MAN I forgot how much I hate drum brakes........

[redgtxdi]

So, still waiting on whether the new alternator will be comin' back out & goin' back to AZ, I decided to do the rear brakes. They weren't metal to metal, but were soundin' pretty bad.

New shoes
New drums

I HATE all those little fsckin' springs. (Does anybody make a pair of needle nose pliers that won't result in some sort of battle wound fighting all those fvckin' springs?)

C-clip hinged parking brake swivels piggy-backed to those WORTHLESS PBA's.

After 3 battle wounds & a blood blister, I slapped everything back together & went for a drive. (E-brake goes straight to the top & no amount of pumpin' it would extend the fvckin' adjuster).

Soooooooooo..............it's back off with the wheels & drums again...............call the wife out to start pumpin' on the e-brake only to observe that, yup, parts move, but adjuster just won't adjust. Did it manually 'til I could get the drums w/o too much interference & pulled 'em off & had the wife pump the e-brake again. This time the adjusters worked about every 3rd pump or so, but needless to say...........they suck blue whale!

Readjusted to light friction, slapped the hubcaps back on & test-drove. Brakes are great.......drum brakes are antiquated, dinosaur bullsh!t.

/rant

 

[HannibalX]

Drum brakes aren't so bad when they are adjusted correctly.

 

[zerocool84]

yea drums t3h sux0rz

 

[Hyperlite]

yep, they are a royal pain in the ass. i could change all the fluids in my car 100 times and not get as dirty and bloody as i did putting in new shoes.

 

[alkemyst]

There are brake drum tools that make this job simple. They should all cost under $10

 

[dug777]

I'm entirely grateful that my little '89 323 5-door hatch has discs all round

No idea why it does, however

 

[fstime]

Originally posted by: dug777
I'm entirely grateful that my little '89 323 5-door hatch has discs all round

No idea why it does, however

Not a surprise coming from a German automaker.

My old 79' MB 300SD has disks all around.

 

[LennyZ]

Never heard of an emergency brake adjusting the brakes.
You need to go in reverse and hit the brakes firmly.

Also as part of the brake job you take apart the adjuster and lube it slightly or replace if too stiff.

Proper tools make the job so much easier.

 

[redgtxdi]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
There are brake drum tools that make this job simple. They should all cost under $10

There's really only the cylinderical retainer compression pliers that truly help, but to be honest, I pretty much man-handle those anyway. Harder to me is getting the main spring off the adjusting strut. If you don't have a pair of needle nose pliers that have some serious bite on 'em, you'll simply keep losing the grip as the spring keeps snapping back into place.

Originally posted by: LennyZ
Never heard of an emergency brake adjusting the brakes.
You need to go in reverse and hit the brakes firmly.

Proper tools make the job so much easier.

Stone ages much???

Self adjusting brakes may use a mechanism that engages only when the vehicle is being stopped from reverse motion. This is a traditional method suitable for use where all wheels use drum brakes (most vehicles now use disc brakes on the front wheels).

Self adjusting brakes may also operate by a ratchet mechanism engaged as the hand brake is applied, a means suitable for use where only rear drum brakes are used. If the travel of the parking brake actuator lever exceeds a certain amount, the ratchet turns an adjuster screw that moves the brake shoes toward the drum.

E-brake adjusting style are most common these days. And as mentioned above.......there just ain't enough 'specialized' tooling for making drums brakes easy. They're simply a b!tch.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: BouZouki

Originally posted by: dug777
I'm entirely grateful that my little '89 323 5-door hatch has discs all round

No idea why it does, however

Not a surprise coming from a German automaker.

My old 79' MB 300SD has disks all around.

323 = Mazda.

ZV

 

[LennyZ]

Another common misconception is when self adjustment takes place. A popular belief is that the most common method of self adjustment is through the use of the parking brake. Of the three methods, this is the least commonly used. Basically, all duo-servos self adjust when the brakes are applied and released when backing up. The majority of non-servo drum brakes self adjust when braking when the vehicle is moving in the forward direction. Only a few systems use the parking brake for self adjusting. All the drum brakes shown in Figure 4 self adjust during forward braking.

Found this at LINK

 

[exdeath]

Originally posted by: redgtxdi

...there just ain't enough 'specialized' tooling for making drums brakes easy. They're simply a b!tch.

http://cgi.ebay.com/CRAFTSMAN-...VWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

These will make it take seconds without killing your hands and marring up your tools.

 

[mooseracing]

Originally posted by: LennyZ

Proper tools make the job so much easier.

Sometimes i find myself able to do drum brakes quicker than some disc setups.

