Squeak At Low Speed From Rear Wheel

So my friends and I took the Jeep out today and did some “wheeling”, mostly dirt roads and random climbs here and there. And I noticed a definite squeak coming from the drivers rear tire at 1-5 mph that got progressively worse throughout the day. It’s not constant but sounds like it is happening once every revolution of the wheel. I have always had it since doing the brakes(drums) a few months back. It also sounds like the shoes are pushing against the drum more-so than it should on at least one of the wheels. It’s pretty difficult to push it in neutral. Is this normal for the drums wearing in and do they just need to be backed off and adjusted? As for the squeak I have no clue where it’s coming from.
Thanks

 

I'd adjust them or at the least investigate. I let mine "wear in" and here's what happened.

 

Check the condition of your axle taper/hub. Your description sounds like a loose connection. The nut might be tight, but the key could prevent it from tightening if installed wrong. Check for a crack in the hub lengthwise through the keyway.

Edit: Disregard. I just noticed this is in the intermediate section. Carry on.

 

You could also have a broken or loose return spring that's caught between a shoe and the drum. Happened to me. It's worth pulling the drum and investigating.

 

So I put the jack under it and spun each of the tires and didn’t see anything outside of the norm besides maybe needing to adjust the drums a little but nothing like what I thought I was hearing. Squeak didn’t present itself but it wasn’t under any type of load.

I didn’t have time to pull the drums since I have to drive it to school tomorrow

 

But when I push it it very much sounds like the shoe is in constant contact with the drum

 

And it can’t be a bearing of any kind going bad because I would see that in the handling correct?

 

It would be completely destroyed before you would noticed it in the handling, if ever.

 

Would a bad bearing be the cause of these problems then?

 

Unlikely, I'd say. I'd expect a bad bearing make a more or less constant sound, possibly changing note with turns left or right.

A rythmic noise once per revolution, probably something too tight or too loose inside the drum. Possibly a warped drum.

 

wouldn’t the noise be present at any speed then?

 

I would either trying adjusting the shoes as per FSM, and/or pull the drum and take a look-see.

 

I’ll pull the drums tomorrow and see what’s happening. Fingers crossed it’s nothing too bad

 

If you fail to find a problem inside the wheel or brakes check your rear drive shaft u- joints. I have had them make a ''squeak'' noise while under load. They will get dry of grease and start to make a noise without there being any detectable looseness. Look for signs of rust dust or stains around the cup seals. you can also drop the shaft at one end and check the joints for smooth articulation.
Good luck

 

Driveshaft is brand new

 

Then that makes it a likely suspect.

 

The driveshaft wouldn’t squeak once per tire revolution. It would be (enter differential gear ratio) times per tire revolution.

Next time you hear the squeak, lightly apply the brakes and see if the sound changes or goes away.

 

You thinking something is stuck between the shoe and the drum?

 

I’m thinking something might be out of alignment, and the edge of the shoe could be rubbing against the drum. If it has anything to do with the brakes or drum, applying the brakes will change the sound. Either by seating the shoe properly or tightening the drum in place.

When you pull it apart, watch for shiny spots on any surfaces.