.

While preparing for a future "increase low end power" upgrade last night, I removed lots of items from our Pred-90 rear axle. While this far, I decided to inspect the rear drum on our Pred-90. It's rear brakes have been on the mushy and I was wondering if the pads needed to be replaced. To my surprise, the rear drum on our mini was full of all sorts of crud. Items ranging from brake pad dust, to thin layer of mud to a few sand crystals. OUCH!!!! In addition to this, our factory brake drum surface had a few scars. Good thing they are minor or I'd have to replace its drum.

If you haven't checked / cleaned your brake drums lately, I'd recommend you pull the wrenchs out ASAP. Even a good cleaning will make your mini stop faster, and eliminate future drum scars. To me, having great brakes is more important then making it go forward more efficiently.

BTW: If you wash your mini's brake drums out in your kitchen sink, make sure the wife is in bed. She went a little hostile on me when she seen big gobs of dirt and grease in her sink. Usually, I use the sink in our garage but its currently winterized.

Hope this "clean your drum brakes" warning helps others...

.

 

Back in the day of drum brakes on dirt bikes, pre '83. I found that all that crud and rust actually made the brakes grab harder. As for the wife/kitchen sink, I learned that a long time ago. LOL