<p>Reader Question

Hello,

I recently replaced the rear brake shoes on my 2005 Chevy Silverado 1500 and now i am getting a horrible sqealing sound out of them. The squealing happens a few feet before the truck comes to a stop and for a long time after I have released the brakes.

I contacted a GM dealer and spoke with a technician and he claimed there was nothing I could do, that it was the shoes vibrating against the drum in turn causing the squealing. Is this true or is he B.S-ing me? I didnt turn the drums when I replaced the shoes, do you think that could be the problem? Would buying a new pair of drums solve my problem? Please help!
Jake

Hey there Jake,

You should always turn the drums when installing new brake shoes, so I would definitely recommend you remove them and send them to your local auto parts store so they can turn them for you. I doubt you need to replace them, just have them refinished….”turned”. You really should always install new wheel cylinders when you do a drum brake job as well.

I would highly suspect an installation error though causing this noise. Once you remove the drums, looks closely to see if you can see where anything was rubbing. Check the self adjusters to make sure they are not stuck, or not set correctly and the rear brakes are out of adjustment. When do it yourself’er do a drum brake job they usually get the self adjusters installed wrong, install the brake shoes backwards…there is a primary shoe and a secondary shoe, or get one of the brake springs installed wrong.

Look at the wear one the brake shoe itself and it should show you where the shoe is coming in contact with the drum, it should be fairly even. If in doubt, have your auto parts store show you which shoe is the primary shoe and which shoe goes on first.

You should also be able to turn the rear wheels by hand once you get the vehicle off the ground, if not you have the brakes adjusted too tight or there is a problem with the self adjusters etc. etc.

Blessings,

Austin Davis