'90 pickup 4wd,SR5 3.0 I just bought this truck and while inspecting the rear drums I noticed that If I spun one of the rear tires(which was hard) it didn't make any foul noises but it would not spin one inch without help. My question is what would be considered normal, and what order would a guy start looking into parts to find the cause

 

i would look at the drums brakes are too tight if not, then i would say bearing are going.

 

sounds like your brakes are sticking its more that likely you brake cylinder or wheel bearing

 

wouldn't I hear the brakes grinding or the bearings umm....not bearing? I just replaced front bearings on the wifes car and they made a ton of noise!

 

not always, sometimes the brakes just are a little too tight and dont make much noise, maybe a little rub here and there, pull tire and drum off and try turning the axle then, if its still really hard to move then i would say bearings, if its a easyer then its the brakes are too tight,

 

that makes sense. my next obstacle will be getting the tire off on rear drivers side. I beat it like it owed me money and couldn't get the tire and rim off the hub. I'm also thinking that maybe the cold had something to do with it, so tomorrow I will make sure everything is warmed up before I get after it. Thanks for the responses I'll let you know what I find tomorrow

 

u mean u couldnt get the lug nuts off? sounds like someone put them on too tight and might of stripped them, i would get a breaker bar and try then if not u are going to have to just get a bar on them and keep at it tell they brake or brake free...

 

He means the wheel is stuck on the drum. I had the same problem on my 4runner. The stupid wheels would stick on pretty good. What I did was get on the ground and kicked the wheel from the back side as hard as I could. That usually worked. Also, if you haven't driven the 4runner much the brake drum could have rust on it making it hard to turn.

How hard is it to turn? You will be turning another wheel/driveshaft

 

Soak the wheel around the center hub with PB Blaster, let sit for a couple of hours, then sit in front on the tire & alternate hitting each side with the heel of your foot HARD. Should break it loose. These wheels are HUB centric, which means they center on the hub instead of the lug bolts. As such, it's a tight fit.

You'll also need a couple of bolts to back the drum off if it's that tight. Forget which size, they are metric. You screw them into the holes on opposite sides & tighten alternately to get the drum off.