Here I am

2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Brake Drum Balance?

Attention: TDR Forum Junkies
To the point: Click this link and check out the Front Page News story(ies) where we are tracking the introduction of the 2025 Ram HD trucks.

Thanks, TDR Staff

2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Fair value

Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Temp guage issue

Status
Not open for further replies.
It seems since I installed new rear brake drums my '99 2500 has a vibration between 60 and 65 MPH. I just had new tires installed expecting the vibration to go away, but it's still there. Can't feel anything in the steering wheel, but the shifter indicates the vibes are in the rear.



I purchased the "best" drums NAPA offered... a mistake. The drums are stamped "China. " Anyone else need to balance brake drums? I know a lot of factory drums have weights welded on them.
 
I hate my 99 drum brakes. Sorry, I've been round the world trying to help them be nice and smooth, best I ended up with was a bit of a bounce when braking between 42 - 35 mph. Some day I'll spring for the rear disc conversion . . . maybe.
 
NAPA Drums

I did speak to a NAPA district manager and he claims the drums are shipped from China stacked in containers and mine may have been on the bottom of the pile. He said to keep swapping them out until I get two good ones! :eek:

Who has time to do that??? I've about had it with NAPA. :mad:
 
EdK, another option could be take your drums back to NAPA along with the communication the Dist Mgr gave you, get a new set and have them "Trued" (surface ground) before installation. It sucks, but I've had to do this many times before with drums. Did I happen to mention "I hate my rear drum brakes"? Oh, yes I did above . . .
 
We just bought drums for a 94 Dana 80 from Napa in Redding, CA and they are Raybestos and made in China. They are identical to OEM, same fins, etc. We haven't had any touble with them.



Joe Mc: That bounce may have to do with your locker, not the brakes. When you brake, one of the clutches in the posi could be grabbing and you get a little jerk. We had this problem with a Dana 80 and we added one friction modifer and did some

figure 8's and it went away.
 
We just bought drums for a 94 Dana 80 from Napa in Redding, CA and they are Raybestos and made in China. They are identical to OEM, same fins, etc. We haven't had any touble with them.



Joe Mc: That bounce may have to do with your locker, not the brakes. When you brake, one of the clutches in the posi could be grabbing and you get a little jerk. We had this problem with a Dana 80 and we added one friction modifer and did some

figure 8's and it went away.



a while back when i did the rear brakes i got raybestos drums, they do have weights on them for balance. at the time i also did the chevy wheel cylinders, everything has worked beautifuly untill a few months ago. i was replacing the front brakes and after getting it all bled out i noticed the truck felt a little strange during braking. so since it had been a long time i adjusted the rear brakes, this lead to a bucking/chatter during braking. i pulled the drums off and found the adjusters were siezed. i removed them, tore them down, cleaned and lubed them, reinstalled and adjusted. since then i have had better brakes (the rears worked but not as well as they should have) but it was still chattering. it looks like its due to uneven wear left to right. i could feel the brakes adjust and it would brake smooth, then as the wore down it would start chattering, it would get worse as they wore, untill they adjusted again. this is from one of the adjusters siezing before the other did. i have not messed with the adjustment hoping that the brakes would balance out. so far it seems to have been working, the brakes have been getting smoother and more consistent.



im giving the background so that my solution has more credit. as i mentioned the brakes have slowly been getting better. a few days ago i installed a set of balance masters wheel balancers on all four corners. during the install i removed the rear drums for inspection. what i found was the left side was tighter and closer to the drum than the right. also the leading edge of the forward brake shoe was more worn down on the left vs the right.



now with the balancers the brakes have been chattering some but not as bad as it was. since i have installed the wheel balancers the chatter has been nearly eliminated. i do still get it from time to time but it is much less often and almost imperceptable. i also think that once the brakes wear evenly they will be completly smooth.



over all the truck drives much smoother, and the brakes feel amazing. not only are they smooth now, they also feel stronger. i have braided stainless lines which really helped pedal feel. the balancers though make the brakes feel like a brand new truck. i barely have to touch them and they start braking. they also feel amazing under hard braking. one problem with the big rear cylinders is the tendency to brake too hard and cause lock up on an empty truck. i have heard the tires skid several times, mostly at lower speeds but even with only moderately hard braking. it happened enough that i was able to feel when the tires would lock before they would lock. now i dont get that feeling, the brakes are strong and the braking feels very positive. under hard braking i no longer get that nose dive, it feels much more square and level. i am really happy with the effect the balancers made. i installed them to increase tire life but these side affects are great too.



my suggestion is get a set of drums that is of a quality manufacturer, adjust the brakes to make sure they are set correctly, if the problem does not go away, then get the balancers. i think though that your vibration problem would cured just by the balancers alone. the same company also has driveline balancers, which i have also, they where installed at the same time. i think they are helping a lot with driveline, axle, brake/wheel vibration as well.
 
That vibrations seems odd. I would look else where for the problem. Maybe the carrier bearing or u-jounts. Don't forget the possability of axle or axle bearings. Also check if your tires/wheels are perfectly round. They may balance out but not be round.



If your rear brakes are chattering in any way, something is wrong. Wheel balancers are just a band-aid on the real problem. I'm not saying balancers are a bad idea, but I would find the real problem first. When you replaced the drums, I assume you replaced the shoes. If you got any grease or oil on the shoes, they may shatter. If the shoes got contaminated, they will need to be replaced.



The chevy one ton wheel cylinders made a big difference on my truck, but I would wait until you fix your other problem first (unless they are leaking on your shoes). Good luck.
 
Last edited:
Joe Mc: That bounce may have to do with your locker, not the brakes. When you brake, one of the clutches in the posi could be grabbing and you get a little jerk. We had this problem with a Dana 80 and we added one friction modifer and did some

figure 8's and it went away.



Unfortunately, the locker I have is of the "lunch-box" variety and not a factory clutch pack type. Thanks for the note.



Now, back to our regularly scheduled program . . . . :D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top