 20 year old rear brakes on my van when I finally decided to change them. I checked them for wear, and threw the drums back on. Funny thing when I changed they were still good and working properly. I just thought it was time for new brakes because of their age.


+2
If Critic's ocd won't let him leave things alone, I would just remove the drum and maybe use a brush to remove most of the dust and lube contact points, but I would under no circumstances use water to clean it and doing it every oil change is asking for trouble.

 

[Chris142]

Use water to clean and air to dry. Never air them off dry!
http://www.aa1car.com/library/trtu796.htm

 

[sciphi]

Knock the dust off, adjust the star wheel if needed, and call it a day.

 

[RobertISaar]

i've gone nearly 150K miles on a set of shoes.... probably due in some part to the adjusters seizing and causing the fronts to do most of the work until the pedal REALLY goes down and the shoes contacted the drum surface.

after breaking the rust-weld loose, pulled them apart and greased them, seem to be working again. EXCELLENT braking feel for a couple thousand miles after an adjustment, then they get kind of soft again even though they still adjust. guess they just aren't designed to adjust to that small of a clearance.

if the wheels are off for some other purpose(or something in the braking system fails, especially a wheel cylinder), i deal with them.

 

[Falken]

I use a 2 Liter coke bottle full of water with a hole poked in the cap to squirt water to wash out the drums. I wash all the backing plate, pads, wheel cylinder etc.

Tons of black water comes off the components.

Then, to dry, I use a light spray of brake cleaner as a finishing touch to mainly displace the water.

Then I let it air dry a bit and put the drum back on.

I never use compressed air to clean out brake dust, I don't want it in my lungs after.

Water renders brake dust into harmless mud.

 

[GSCJR]

Keep doing what you're doing. Regular inspections will help prevent issues from creeping up on you down the road. Check the operation of each wheel cylinder to confirm they are not seized and their seals for leakage. Clean the brakes down with a can of brake cleaner and allow them to dry on their own (approx 60 sec.). Adjust as required and lubrication is not a must. However, you can take Scott Tuckers advice as an additional step if you desire. Check the linings for cracks and the overall condition of the springs and drums. Never blow off brake dust!

 

[surfstar]

Originally Posted By: Tegger

I'm not sure why you're inspecting the rear brakes so often. Rear brakes on a FWD car are generally happy to be left alone for 70 or 80,000 miles. In general, dust isn't important: drum brakes are designed to operate in the presence of dust; you can wait until the shoes need changing for that cleanout. Adjusters usually work by OPENING as the brakes wear, so adjusters stuck from dust aren't usually likely.

If I were you, I'd leave the rear brakes alone and worry about more important things.


x 1 Million

 

[Rolla07]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Tegger


If I were you, I'd leave the rear brakes alone and worry about more important things.


+1 if they start squeaking or binding then have a look. I had 20 year old rear brakes on my van when I finally decided to change them. I checked them for wear, and threw the drums back on. Funny thing when I changed they were still good and working properly. I just thought it was time for new brakes because of their age.


+2
If Critic's ocd won't let him leave things alone, I would just remove the drum and maybe use a brush to remove most of the dust and lube contact points, but I would under no circumstances use water to clean it and doing it every oil change is asking for trouble.


+3

Besides checking them after 100k miles for wear i wouldnt worry about the drum brakes or bother cleaning them. Removing dust wont hurt but id leave all else alone.

 

[KrisZ]

It appears I misread Critic's post. When he said "hose down" it just stuck with me that he would use water, when in fact he would use brake cleaner. Sorry.

But the poster using water in the coke bottle should really give it a second thought.

 

[Errtt]

I only get in and clean when brakes need attention, so not often. When I do I clean things up, lube the pads, clean up the adjuster and on it use very very light finger rub/working anti-seize to the adjuster.

 

[The Critic]

Thanks guys, for the advice.

When I did today's maintenance, I cleaned the drums with brake clean and left the rest of the assembly alone. I like to check the rear brake assembly on a periodic basis so that the drums do not get stuck, and also, so that any wheel cyl leaks can be spotted.

I turned the star wheel down (2 clicks) on each side (LR and RR), and the parking brake adjustment is now 8 clicks as per the service manual. The brakes are also a bit more responsive.