Folks,

My rear drums are squeaking as I back out. It doesn't seem to squeak much the rest of the ride. Is there a particular type of grease to make it squeak less? If so, what is it and where do I apply it? I do know about caliper grease but that doesn't seem to apply here. Thanks.

You can apply the E brake just a little while you are driving forward for a few seconds on and off to see if that will clean the rear drums for you.. May be time to replace them.. Or remove the drums and use sand paper to clean out the insides of the drums.. One of those tricks may work.. The only lube needed for the rear drums is the linkage and pad-shoes metal to metal to contact points..

so you think it's the actual drum itself and not the various hardware. i'll try to sandpaper it down tomorrow and see if that helps.

When you pull off the drum make sure it is a bonded shoe or revet shoe. If its a bonded shoe then the noise will not be from the revet. If the shoe looks good then more than likely the noise is from the glazed drum. If the shoe is worn then of course you will need to replace them.. While you are in there you can use ant seize grease on metal to metal contacts..You would not have to take it apart. you can push it in.. Also use brake cleaner to clean every thing off. Thats always a big help..

I also like to take the sharp edges off of brake shoes and pads by shaving the edges down with a grinder or Dremel.

Word of caution here...!

ALWAYS wear a mask and work on a well ventilated area when working with brake linning material. Especially when sanding, grinding or shaving the linning material...
NEVER blow the dust off, whether it's compress air or venting or whatever, it's better to use a wet or soaking method as you would do while cleaning the brake dust.

Breathing that stuff is VERY dangerous to your lungs

Thank you folks. Ed, I have taken that precaution and the first time, I wore a mask and definitely stood far away while spraying the brake cleaner fluid. I also made sure that I did this outside so that I would not have any collection of brake dust in my garage.

If garync1 is correct, then I need to use some sand paper and rough up the drum a bit. the shoes looks like they are in great shape with a lot of life still left in them. I sure had to replace something that is still good to go for many more miles considering that the braking is done mostly by the front calipers.

I did spray the inside of one of the drums with brake cleaner but maybe that is not enough. I'll try the sandpaper method and get back to you.

garync1,

looks like your suggestion to sand down the drum has worked so far. I need to check the van's brake in the morning when it is a bit chillier and more moist to double check. But today at 11 am, the van pulled out of the driveway and no squeak. It's been about 2 yrs off and on. I think when it is colder or humid/moist air, it was more common.

So I need to double check earlier in the morning tomorrow. Thanks everyone for your help. If I don't repost, know that it has worked.