Hey guys...I posted about this awhile ago when the problem first started, but only got one or two replies. Problem is, my brakes clank pretty loud when I apply them in reverse. It never does in when in drive, just reverse. Is this a problem I should have taken care of right away? I might be taking her in next week if so....any advice would be great, thanks!

 

does it seem to be coming from the front or rear?

 

It wont help much if any but my '95 rear drums squeal a bit first thing in the mornings when backing out of my parking spot...the rest of the day they are fine....even after sitting in a parking garage all day.

I always figure it is because they are coldest in the mornings but who knows I live in Texas so the cold days are not that cold...

Are yours squealing like this? IF its really a clanking sound I'd say you should pull the drums off and take a look - I'd bet that your emergency brake cable has come loose from the shoes and the e-brake lever/arm is rattling around...same thing happened to me on a Chevy once - YMMV

 

It comes from the rear

 

My brakes used to squeal real bad, turns out my rotors and drums needed resurfacing. (happened about 4 months ago) Funny thing is, the clanking started happening shortly after that in the rear. hmmmmm.....

 

Well if it is the e-brake arm the bad news is that it has probably already scored the drum very deeply. I let my old Chevy rattle for too long thinking it was nothing major since it was *only* in reverse and all....but when I pulled the drum there was a nice pile of metal shavings and the drum had a huge score all around it. Replaced the drum,pads and e-brake hardware and all was fine.

Only other thing that tipped me off to the problem besides the reverse rattle was the e-brake didn't hold as well and it took much more movement (in the e-brake) to actuate the e-brakes.

 

My Front brakes clank pretty bad. Im pretty sure it is just the drivers side one. When I took them for the first time to get the rotors resurfaced the shop said that the rotor was very badly warped and really needed a new one. I put it on anyway and now a couple thousand miles later it started to make the clankwhile in reverse and a slight tick when hot going forward like while pulling a trailer. Just my experience.

 

The e-brake seems to work fine for me....I dont notice any rattling, just a violernt "clank!" evertime I apply the brakes and a "click" every time I let them off...while in reverse. Thanks for the replies though!
Anyone else have any ideas?

 

Mine does the same clank sound the first time I apply brakes while in reverse. Never fails, does it every time. My parking brake seems to work fine, don't use it much. Mine has been doing the clanking for close to a year now. Haven't reeally worried about it much but it does tick me off. Keep me posted if you find the culprit.

2000 SR5 2WD

 

By the way, you wouldn't happen to have a lift would you? My truck is lifted close to 2 1/2 - 3 inches all around via PP springs and Bilstein shocks. I don't think it did the clanking sound before the lift either. But, it didn't start imediately after the lift either. Mine has been lifted a lot longer than it has been clanking. If that makes any sense.

 

Nope, no lift....just the stock height. I'm taking her in on Monday for a recent check engine light I'll have them check out the brakes too, I'll let you know what I find out

 

Good luck and keep me posted. I have a feeling that whatever they find on yours will/would be the same exact problem as mine.

BTW, You can have a local AutoZone check the check engine light and pull the code to see what's causing it if you wanted to. It's free! That's what I always do. Then you would at least know if your mechanic was heading in the right direction when they do the same.

 

Did you ever find out what was causing the noise? Just wondering.

 

Oops, forgot to follow up, sorry about that :pat: Well I went and had it checked out by the dealer, and they completley inspected the brakes and found nothing wrong, said everything appeared to be in perfect shape. My friend's dad is good with cars so I took it to him for a second opinion and he said the same thing. He took off the tires and did a thorough inspection so I guess its nothing to be worried about. He had an idea of what might be causing it, but I didnt really catch it all....I'm mechanically illiterate I was worried something might've been loose, but everything was tight and we retightened some bolts just to make sure. Of course the clanking is still there but I worry alot less about it now. Sorry its not alot of info, but from what I've been told its nothing to be worried about.

 

That's cool. I had just been wondering about it sometimes when I back up and hear "my" clanking sound. I'm glad that everything checked out ok with your truck. The next time I take my truck to my mechanic, only trust one place and it is 250 miles away from where I go to school, I will get them to look at it. Maybe they will find something with mine, who knows. I don't know when that will be because, knock on wood, I don't have any other problems right now.

Joey

 

I just got rid of a 2001 Tundra with a 2 1/2 lift and when I applied my brakes in reverse I had the same "clank" !

I now own a 2000 4Runner with no mods and I be damned, the same clank when in reverse! I just ignore it. It would be nice to know what it is though.

 

I have the same "click" in reverse when I apply the brakes on my 2000. It occassionally will repeat if you come off the brake and then reapply while still moving. I don't think its anything.

 

You probably have "pad shift".When ever you change directions and apply the brakes the pads are forced against the stops in the calipers.Brake designers use shims/spring/clips to minumize movement of the pads,but the pads must move freely in the calipers for proper operation / wear. The same applies to drum brakes,the shoes must move on the backing plates.
This being said you could have an unnormal sound from a worn/missing/warped component.