2001 rear drum brake problem
 

ok heres my problem i had new front rotars and rear drums installed about 1.5 years ago.i went on trip in summer and it was 105 uot and one of my rear drums warped.i went to shop and they turned it.well now there is a thumping noise in rear when driving but stops when i apply brakes.so my question is was turning the drum a short term fix?do i need rear drums replaced?i went to meinike and was charged quite alot of money but i was in a bind as i had to have this job done that day.this was my first and only brake job on this truck and couldn't believe that i needed rotars and drums so i had them puy my old drums and rotars in my truck and i have them in my garage.could i use those drums?? [/align]

RE: 2001 rear drum brake problem
 

Sometimes they can't "true them up" 100%. So they cut them the best they can, adjusted the shoes outwards so allow good pressure on the drum when applying the brakes, but it sounds like between the warp and the shoes being adjusted out to far that the shoes are hitting a "high spot" on the drum when the brakes aren't applied. To me it sounds like they need to take another shot at it (cut the drums) and test drive it before they return it to you. They might be able to "true them up" a little better than that. Worst case senerio you might have to go with a new pair of drums which can be costly. BUT do not get cheap ones!!!! Get Bendix on GM rotors. Cheap ones are hardly ever 100% true out of the box and even if they are they will warp easier. You can use your old drums BUT you need to make sure that there is enough metal on them (need to measure the thickness of the drum from contact point to the outside surface but I can't think of what a good measurement would be) and you should get those drums cut too so there is a good, flat and even surface for the shoes to hit it. Turning (Or cutting) the drum is not a short term fix, just a fix. But they can only be cut once or twice usually before they are no good (the metal gets too thin).

RE: 2001 rear drum brake problem
 

thanks for reply!seeing that i have original drums that were never worked on how is it that i was told they were no good?remember this was meinike brake shop and they are looking for the most work/money to get from you.do you think that having never had a brake job and then i am told that i need rotars,drums is right?thanks for your help. [/align]

RE: 2001 rear drum brake problem
 

Technically they could be rusted to the point where they aren't safe to cut, they might be too thin to cut, too warped to cut, or badly "grooved" from the shoes (so that cutting them would be a bitch. BUT it could just be the fact that they get almost the same commission (I would assume) for replacing them and its a hell of a lot easier to do!

Oh and it isn't uncommon to need everything right off the bat if you have the original rotors and drums (especially with an 03), BUT rotors are fairly cheap to replace and I changed mine out a few times on my 91. BUT I only did drums once. But both the drums and rotors can be cut.