End of last year our Crusader started to develop a brake squeal at low speeds, like it was staying on slightly after braking. Left it until this year to sort out during the service and the mechanic said that it was down the the amount of brake dust in the drum which he cleared out and rest of the drum was ok.
First longer trip this year (100+ mile) and it seems to be back, not as bad as before but I can see it getting worse.
Has anyone had any experience of this or any other ideas of cause?
Just want to be sure that the service guy was right (not convinced as
it's come back so soon) and don't really want to be paying out again for same problem.
Often a chamfer on the leading edge of the brake shoes will stop this as "sometimes" the shoes will lightly rub even though they adjusted correctly or are just a smidgin out.
The brake shoe linings should already have a chamfer on the leading edge but what can happen over time is that the brake shoe surfaces become shiny which instead of gripping they tend to rub creating friction which leads to the brake shoes overheating causing the squealing sound. The solution is to remove both brake drums and slightly rub the surface of the brake shoes with some fine sandpaper which will remove the shiny surface but you MUST remove any dust from the brake shoes with a soft paint brush and anywhere else in the drum. It is also important to spray some brake cleaner to the brake shoe surfaces to remove any dirt etc. then when you have completed the task just replace both brake drums.
An excellent product which I use to clean the stabiliser hitch friction pads is 'Holts Brake Cleaner' as you can tip the can upside down and still guaranteed to spray.
Well said Tango! You must have been or still are a mechanic. The squeal does occur usually because of the build up of brake dust but when cleaning be sure to use only a brush. I have seen people using a blow gun! The dust can be dangerous so be careful and as tango says use brake cleaner and get rid of all the dust. 10 out of 10 Tango!
Quote: Originally posted by derekcbr on 18/4/2015
Well said Tango! You must have been or still are a mechanic. The squeal does occur usually because of the build up of brake dust but when cleaning be sure to use only a brush. I have seen people using a blow gun! The dust can be dangerous so be careful and as tango says use brake cleaner and get rid of all the dust. 10 out of 10 Tango!
Thank you for your kind words but that's the idea of a forum like this so you can pass on the knowledge of your own DIY experience. The OP should be able to rectify the squealing problem providing they have some experience with basic mechanics as it's quite an easy job to do.
Thanks everyone, will have a go. One other observation, should I have expected this to have been done during the service especially as I mentioned the squeal to him?
Your mechanic did exactly what he should have done. He cleaned the drum of dust which normally would have solved the problem. It's just unfortunate that after a number of miles the squeal returned.
A belt and braces job would have been to completely replace all brakes this would have been really costly for you and your mechanic did what all good mechanics would do. Don't blame him.
Think I might have to get him to have another look after having a look
at the costs of all the required tools (sizeable torque wrench etc).
The reason I wondered if it had been overlooked was because I'm not sure what else I had 'serviced' for my £115. That was just for the running gear, so would feel a bit steep for just cleaning the dust out and adding some extra grease on the handbrake lever. Other bits may have been done that I missed but I can only compare to what gets done on the car I suppose.
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Topic: Brake squeal
