Hey,

If anyone can help me out here I would be very appreciative. Normally I prefer researching my own problems, but I couldnt find an answer for this on the net, and ordering the Haynes Repair manual online will take awhile.

2000 Honda Civic SI. The brakes at rear are drum. One morning, the rear right wheel had seized. So I jacked it up, took off the tire and managed to ease off the drum cover with a flat head. It was rusted to the assembly (for lack of a better term, I am not very car literate), so once I got it off and cleaned it up with a rag, the wheel was now moving. Two related issues remain.

[ol][*]When I spin the wheel, I can hear friction on a small section of the rotation. Sounds like a light grinding. Does this mean the inside of the drum cover i removed should be de-rusted (the drum cover has rust inside and out)? If so, can someone recommend what to clean with? [*]Also, and more importantly, when I use the brakes now, I can hear almost the same light grinding sound coming from that same wheel. Except the sounds persists as long as brake pressure is applied.
[/ol]

Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

If you take the drum off and turn the hub, is the sound still there? I would look for any parts that are out of place and rubbing against anything. Are you sure that the shoes are not worn?

 

take it apart again and clean with Brakleen, that should remove any weird residue that might be on there. It should be safe to use on both the drum and the shoes.

 

No, there is nothing out of place that I can see.

The shoes look alright, but there is a bit of rust on the inside of the drum cover which the shoes would press against when brakes are applied (I assume thats what they do?). I also noticed in my Honda manual its time for maintenace for front and rear brakes. What else normally gets done for rear drum brakes when they are serviced?

I'll try the Brakleen, thanks.

Jeff

 

the 00 SI's should have rear disk brakes I thought.

 

Newp, not mine. rear drums.

 

Maybe he is Canadian in which case he would have the US EX. Usually when you service drums, you change the shoes and clean out the backing plate and the rest of the drum assembly. Is there any friction material left on the shoes? Are there any deep grooves on the inside of the drum (where the shoes would rub against).

 

drum brakes actualy are ment to rub with the housing... just a fyi... so if you can just spin the drum and it free wheels and stops like 10 seconds later its way to look... should have some friction on it... to be set right

 

If it spins freely, you need to adjust the brakes. You prolly do not have this problem, but since riceburner brought it up im gonna write a little about it. When you turn the drum, it should drag a little bit. If it does not, you can adjust it by turning the star wheel on the brake adjuster. You will see a bar with a wheel towards one side (it has teeth). When you turn the star wheel, it will push the shoes outwards. Make sure you are turning the wheel correctly b/c you can also turn the star wheel so it pulls the pads together instead of apart. If you need pictures i can try and hunt them down.

 

Might be a silly question, but are you 100% sure the brake is working when applied? Just seems a little odd that there is rust on both sides of the drum - there should be little or no surface rust on the inside as the brake shoes will remove it as soo a the brakes are applied for the first few times while driving. If the slave cyinder is siezed or has broken seals, it would explain why there is more friction there than usual. I'd take it apart and just give the whole assembly a good cleaning with quality brake cleaner, and have a check if everything is still working right just for peace of mind.

Just a thought that popped into my otherwise dormant mind.

=chris=