Passenger rear brake drum much hotter than driver’s

[Gas Pig]

Apart from not being adjusted properly is there any reason why my driver side rear drum is only warm and my passenger side is smoking hot? On my build all new brakes lines, cables, shoes, drums, wheel cylinders and the springs were not brand new but looked as new… maybe even new but out of the bag?

Anyways the truck rear end has factory locker so adjusting the amount of brake drag is not as easy as an open differential. In opinion it’s kind of a good guess then a science. Unless someone has a good procedure they follow?

I did take off that side to see if anything looked wrong and everything seemed fine. The only thing I can think besides adjustments is the brake shoes on that side are getting hung up?

Thanks thoughts are greatly appreciated!

 

[Wild horse 75]

Adjustment is going to be the easiest to figure out. Other things could be sticking brake cables or wheel cylinders. The shoes could be in the wrong place. There should be a long shoe and short shoe on each side. They’re typically different compounds so they do different amounts of work. There could be some junk in the line on that side that slows fluid return keeping that side on more. Uneven wear on the backing plate can cause the shoes to stick in place.

 

[DirtDonk]

Everything Wild horse just said.
And to add a detail, if you pull the drum off, make sure that the short shoes are on the front of each rear brake.
Short shoe faces the front, long shoe faces the rear.

At least that’s how I remember it. Still wouldn’t hurt to check the manual, but I’m sure others here will correct it if I’m wrong.

 

[Gas Pig]

I did tighten up the driver side a few clicks and loosen up the passenger side a few clicks. I’ll try and drive it a bit later.

I do have the small shoe towards the front of the vehicle. Today or tomorrow I’ll pull the wheel off again that is if the adjustments don’t help, look for any cable issues or backing plate issues too. Maybe I’ll change some of the main return springs too? The lines are new so there shouldn’t be a blockage but you never know. Maybe with the drum off I’ll have my son lightly press the brake to see how the shoes act. If they hang up or quickly return back where they should.

 

[Broncobowsher]

If the drag is good on both sides, it could be a sticky/locked up wheel cylinder on the cold side and the hot side gets all the pressure. Even if the cold side gets some heat, it could be only the rear piston is working in the wheel cylinder. That would give some braking, would test the spinning tire in the air and hit the brakes test. But would not have effective braking and little heat generated.

With all new parts, maybe you got some unicorn wheel cylinders where one has a larger piston than the other. Anything is possible with replacment parts. You would need to roll back the dust boot and check the bore diameters. I wouldn't even assume the bores are the same front to rear (they should be) but some auto makers had staggered bore sizes. If one of those got swapped in. I always doubt the new stuff when there is a problem after installing it.

 

[B RON CO]

Hi, sometimes the flat pads on the backing plate where the shoes rub become worn and grooved. There are three pads for each shoe. Check that out and there should be a tiny bit of grease on each pad before you install the shoes. Beside everything else, make sure the brake lines are not flattened anywhere, especially under the clamps. Good luck

 

[gr8scott]

I had the exact same issue about a year ago after replacing drums, shoes, and springs. One side smoking hot, the other side cold.
The wheel cylinders were fairly new so I didn't replace them. I tried adjusting many times (tough to do with a locker, as the OP mentioned)
but I always seemed to manage. I even removed material from the shoes on the hot side with sandpaper, nothing helped.
As a test, I swapped shoes from side-to-side and guess what? The heat followed the shoes! I ordered a different brand (Raybestos) and the
problem went away. Note to self: Never buy Centric brake shoes ever again.

 

[Gas Pig]

Ok I will check everything you guys mentioned! I don’t remember what shoes I bought I normally get stuff at Autozone. So I’m thinking Duralast but who knows.

One thing did pop to mind is my e brake cables were given to me by a friend. It’s the DIY Bronco’s cut to length cables for your size lift. I wasn’t sure on how long to make the return spring that pushes e brake arm back. It seemed like a lot of spring and pressure. I read the directions and I thought I understood them but maybe not. So maybe the spring it pushing the e-brake actuating arm back and once the brakes are applied the return springs can’t over come the spring on the e-brake cable?