Squealing brakes while stopping
 

1 of the few problems i have with my car is the brakes. I had abs brake work done when i purchased my 03 ZX3 focus over a year ago and they seemed to work fine but around the last 6 months or so, about 50% of the time when i am coming to a stop there will be a squealing noise when under 15mph. I can tell by looking at the car the rear drums are rusted to hell, but i am not sure if thats the main priority to fix right now, or if its the front brakes. And if so, what is causing the squealing? rotors, pads, drums??

Usually worn pads will do that. Check your front rotors while you're at it - the insides of them might be grooved now, which would mean they're junk.

Decent pads and new rotors will set you back about $100 if you do it yourself.

The squealing is usually not caused by the actual action of pads on rotor, its that the pads are shaking in their mounts. When you do a brake job, you can get some brake-glue that you put on the back of the shoe. Its basically a rubber layer that prevents the shoe from moving around when the brakes are applied, thus preventing the squeal.

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It works great, and has no effect on braking performance.

If the pads arent free to move in the caliper it can cause squeeling.

The front rotors look in pretty good shape... i am not sure about the brake pads.. i would guess the squealing is coming from them. As for the drums how can i tell if they need to be replaced, and could they be the cause of the squealing??

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Does it sound like the sound is coming from the front or the back of the car?

are your rotors shiny or dull? You may just need a turn and buffing or replacement of the pads.

shiny rotors and glazed pads will squeak like crazy when you're stopping. Keep in mind brakes that are worn far enough to allow the "squeakers" to touch the rotor will only squeak when the brakes are not being applied... that's how it is supposed to work anyway. In the real world, your pads will be glazed if there's anything left and the rotors will be shiny.

My rotors look fine, they are quite shiny. i think the pads would be the first thing to replace. but i was not sure if the drums needed to be replaced as well because they look rusty

I honestly am not sure. since im driving the car and not listening from the outside its hard to tell, but i like i said before the drums are very rusty and the rotors seem to be in good condition.