Is my brake drum distorted??

currylager · Feb 17, 2008

Hello all,

Since i fitted the adjusters to my front beam i have noticed a juddering sensation at the pedal when braking :roll: .

The juddering sensation is proportional to the speed of the bus and i'm sure it will probalbly fail the mot. I jacked it up and when rotating the drivers side front wheel by hand with the brakes slightly applied there is an area where the wheel can be rotated much easier than the rest.

My theory is i must have damaged the drum when i dropped the beam on the floor, is this a likely theory?, any advice appreciated on this and also if someone knows where i can get a cheap front drum from to prove my theory, that would be ace

dna · Feb 17, 2008

Use the drum from the other side. If it spins freely then the other drum in at fault. If it still catches then the fault will lie else where.

VWAIRCOOLED · Feb 17, 2008

You could also eliminate it by putting on a good brake pipe clamp on the pipe going to the suspect drum.Drive it down the road and try the brakes.**BUT BE CAREFUL AS THE BRAKES WILL CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO SWERVE** .So try it on a quiet road and don't go too fast.Sounds like a distorted drum is the problem though.

It won't neccesarily fail the MOT though,but you should get it sorted.

speedwell68 · Feb 17, 2008

The tightening in one part of the drum could be caused by uneven adjustment of the shoes.

currylager · Feb 18, 2008

Thanks for the advice, i'm convinced it has got to be one of the front drums, the brakes were fine before i droppped the beam, nothing else i think of could cause the thumping sensation i get from the pedal, the van pulls to the left a bit when braking so it probably is the right front drum. Does anyone know where i could get a good s/h one?, i suppose if i buy new i should renew both front drums? :roll: Mot is due this month, so i need to get cracking :wink:

VWAIRCOOLED · Feb 18, 2008

You don't have to replace both.As long as you've got two good ones and they're properly adjusted it will be fine.Second hand is a risk are you getting a good one? Who knows.It's not a problem if you find a decent one.