Need some help here...

I got a 92 Civic LX with 185,000 miles. I decided to change the rear brake shoes because I thought my rear brakes might be thin..So I opened up both rear side of the drums & it turns out my brake shoes were still good..I didn't know this till now.
So I sprayed Carb fluid(sub for brake cleaner) inside the rear passenger side drum well to clean it up(just sprayed..didn't wipe or touch) and put both drum covers back on.
With the parking brake off & the tires on, I spun the rear driver side drum first..spins good..no noises or sounds..but when I spun the passenger side rear drum I hear a low tone scraping sound. Took the drum cover off again...everything looks good...put it back on..made sure I had the nuts on pretty tight on the wheel...now I hear a damn squeaking sound..like metal against metal.

I've never heard this sound before today..all of a sudden I just take off the drum covers without touching the brake shoes or any springs & it squeals?

BTW..I didn't spray Carb fluid on the driver's-side drum..but it spins smoothly with no noise..only the passenger side. Could it be the absent of "brake dust" that's making this noise?

I don't know what's going on...can anyone help me out?

 

Don't use carb cleaner instead of brake cleaner. It's not the same thing. Clean them with brake cleaner then test-drive, as the noise may go away after a few stops for the brakes to readjust themselves.

Also check that it's not bearing noise, or that the bearing isn't so loose that the drum can wobble and touch.

 

But I don't get what has to be readjusted if I didn't even touch the brakes. I only took off the drum covers.
Also I thought Carb cleaner & brake cleaner were the same. I just thought that because when cleaning the Throttle many say use carb cleaner or brake cleaner.

Oh well..I'll take it for a drive & see how it goes.

 

Ok...So I took it for a test drive..drove about 2 miles & all through those 2 miles was the squealing sound..Agh!
I even put high temp grease on the outer rim of the drum cover & on the outer side of the brakes(the skinny sides) to no effect. I know for a FACT it's scraping against something on the other part of the drum whenever I put that drum cover on. I see a very fine line of fresh metal all the way around the drum cover(where the 2 halfs of the drum meet)..but I'm still trying to figure out what cause it.

When I first took off the drum cover, I had to hit it with a hammer to crack the rust that formed...maybe the drum cover is bent? I don't see any bends or dents tho.

 

That is not good. Either the bearing is shot, or something is severely bent or broken. Those parts should NOT touch each other in normal operation. Do not apply grease.

With the drum off, grab the center hub / bearing (part with the lug studs) and try to wiggle it side to side and in and out. It should have no play, it should just rotate silently.

The outer part that rotates is called the brake drum. The part that sits still with the brake shoes attached to it is called the backing plate.

 

Grabbed the center hub & movied it all around..it spins smoothly with no noise or play.

I noticed if I don't put the brake drum on as really tight(torqued with the wheel)..then the squealing is gone..I but I ain't trying to have a flying wheel on my way to work tomorrow. :P.

I'm still trying to problem solve this to the end of the day but anything being dented or bent shouldn't have happened because hitting a brake drum that's rusted is highly suggested by anyone that knows cars..I used a regular hammer & hit it 4-5 times & it was loose.

I even googled "replaced-brake-drum+squealing" and nothing comes up but drum replacement DIYs & "My car is squealing..is it my brakes?" results.

This sucks....but I'm patient...:-)

 

Just for anyone that comes along this problem again..I stopped the squealing from my drum.
Seems like one of the brake shoes were out of "alignment". So the squealing was coming from the outside tip of the brake shoe scraping against the inside of the drum. Adjusted it little bit(tapped brake shoe up and down)...put the drum on..spun it..Not a sound.

Me so happy! :-)

 

cant speak for your brake problem, but carb cleaner leaves a residue while brake cleaner does not. Brake cleaner can be used lots of places, but carb cleaner cannot be used on brakes.

 

Ok the squealing sound is back..I thought I fixed it by adjusting the brake shoes down alittle..but NOPE!
I noticed on the outside rim of my rear brake shoe the black paint is scraped off...that's likely where the squealing sound is coming from & coming in contact with the drum.

The area I'm talking about is attached below.

None of my other brake shoes are like this..I tried bending that part inward..it made it worst..I even cut off a very small chunk..squeal is still there but it's a different sounding squeal now.
(No I didn't damage the ceramic either)

I don't have the time or money to get any parts.

I was thinking should I just use the adjuster to adjust the brakes BACK from the drum on that side(rear passenger side) so I won't have to hear that squealing for now?
Or should I just take those brake shoes out?
I know some people are gonna say you need ALL your brakes to drive but I always brake early when driving & there's not many hills around where I live so I don't have to worry about the parking brake.
I mean...some people even drive on worn brakes..right?

 

You need ALL your brakes to drive.

There should be a spring across the bottom and one across the top. The springs go into a hole in each shoe and pull the shoes together to hold them in the bracket (at the bottom) or firmly against the adjuster and wheel cylinder (at the top). Is that spring broken or missing?