Rear Drums Sticking

[Adam C]

I started noticing this problem while driving. It is a sound I hear at any speed which sounds like I'm braking, only I get it when I'm not braking too. An annoying rumbling noise and being a perfectionist with the car, I'm not standing for it.

I've had the car looked at before Christmas but they couldn't find anything wrong, suggested it could be road salt. So a wash later and it's still making a sound.

Yesterday I jacked up eac rear corner to spin each wheel to see how free they were. Offside rear was catching whilst the nearside rear span as freely as was humanly possible. Problem identified. Every so often when I haven't driven the car for a day or two, I do get a rubbing from a sticking rear brake which used to free up after ha;f a mile, now I believe a part inside the drum mechansm has seized on. The garage let me take the car in to have it checked out. They said they couldn't fault it but carried out a 'strip-&-clean' and that didn't work either.

I left them an email stating I wasn't satisfied and they agreed to have another look today. Took it in and I could see the mechanic spinning the rear wheels before removing them. After a while I was led into the garage to see for myself. The brake was still catching but the lads claimed it is supposed to. Yeah and make a noise too? I think not. After the car was road-tested & brought back, I was again led in and found out the brakes had been adjusted, only now when I rotated the nearside rear, I found that this was also now catching. They reckoned there was nothing more they could do except maybe bring the car in again if I was still unhappy. Drove home and the sound was now louder.

Not a happy bunny, my car isn't perfect anymore and I'm now beginning to consider my options. I just want it fixed. Anyone got any ideas? Is this normal for the brakes? It's definitely worse than before so I think not. What really is the answer? What can I do? I'm considering writing to Toyota rather than pester the dealer for nothing again.

Ormi, any ideas?

[alfiejts]

The rear drums have an automatic adjuster that works on a rather coubik series of knotches on a gear - so as the rear brake shoes wear, as the adjuster clicks on a notch, there may be a slight rubbing on one side that's not quite the same on the other - and whilst you may be able to tell that its "scuffing" slightly when turning the wheel, I woudn't expect that it was loud enought to hear it inside the car....

We had a problem in our first Yaris that if you braked hard from high speed, the car pulled to the left slightly.

After changing all the front brake pads and disks, it was no better.

Eventually we realised that it was the back brakes causing the issue. If you pulled the handbrake on (keeping the button pressed in) from above 50, you could feel the car pulling to one side....

Not sure to this day what the real cause was. Stripping all the back brakes down and reassembling them resolved the issue....

Whether we'd got one of the springs on slightly wrong that hold the shoes together, I don't know...

Suggest that you try braking with just the handbrake to see if the car slows stright - if so, at least you know that the brakes are both working properly even if they're noisy...

[Adam C]

Hi alfiejts and thank you for your response.

My dad cottoned on to this automatic adjuster and said it may need to wear down a bit. It definitely is noisy, I can hear the droning rumbling sound whilst on the move. Surely won't that increase rear brake wear?

The Toyota mechanics brought me into the garage to see the car for myself, both on the ramps and on the brake roller test. All seemed ok despite the rear brakes not totally free-spinning. These cars have EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution), supposedly this'll play around with how much braking effort goes through each drum?

The garage said they did a strip & clean though with the way they run I don't think they completely stripped them down, that may have worked.

Guess it is just the noise I'm concerned about, the car doesn't feel any different to drive. The car has just this week clocked 35,000 miles, though last year needed a new wheel bearing on the offside rear corner (where I feel the drum noise comes from, not sure if the two are linked). Other than that the car is perfectly sound as ever.

Did either of your two Yarises make this droning sound under normal driving? I'm hoping it goes away real soon so the concerns I have vanish. Probably overreacting

[Madasafish]

A droning sound suggests a failed wheel bearing.

[ormi]

as above or could be the tyres

[alfiejts]

agree - sounds like the wheel bearing but the garage should have spotted thet when you had it in investigating the noise....

Does the droning alter at all when you go around left or right corners? That's a sure sign of a wheel bearing - it gets worse as you go round a bend one way but not the other....

[Adam C]

I first feared it but the sound doesn't increase with speed, just gets a little louder, if you know what I mean as the main parts of the brakes don't rotate. As mentioned I previously had a wheel bearing go and this sound is different to that. The garage confirmed it is not a wheel bearing.

I'm starting to see your point about the automatic adjuster alfiejts, I'll see how it goes and hopefully the noise will go down. I first believed that it was a seized part in the drum mechanism.

[Adam C]

I think I might give the handbrake test a go though on the brake rollers at the garage, all looked ok. I'll just try and put it at the back of my mind and enjoy the car again. Thanks for your replies people

[jonjosar]

It still could be a wheel bearing as it will get a bit louder with speed but there comes a point where it wont increase any more.

Also, with asbestos free brake shoes, they do tend to get noisy when dust builds up. A strip and clean with a proper cleaner might help.

[Adam C]

It definitely wasn't a wheel bearing issue my friend. Fortunately the noise has quietened down now so I am happy again. The only issue I have is the ease at which the windscreen picks up stone chips! Been tended to by the same chap from my local National Windscreens base God knows how many times now! (Good thing it's never been struck by a pheasant unlike a Mondeo that was having its 'screen replaced, totally smashed, that was. RIP birdie