Help brakes are dragging!

[jayreynoldsii5]

I have a 2004 precedent I recently purchased. When I first got it one of the brakes was ‘dragging’. So now recently both started dragging. All the brake components look like new. So whatever is dragging is only doing so when the drum is snugged down, I mean I can tighten by hand with the socket and then o can barely turn the wheel. First thing I did was loosen the linkage so far that it that the shoes don’t hit the drum when the brakes are depressed, still drags. So I took the shoes off put the drum on hand tightened and no drag. So I made a spacer to put behind the drum hand tightened and it is dragging. Anyone have any ideas??

[CP241]

Have the wheel studs been replaced? When I bought my most recent DS the previous owner had installed the wrong wheel studs. The splines were snowing through the front of the drum slightly when the drum was installed. It spun freely until I tightened the lug nuts and then it started dragging. Luckily I have a bunch of oem studs in my stash so I replaced them and all has been fine ever since.

Also look at the shoes are they worn unevenly?

[meimk]

Is it a consistent drag (360 degrees)? Or does it drag more in particular parts of the rotation?

[Fairtax4me]

Shoes look new? Are the drums new?
Uneven wear in the drums from the old shoes can cause this if the shoes were replaced, but the drums were not and are worn. The usual fix is to just shave some of the material from the outer edge of the new shoes.
Or just bolt it together and let it sort itself out while you drive.

[jayreynoldsii5]

I think the studs are OEM.

It is not dragging all the way around unless I tighten the lugs tight

[jayreynoldsii5]

Both shoes and drums seem to be new. It is creating a considerable amount of resistance.

[Fairtax4me]

Can you post some pics?
The only other time I've run into this is when cheapo aftermarket parts don't fit properly. I've had drums where the center relief wasn't deep enough for the raised section on the end of the axle hub. That caused the drums to not sit all the way flush on the hub, and they would distort when the lug nuts were tightened down. I got creative with the die grinder to remove some material from the center of the drum and then it finally would fit all the way on flat.

Another thing to check is the cable adjustment at the pedal. If someone has tightened that previously trying to make up for worn brakes, the cables will not retract far enough to allow the levers on the drums to open all the way and will cause the brakes to drag no matter what you do.

[jayreynoldsii5]

I adjust the cable way out to ensure that wasn’t an issue and I adjusted rje adjuster on the shoes them selves all the way on on the one side. I almost think the drum has a good bit of slop until I get it all the way on and then when I tighten it it is causing the show to rub …….I dunno.

[Scooter Bob]

In the first picture, the shoe on the left appears to have the paint scraped off of the edge of the metal plate the shoe is glued to, unlike the shoe on the right that still has paint on the metal edge.

[CP241]

With everything on there brand new, and since you just purchased it… I can only guess one of those brand new parts is wrong. I know my gas DS is older but the center of the drum is open. My electric is a 2008 and pretty sure it looks more like what you have pictured, but I can’t say for sure as I haven’t take. The rear wheels off of that one in about a year lol

Aftermarket parts are a little iffy anyway. I’m thinking either you have a wrong drum, or it’s just a chinesium drum giving you fits and when you torque the lug nuts it’s distorting the drum so it now is warped and rubbing the brake shoes.

Essentially that’s what was happening on my cart except the wheel stuf splines stuck out juuuust a shade and distorted it when I tightened the lug nuts resulting in the same kind of drag. As soon as I removed the lug nuts it was fine. I’d check your drum carefully for fitment against the wheel hub. I’d bet it’s either not sitting flush because of the center bore, or because of the wheel studs. Wheel studs would be an easy fix, just drill the holes out a shade. But if it’s the center part of the hub the only fix would be new drums that fit correctly