I have a 2000 suzuki 500 quadrunner and lately have been having problems with keeping the water out of the rear drums. Does anyone know what seals need to be replaced and where I can get them? I took the drum apart last week and cleaned everything out. Brake pads look like new and everything worked great again, until I rode through some water. Now I'm back to only have the front disc brakes working. Any help or suggestions anyone has is greatly appreciated.

 

i have a king quad and suzuki brakes are the worst brakes on any machine. i have had to replace them 2 times both front and back. best thing i can tell you stay out of deep water and mud. and if you do ride in those conditions always clean them out after because everything will rust and just lead to more problems

 

WHILE I AM NOT REAL FAMILIAR WITH YOUR SETUP I DO KNOW THAT DRUM BRAKES ARE THE WORST TO MAINTAIN, AND SUZUKI IS AMONG THE WORST. I HAD A 86 230 SHAFT WITH DRUM BRAKES AND THE REAR WAS CONSTANTLY MESSED UP, I WAS HOPING THAT 14 YEARS LATER THEY WOULD HAVE A BETTER SETUP. THE ONLY THING I GOT TO HELP WAS TO CHANGE OVER TO A GROOVED KEVLAR BRAKE PAD (THE GROOVE GIVES WATER AND MUD A PLACE TO DISPERSE WHEN YOU HIT THE BRAKE) THEN I WOULD CHANGE THE SEAL AROUNG THE AXLE AND USE WATERPROOF GREASE TO HELP SEAL IT. THEN I USED RTV SILICONE TO SEAL THE HOUSING. IN BETWEEN RIDES I WOULD TAKE THE DRAIN PLUG OUT OF THE HOUSING AND USE AEROSAL BRAKE CLEANER AND A AIR GUN TO REMOVE ANY MOISTURE. IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE TO DO THIS AND WAS WELL WORTH THE MINUTE. LIKE I SAID NOT REAL SURE HOW YOUR IS SETUP BUT MAYBE YOU CAN USE A SIMILAR TECHNIQUE WITH YOURS.

 

Brakes on the King Quad and the rest of Suzuki drum brake quads are all terrible. I've had my KQ in deep water and never had a problem. Do it again and I don't have any brakes at all. I've just returned from a three day trip where I had it in water, some times, axle deep, and didn't loose the brakes. Before the trip, I replaced all the O-rings and that may have helped but not sure. However, I am sure that the water proof grease is helping block out the water. Front and rear feel like new. I'll take them apart to inspect this weekend, send you a message of what's going on, brake wise.
Chuck