Loyale Brake Drum Question

[NICALM]

This may sound strange, but please stick with it. Awhile back, my rear wheel and drum "fell off" my 91 Loyale while I was driving home from NY on the Interstate. This destroyed the backer plate and exploded the wheel cylinder but no other real damage. Didn't see where the wheel ended up, just greatful I was able to control the car and pull over. My dad drove up and we trailered the car home. I ended up finding a backer plate and hub off an old BRAT (I think, or could have been a wagon) my stepdad used to have, put it on and found a tire and life was good. I wanted to eventually replace the plate to incorporate the automatic adjuster piece like it originally had and finally sourced one last summer but never got around to switching it over.

 

Last week the timing belt broke on me and this past weekend I had the privilage of changing belts for the first time. Piece of cake with Miles Fox's tutiorial on Youtube! Fired right up! Went to take it for a test drive around the block and had no brakes unless I pumped them a few times. After further inspection I found the wheel cylinder decided to blow out on the "parted together" side so I decided to replace the backer plate and cylinder today. Everything went well exept the hub is rubbing on the backer plate making a hell of a noise while you're driving. I took it all apart and verified what the noise was, tried "adjusting" the backer plate with a hammer and screwdriver but can not get it "aligned" right. If I pull out the hub just a little on the axle, the noise vanishes. My question is, do hubs wear out? Would replacing the hub solve my problem? is there a differance between the length of the drum centers on 2WD and 4WD and maybe I have a 2WD hub on a 4WD backer plate or vice versa? I'm a little bit stumped on this one. but would like to get this fixed as I need this for my DD. And like many, money is tight right now so just buying parts is not in the cards right now.. ($50 for a new 4WD hub is expensive for me right now but could manage if concensus is that's my problem).

[TomRhere]

2WD/FWD rears won't fit on a 4WD, period.

 

There may be a differance between EA81 and EA82 as far as fitment of one drum/hub to the others backing plate, don't know for sure.

 

Do know you can swap the entire EA82 4WD self-adjusting rear drum brake setup over to a 4WD EA81 vehicle. Never did like the manual adjusters under the rear of my BRATs, always wanting to sieze up between adjustments.

 

Had an '88 FWD GL10 Wagon here, it had the same manual adjuster setup as the BRATs.

My '88 4WD GL Wagon had the self-adjusting setup before I did the 5-lug swap.

But again, FWD-4WD won't swap over.

 

I may still have all of the 4WD 4-lug rear brake stuff here. Will look tomorrow morning and post back.

If,, I have it, it can be yours.

[MilesFox]

The drum you used from the brat is slightly smaller than the 91 loyale (ea82) but is mechanically the same. What you will discover if you do the brakes in the future is one side has different size shoes than the other.

 

The wheel would have fallen off from a loose axle nut. The flat washer is actually a spring washer and must go in with the rounded side toward the nut to maintain torque.

 

Perhaps the axle nut is loose. Double check the orientation and torque to 145 lb-ft.

 

It is possible the wheel bearings could have been compromised by the loose nut,.

 

The bearing is replaceable, but first you have to remove the axle, remove the retaining ring on the inside, and press out the old one and press in a new one.

 

This work is easiest done by replacing the whole trailing arm if you do not have the proper tools or a n experienced mechanic.

 

you can swap the trailing arm off any 85-94 subaru of the same body style. You can retrofit disc braes in place of the drums from a turbo model as all the backing plates and axle splines match up the same.

[TomRhere]

There you have it.

 

Smaller drum of the EA81 would definetly cause interferance with the larger EA82 backing plate.

 

Really didn't  know what, if any, differance there would be, as I've never compared the two.

[TomRhere]

Dug around some this morning. I have the complete PS located, still digging for the DS.

 

Let me know if you're interested.

[NICALM]

Out of curiousity, I swapped the PS drum over to the rubbing DS and the rubbing continues, so its not the drum. The rubbing stops if I pull the drum out just the slightest; but when you go to torq the castle nut down  the rubbing comes back. I just replaced the DS rear wheel bearing last summer. I guess it could be the problem, the only hesitation I have with this is the noise only appears at certain spots when the drums (either one when placed on the drivers side) are rotated.

 

I tore the brakes and backer plate off and re-installed them, hoping for some resolution, but nothing. I guess I could just drive it and it would eventually wear down the high spots. Maybe there is a little play in the mounting bolts that hold the backing plate to the trailing arm? I guess I'll investigate that tomorrow.

 

TomR, thanks for the offer. not sure if that would do any good at this point though.

[TomRhere]

With both drums making the rub sound, I would take a very close look at the backing plate. Especially the U-shape channel that the edge of the drum sets in.

Any bends, dents, debris buildup in that area will cause rubbing.

 

The inner lip of the drum is not a critical dimension so to speak, and they can have a hi-spot or two.

 

Thinking I would put everything back together, go for a short drive, then pull the drum back off looking for signs of actual contact between drum and backing plate. Adjust backing plate as needed.