Just got the 99 XJ back from the shop after a pretty major overhaul, and it seems like when I press on the break, there’s a dragging sound from one side that is intermittent almost like the pad is dragging harder on one part of the drum or something. Drums were just turned, new pads. So trying to figure out if that’s actually the case or if there might be something else causing this sound. Thanks for any thoughts.

 

Turning rotors and drums correctly is getting to be a lost art.. I've had to take more than one set back to get trued up... With the price of drums from rock auto I don't even bother with getting them turned anymore..Anyhow, run it for a few days and see if it goes away... Other problems that could cause that would be axle bearings, bent/worn axle , even an improperly seated drum...And that's giving the mechanic credit for catching an out of round drum in the first place..

 

Immediate thought was "oval drum" but that seemed unlikely if they've just been turned, subject to Corky's comments.

Are drums not now considered consumables, to be replaced with the shoes, just as, I understand, rotors to be (not, I hasten to add, something I subscribe to).

Amazed you can still get drums for XJ's but while you can, that's probably the answer - except that quality of modern parts being what it is, I'm not entirely sure you can rely on them being true.

 

Did the use all new springs? Are you sure?
The spreader bar has a weird shaped spring and it seems to lose it's ability to be a spring after many years.
This will cause the shoes to "float" inside the drum and rub inconsistently when not braking.

I learned the hard way.....

Just donating my 2 cents...

 

Interesting, as I have just discovered unevenly worn shoes - & never really understood the purpose of that spring, but I'd always thought those pins through the backplates was to stop that "floating" (after all, not all drum brakes have that bar).

Of course brake hardware/fitting kits seems to be a peculiarly American thing as never seen them here, so no new springs for my XJ, at least not until I can resume my annual US roadtrips.

 

 

Thanks, but no thanks: that's ridiculous: more than a set of shoes - before shipping, tax & duty!

However, I might replace that, apparently, troublesome spring with another old one, just to see if, in another 5 years, it's made any difference. Unless, of course, meanwhile, I've been able to get to an O'Reilly's.

 

I was just letting you know they are available where you are, I didn't look at the price....besides...what isn't stupid expensive anymore...
Who ever designed the springs and the choice of metal didn't think it through. My springs rusted away. I don't drive on beaches or off road and it doesn't snow here so the moisture is from rain on the roads. BTW, the kit here in the states is $7.89 US at O'Reilly Auto Parts

 

I appreciate that, which was why my 1st word was "thanks" . Wouldn't call $7.89 stupid expensive, sounds about right for what would probably have been $5 last time I visited, the sort of price I had in mind. Curiously, when I last did the brakes the drums were really far gone but the springs seemed OK. Maybe 5 years later the drums of my parts XJ that's 2years older are still better than the ones they replaced. Like you this corrosion is mainly down to wet roads, although some of them are farm tracks, so there's a fair bit of mud involved.

 

When techs go to turn drums and rotors, it's real important to take time & make sure the machine is very clean, and they are installed on the machine exactly 'straight'. It's pretty easy for a guy who's used to just 'slapping them on' and walking away, to get a flake of metal, rust or debris between the turning machine's flange and the drum. That might be what happened. And I've had drums and rotors turned which came back worse than when I took them in.

OR ...perhaps the tech was real careful and got the drum turned perfect. It could be the install or your vehicle. Sometimes a piece of rust or debris falls off the inside of the drum or off the axle flange when a guy puts the drum on the axle. That would make the drum not fit perfect to the axle flange and run un-true (slight wobble). It's an easy thing to have happen. To fix, the first would be to put the rear end up on jackstands, put vehicle in N, and rotate the rear wheels. You should be able to hear which drum is scrubbing the shoe faintly as you rotate the tire. Then remove the affected wheel & drum, and clean 100% ...so there's no debris between the drum and flange. Reinstall wheel and rotate again. test drive. See if that clears it up.

If that doesn't work, it *could* have been a bad 'turn'. But maybe not. At that point, I would probably put a dial indicator on the axle hub face and verify the axle flange isn't warped. That's a possibility. Because if it is, you could put a brand new drum on it with the same results. You have to put "Inward" pressure on the center of the rear axle as you rotate (so the axle is not moving in/out) ...to get an accurate dial indicator reading. You could also try rotating the drum on the hub a couple times and see if you can get it at a position where it doesn't scrub the brake shoes. Any one of the above is a possibility. Getting perfect brakes takes time and finesse ...the one thing most brake places hate to spend a lot of on a vehicle.

If the axle flange checks out 'true' ...or if you don't want to check it, replace the affected drum/s. That should do it. Best of luck!

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Wow, that provides an interesting insight into aspects I'd never even thought of.