Hi!

On my 1996 DX I have a problem with rear right brake... it brakes fine and all but when brakes get hotter I hear some grinding noise when I hit brakes... (i.e. when driving down the hill for some time and braking all the time)...

I went to some garage to test my brakes and all 4 wheels brake exactly the same (not even 1% difference between wheels)... the guy in the garage said that they are perfect...

But, what is that grinding noise??? And note that it only happens when the brakes are HOT... if I drive for a minute or two and the brakes cool a bit, it won't grind until they warm up again... it is a loud grind...

Could it be that my brake shoes need replacement? or something else? Anyone with the similar problems?

Brakes are stock (no upgrades) and I think they have never been replaced... the car has 80.000 miles...

Brake fluid level is constant and there are no leaks... hand brake grabs properly (4 teeth)...

So help please, I have to go to annual inspection soon and do not want to fail becuse of some $20 problem...

 

What kind of answer are you looking for? theory or real life.

Theory: do a complete rear brake job using OEM parts.


Real life: I have seen that on my 2002 civic that i have.

The rear brakes would grind, only when hot...

I have tried everything from turning the drums, scuffing the shoes, hell i even switch the drums from one side to the other. COuld not get rid of it. Then, after a couple of months, no more noise. I suspect the lining is at fault. But why change them if they are still good... I would ride it out.

fs

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by filthy_shovel &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What kind of answer are you looking for? theory or real life.

Theory: do a complete rear brake job using OEM parts.


Real life: I have seen that on my 2002 civic that i have.

The rear brakes would grind, only when hot...

I have tried everything from turning the drums, scuffing the shoes, hell i even switch the drums from one side to the other. COuld not get rid of it. Then, after a couple of months, no more noise. I suspect the lining is at fault. But why change them if they are still good... I would ride it out.

fs

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Hmmm, I never experienced something like that, that's why I asked...

Anyway, I bought new shoes (Textar) just in case... they are not expensive and Textar is good...

I will try to disassemble the brakes so I can see what's going on...

It started out of the blue... it's really annoying noise...

I am affraid that there's something wrong with the brakes that's why I am so concerned... very often I drive my little daugther in the car and everything concerning wheels, tires and brakes must be TOP NOTCH...

So you say it went away!!!

Could it be the dirt from worn shoes? or warped drum?

Aynone else with some suggestions or similar problem?

 

convert to rear disks!

lol...but as stated above, completely replace the drum assembly.. thats all i cant tihnk of.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by filthy_shovel &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What kind of answer are you looking for? theory or real life.

Theory: do a complete rear brake job using OEM parts.


Real life: I have seen that on my 2002 civic that i have.

The rear brakes would grind, only when hot...

I have tried everything from turning the drums, scuffing the shoes, hell i even switch the drums from one side to the other. COuld not get rid of it. Then, after a couple of months, no more noise. I suspect the lining is at fault. But why change them if they are still good... I would ride it out.

fs

</TD></TR></TABLE>

I forgot to ask...

Did you ever try to replace the shoes???

 

First thing you need to do is take the drum off, inspect the brake shoes, and the drum. You'll most likely see what the problem is at that point. If not I would replace the shoes, and have the drums machined. If that doesn't fix it, i would replace the wheel cylinder on that side.

 

I forgot to mention one important thing...

It never happens if I just hit the brake say driving 50mph...

It only happens at very low speeds when coming to a stop... say 20 mph and lower....

For example, I drive 50 mph and coming to the traffic light and have to stop... I hit the brakes and hold the pedal evenly (not pushing it harder) to stop the car... there is no sound at all until mph falls to say 20mph then I hear a slight noise and as the car slows down this slight noise increases to a moderate grind...

It happens also if I drive 10mph and pull the handbrake a bit... there is also that sound...

??????

 

Just to inform you, I went to the garage today, and had my brakes checked...

Everything seems fine, shoes are not worn, so they cleaned the drum and the shoes and that's it... it doesn't happen any more...

Thanx everyone who helped here...