drum brakes make occasional squealing sound?

Make sure these parts are not frozen.....the wheel cylinders (should be able to depress the pistons-both sides) .....the "star" adjusting wheel should turn and click with each move (the ratcheting mechanism should click and work so it doesn't loosen with use)

Hopefully, you didn't buy the "el cheapo" brake shoes. they can be quite noisy.

Excessive dust and dirt on roads can become imbedded in the shoe material.......sand it out and try again. Dirt roads will always make brakes squeal.

I also hope you had the drums turned during the brake job so that they can break in evenly and without noise. Too smooth a surface will hinder break-in on a new set of shoes. That's the second reason they turn the drum. Primarily, to true the surface so that it is truly round and not egg-shaped.

keep in mind I am assuming you did the brakes yourself, outside of a legitimate shop, but these tips should help regardless.

Drum Brake Squeal

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RE:

drum brakes make occasional squealing sound?

My rear brakes make a squealing sound somtimes, either while braking or for a few seconds after. I happens once every couple days. I just took off the drums, they are smooth and the shoes look almost new, although the lower half of the left shoe on the passenger side is not as smooth, as though...

This is possibly the wear tab squealing on your pads. Normally when the "squealer" is working due to low pad material you get a noise when driving that goes away when you brake. You could be right at that transition point where this starts. You could just have hard pads and glazed rotors. As long as your brakes are working correctly without jerking, vibration or pulling to one side, the noise is just an annoyance and nothing to worry about. Your replacement pads will come with a tube of glue type goo that absorbs this harmonic vibration when applied to the back side of the pad and reduces the squeal that comes with hard (performance) pads.

i figure your car is set up the same as my 88 olds. what i did the other day was i took the drums off and sprayed the brakes with brake cleaner, then i sanded the shoes with sandpaper and sanded the inside of the drums, then i adjusted them up a little bit tighter. try adjusting them up some and see if that helps, if not, then you might have a weak spring.

buy a can of brake clean and spray the shoes and drums and see if that helps... you may also wnat to play with the adjustment slightly to get them to make a lil better contact.

Before attempting anything, just check for the level of brake fluid in the reservoir. If needed top it up with the recommended grade fluid. This should solve the problem.