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Update: Freakin squeak still with me - go to last posts

cmayna

cmayna

DILLIGARA?
Donator
Red has developed this squeak which I thought was either the U-joint or rear wheel bearings, which both have been replaced and the squeak is still there. It seems to be a wheel revolution generated squeak when I'm driving around 35+ but fades away when I apply brakes.

What I totally forgot was to lubricate the edge of the brake shoes where they get real close to the backing plates in back. Can this be the culprit?

The only other area I have not looked at is the front bearings. We have put around 14k miles on these bearings.
 
Re: Can it be the brake shoe rubbing against the backing plate?

There's an easy way to tell..... pull the drum and take a look. If the shoe has been rubbing/squeeking on the backing plate, they'll be fresh evidence of that.
 
Re: Can it be the brake shoe rubbing against the backing plate?

That's what I'm going to do tonight. Besides I need to take pics of Red's brake assemblies so I can have a reference pic when I start assembling Shag's rear brakes.
 
Re: Can it be the brake shoe rubbing against the backing plate?

Craig,

Inspect for a ridge worn into the backing plate that could be hanging up the brake shoe from retracting.... This would cause the shoe to stay in contact with the rotating drum and produce your "squeek". Applying the brakes would of course stop the squeek. You may have nailed this problem.
 
Re: Can it be the brake shoe rubbing against the backing plate?

Sure glad I only need to look at your frightening mug just one time per post :rof
 
Re: Can it be the brake shoe rubbing against the backing plate?

Dave, though I have not driven the car yet, I agree that the very freshly worn grooves on the driver's side is a sign that this is the issue. For now I just greased these contact points but as soon as winter comes along when I'm not so apt to want to drive the car, I'm replacing or fixing them.

Can I simply weld in the grooves and smooth it out afterwards? Wish I had done this before. Just check Shag's backing plates and they look factory fresh. Whew.

Thanks for the tip. I owe you a refreshment drink whenever we meet.
 
Re: Can it be the brake shoe rubbing against the backing plate?

Craig, the standard method of repair is to simply grind the ridge smooth and repaint. If it's worn REALLY deep, I guess laying a bead into the groove and then grinding smooth would be fine. The key to the repair is "smooth"... leave nothing for the edge of the shoe to hang up on in the future. One little burr will start the whole "groove" process all over again.
 
Re: Can it be the brake shoe rubbing against the backing plate?

I have seen the plates with holes worn in them. A bit of welding and a touch of a grinder and they were good as new.

I have seen a brake drum flex causing a squeak at the axle center hub area.
 
Re: Can it be the brake shoe rubbing against the backing plate?

Job security for this winter.
 
Re: Can it be the brake shoe rubbing against the backing plate?

I decided to rip into it starting tonight. I'll weld in the grooves and smooth it out. This will be done while the backing plate remains on the car for I don't want to disconnect the brake lines.

Tad, drive up here and I'll do your.
 
Re: Can it be the brake shoe rubbing against the backing plate?

lol....thanks, but i was kinda joking:) Mine definitely need to be welded, and I'm not sure I want to put the effort into an axle I'm going to ditch in the next 2-5 yrs anyway
 
Re: Can it be the brake shoe rubbing against the backing plate?

Update: Dave, I think that was the problem. The lower contacts were pretty well shinny grooved on the drivers side so I simply ground them down, polished them up, paint and grease afterwards. Cleaned up the passenger's side as well. Took the car out afterwards and can't find the squeak. Next weekend a bunch of us are going to MustangsPlus meet so I'll put it through a good test.
 
Re: Can it be the brake shoe rubbing against the backing plate?

Really? I'm from Stockton:) I went to their last meet almost on accident. I happened to be in town and realized the show was going on, so I dragged my mom out there and picked up my rear leafs while I was at it.
 
Re: Can it be the brake shoe rubbing against the backing plate?

AzPete and I believe that lack of grease on the backing plate may be the cause of my rear brake problems. Yesterday, we put a grinding disk against the backing plate, applied some grease, and put things back together. The brakes seemed to rotate a lot easier now. Time will tell if the adjustment system works.
 
It took my wife to say to me "Honey? You do know that Red still squeaks, dont you?" Today I showed the GTO locally and realized they had room for Red, so my wife drove Red to the show. Show went great and upon my return home, she drops the bomb.

Recap: Ujoints and rear axle bearings replaced. Backing plates ground down at pads that the shoes touched.

Still sounds wheel revolution origin.


Front wheel bearings?

Dang!
 
Do you have disc brakes up front? If so, could it be a warped disc? If not, get more power to the speakers..... I doubt that it is a wheel bearing. Try jacking up each wheel ans spinning it by hand. You may be able to feel a bind or hear a rubbing sound.
 
Warped rotor? That's a great idea for Red does have discs up front. Will check it tonight.
 
Jacked up the front today and both wheels spin without a squeak. I assume the disc pads slightly rub against the rotors constantly when non braking? For there is a slight resistance of pad rub.

Regarding rears. Both rear drums do rub a little bit against the shoes. Like maybe one spot per revolution. Tried getting either one of them to squeak and nothing.

What a PITA.
 
Check for any rubbing of the driveshaft against the e-cables or other items. Not much else back there to squeak...Can you put t up on jacks on the rear and rotate the driveshaft and rear end together?
 
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