Had the drum brakes on the g-friends 69 camaro re-done all the way around. All new stuff, including new drums.

Now- Havn't put many miles on yet- but after they get warmed up (15 minutes of start & stop driving) they start howling like semi-truck brakes just before you come to a complete stop (does not happen until JUST before it totally stops)
There is a little bit of a pulse to them also when you step on them- Leading me to believe the drums are not exactly true.

Do new brake drums need to be turned before the first use?
Any idea what would make this howling sound with new brakes?
The car stops much better than before- but this sound is really irritating and should not be there with brand new brakes...
The car will be going back in tomorrow for "adjustment" and i just want to have an idea what could cause this ahead of time.

Thanks-
Ben

Did you clean the packing/storage oil/film off the inside of the drum before you installed them? If not, the shoes are probaly impreganted with the oil.

The mechanic said he cleaned them out the best he could before putting them on- But I'm guessing there was still a bunch left.

Will that trash the shoes, or will they get better the more miles i put on them?

I drove it around at lunch today- including a bunch of short freeway hops with 60-0 stops at the offramps... Still making that sound. :mad:

If there was ANY oil left on the drums and it got into the pads, then everytime you make a hard and that translates into HOT stop, you have most likely glazed the pads. I'd open them up and SEE what the pad surface looks like. If they are glazed sand them with some fine sandpaper and them clean with brake cleaner and reassemble. OR you can slap in a set of new pads and try again~ Also you'll want to make sure the pads are preadjusted so that there is a slight drag with the drum on, wheel off when you turn it by hand. :D

The drums probably should have been turned before installation. If the brake hardware wasn't replaced( the return springs,etc) that may be causing the noise. I had a 86 Mercury Cougar that sounded like a dump truck every time you stopped, the dealer said they could find nothing wrong. I went and bought new shoes and hardware kit and replaced the old stuff and no more noise. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

I agree with chev64 about the hardware kit. As to having new drums turned I never have do it except when the shop I worked at required it, but you never can tell how a drum or disc was handled by the manufacture, warehouse, and parts store personal. If a drum or brake disc were to be stacked inproperly for a long period of time it might cause a warpping of it. Check everthing, shoes, springs, and drums for there condition, my advise is ask to see the brakes before the mechanic buttons them back up. And yes the protective coating MUST be COMPLETELY removed before being installed, not "I did my best" someone doing brakes for a living should know this! :eek: Some persons calling themselves mechanics scare me. :rolleyes: