1961 rear brake heat | Ford Thunderbird club group 1955-2005 T-Bird models

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1961 rear brake heat

  • Thread starter Thread starter johnstrow
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johnstrow

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Thunderbird Year
1961
I have replaced all brake hardware and hoses on all four corners. The brakes are adjusted well (maybe toward the loose side).
Emergency brake is adjusted also. All new fluid and system is bled. It brakes well with a slight pull to the right (maybe following road crown).
Problem is after a five to ten mile run the left rear brake drum is about 60°F hotter than the right rear or any other drum on the car.
Both front drums are around the same temperature between themselves.

Could it be a bad left rear wheel bearing?
When I pull in and out on the hub there is about 1/32" play.
When rotating the wheel by hand you can hear a bit of a "rumbling sound".

Possible cause: When I had new tires mounted and balanced the shop adjusted the brakes (unrequested} and had the left rear so
tight when I drove about five miles I had smoke. After everything cooled down I found I could barely rotate the wheel.
Maybe at that point the extreme heat generated by the brakes cooked the bearing(?).
I have since torn down the left rear and checked everything; it all seems in order except the hub play and noise.
I have hit both brake shoes and drum with 60 grit in a cross hatch pattern to address any glazing.

Another thought I had is that this extreme heat event somehow damaged the rear wheel cylinder?

As it stands; the wheel rotates freely with just a touch of drag. After a drive, same thing. Nothing seems jammed or seized.

I am looking for some collective wisdom here. I am greatly appreciative of any assistance.

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Thank You…I will look into replacing both rear wheel bearings.
Could this rumbling bearing with the axial play be the cause of the increased heat in the drum?
 
What part of the drum are you measuring? Remove the hub cap and measure the axle end. That should be hotter if it’s your bearing. Now what is the temperature of the other axle end?
 
Thanks for your help.
I am measuring (with an infrared heat gun) the edge of the drum from under the car. The hub isn’t that hot. When I measured last yesterday the hub was about 135 degrees while the drum measured around 195 to 200 degrees.
It does seem like dragging brakes but when I jack up the car and spin the wheel there is no resistance.
Frustrating for sure.

I understand the drums can heat up, expand and cause this issue. Maybe I just keep backing off the adjuster(?).

The wheels spun well and seemed to be adjusted well after things sat overnight. So, I wanted to check how much the drums inside diameter constricted with heat.
This morning I checked the wheels after several miles of driving in the July heat.
Everything had tightened up, with the left rear and right front being the tightest. I backed off all of them when they were still warm until I was satisfied.
I took another test drive after that adjustment; the pulling to the right upon braking was somewhat better but the left rear drum is hot again.
Data after today’s second drive:
Both front brake drums were around 160 degrees.
Right rear drum was 150 degrees, left rear drum was 200 degrees.
The right rear hub measured 126 degrees while the left rear hub was 148 degrees.
I’m not convinced it’s the hub. Could the parking brake be contributing to this just on the left side? It is adjusted fairly loosely.

Would switching drums from one side to the other in the rear make sense as an investigative tool?
 
You need to look at the metal line that runs across the axle. It may have damage creating a situation where the brake drags from a slow bleed off. A dent, kink, or even rust inside the tube.
 
Interesting idea.
As part of the brake system overhaul the rubber hose was replaced in the rear.
Also the metal line to the right rear broke off and was replaced with a new brass line. The metal line from the tee off the rubber hose which runs to the left rear is an original steel line. No kinks but if it’s original it could well be rusted inside….
 
If you have a brass line on the right please replace it with steel. Brass is not rated for the pressure of the brake system.
 
Post deleted by “?”.
Guess we can’t critique vendors?
Refund my Gold Membership fees and I’ll be on my way.

Thank You
 
Installed all new stainless steel lines on the rear axle; same issue (one drum is about 50/60 degrees F hotter than the other side). I triple checked the parking brake, all is well.
The wheel bearing of the subject wheel is “rumbling” and has about 0.250” of play when pulling/pushing on the wheel.
I honestly think it is time for new rear wheel bearings. The hub on the problem side is about 25 degrees hotter than the other.
 
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