rearend trouble

[91FrankinStang]

I replaced my rear brakes the other day and after i was done I spun the wheels to make sure they werent adjusted too tight.. THe wheel on the passenger side was locking up when I spun it.. As if I had the car in park.. I would spin it(by hand), it locked, I back off, then spin again and same thing.. It would lock every few revolutions.. BUt it doesnt do it if I spin the wheel in reverse.. And its only the one side..

I'm thinking either a problem with the spider gears in the trac-lok or a bad wheel bearing.. Any opinions??

I havent driven the car since February.. Only problems I ever had in the past is a banging/knock when I would slow down and the car would down shift.. It came from the rear. But I was never able to figure out what it was.. I replaced the rear control arm bushings as well as the housing bushings with poly.. did nothing.. I had one control arm bolt that was chewed up, like it was spinning inside of the sleeve..replaced it and it did nothing.. I swapped out the rear for another used rear and same problem..
I had an AOD trans at the time, so I thought it might be something with the trans b/c it would only happen on downshifting.. Mainly from 2-1, sometimes 3-2.. Torque boxes arent cracked, but one is caved in a little..like someone tried jacking up the car on it...

I've got a new trac-lok i was going to install..But now I've got this wheel locking issue.. Any ideas on the locking and the banging???

 

[rd]

I would suggest making sure the brake is correctly installed on that side. Pull the drum and check it. Make sure the primary and secondary shoes are in the right places, short shoe in front ( I think, best to look in a book). Make sure the adjuster cable is ok, the guide is in the hole and not bent or damaged, etc. and the adjuster is installed in the correct direction.

If that does not help, pull the rear axle cover and look around in there.

 

[Scorcher2005]

I would suggest making sure the brake is correctly installed on that side. Pull the drum and check it. Make sure the primary and secondary shoes are in the right places, short shoe in front ( I think, best to look in a book). Make sure the adjuster cable is ok, the guide is in the hole and not bent or damaged, etc. and the adjuster is installed in the correct direction.

If that does not help, pull the rear axle cover and look around in there.

well, both the shoes are the same size and reversible. its just that they usually dont put as much braking material on the primary shoes just to be able to make them cheaper.

 

[Jkstang78]

I have an idea check your emergency brake cables. Only if you left the car sitting with the e-brake on. The cable on that wheel might be stuck. I had that happen to me. Fix it by changing the cable

 

[rd]

Yea, the brake shoe location thing is a long shot, but worth it.

Looks like you will have to look into the rear end.

 

[91FrankinStang]

hey guys.. I'll double check the brake shoes and e-brake cable.. But I doubt it is the brakes.. They dont rub.. Its just that the wheel will spin freely for maybe 1/2-1 turn, then lock. Then I back it off 1/4 turn, go another turn, and lock.. etc..

But I'll double check the brakes anyway just to be sure..If they check out ok, gonna check out those wheel bearings.. It just sucks that they have to be pressed on..

 

[Billcas]

You could also disconnect your driveshaft and spin the tires again. This will quickly verify the issue is in the rear end or brakes and eliminate the transmission.

 

[91FrankinStang]

well, i hate to say it, but it was the brakes.. lol I removed the drum and it spun fine.. put back the drum and it was locking up.. did some inspecting and noticied the lead(front) brake shoe was sticking out a little(forward).. I was pushing it back in and it kept popping out.. Figured out I had the top 2 (longest) springs reversed.. One is actually one coil shorter than the other.. The shorter goes to the front brake shoe..
Now all is well.. almost had a reason to buy a set of gears.. lol

thanks guys.