Drums are stupid simple, and offer less resistence than disc brakes which equals economy...not that it really matters that much to me.

I like disc better for resistence to dirt and mud sticking in and wearing them out.

 

[zig3695]

drum brakes are easy with the special tools. you cant do the springs without that hook tool, just forget about it you WILL get cut up.

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: redgtxdi
There's really only the cylinderical retainer compression pliers that truly help, but to be honest, I pretty much man-handle those anyway. Harder to me is getting the main spring off the adjusting strut. If you don't have a pair of needle nose pliers that have some serious bite on 'em, you'll simply keep losing the grip as the spring keeps snapping back into place.

Not entirely true. On the back end of that maniacal plier thingy that comes in the brake tool kit is an excellent tool to draw the main springs over that top center stalk, and on the other handle piece is the removal tool.

However, the front end of that plier like tool is pretty useless. I've often thought about cutting the hand grips off and attaching nice homemade hickory handles to them.

 

[redgtxdi]

Originally posted by: zig3695
drum brakes are easy with the special tools. you cant do the springs without that hook tool, just forget about it you WILL get cut up.

Cut up?? What ever do you mean???

Originally posted by: Squisher
Not entirely true. On the back end of that maniacal plier thingy that comes in the brake tool kit is an excellent tool to draw the main springs over that top center stalk, and on the other handle piece is the removal tool.

However, the front end of that plier like tool is pretty useless. I've often thought about cutting the hand grips off and attaching nice homemade hickory handles to them.

Ya, after looking at that link by Exdeath, I can see *some* help there, although I can't say that I see exactly how either of those tools work. (The socket-type tool for the retainer springs, *or* the "HOSTEL" looking pliers.)

 

[zig3695]

ouch!

 

[AMCRambler]

Oh man. Time for stitches. I used to work on the drum brakes on my Rambler but I don't recall getting diced up that bad. Usually used needle noses to pull the springs and clips off and busted the occasional knuckle. They were manual adjusted drum brakes though so maybe that helps.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
There are brake drum tools that make this job simple. They should all cost under $10

There are two different sizes of the screwdriver looking type of tool (IIRC). The ebay link in another post above only shows that there's one. Depends on what car you have as to which one will help you. My friend (mechanic) showed me how to do drums by doing one side. With those tools, he made it look incredibly simple - it took longer to jack the car and remove the tire.

But, I've decided what I hate more than drum brakes: Rear calipers where you have to screw the piston back in while applying pressure. 2 hours wasted, and my piston still isn't retracted. Guess I've gotta get another specialized tool?

 

[redgtxdi]

Fortunately, that wasn't my blood!! I just took a pick off Google, but I figured it looked gnarly enough to warrant sharing to fellow shadetree mechanics....:shocked:


As for the tools.........I can't say I've ever worked on the "screw-in" type caliper pistons, but I've heard about 'em before.

I'm guessing there must be some type of spanner wrench available to use while simultaneously using a C-clamp or another specialized (perhaps spring-loaded?) compression tool, but I won't doubt they're a behotch!!

P.S. Don't touch a hot rotor.........they're reeeeally hot & burn reeeeeeally bad!! :light:

 

[SparkyJJO]

Yes they suck. My old car had them in the rear, hated working on them. Now I have 4 wheel disc and no more fighting with those old drums. Just need my tire iron, socket set, and a C clamp and I can do all four pads/rotors.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
Yes they suck. My old car had them in the rear, hated working on them. Now I have 4 wheel disc and no more fighting with those old drums. Just need my tire iron, socket set, and a C clamp and I can do all four pads/rotors.

Really? I thought that most rear calipers required an additional step (as a result of the e-brake). The last car I had, I needed to remove a little bolt/cap, then reach inside with an allen wrench and unscrew it. This car, although they're calipers on the rear, as I posted above, I have to have a special tool to screw them in as I compress them. Grrr.

edit: $3.99 tool. But, of course, I can't get the caliper back on until I get the piston pushed in. Therefore, my car isn't going anywhere til I get the stupid tool.

 

[mooseracing]

Originally posted by: redgtxdi

Ya, after looking at that link by Exdeath, I can see *some* help there, although I can't say that I see exactly how either of those tools work. (The socket-type tool for the retainer springs, *or* the "HOSTEL" looking pliers.)

Not sure which you don't understand. So i'll explain all 3.

The spoon or wahtever name you have for it on the right in the main picture is for adjusting the brakes when you have the tire on the car. You jack up the car, stick the spoon in the back of the drum, usually near the botton there is an opening or a rubber plug to take out.

Then you spin the adjuster inside the drum until you have a slight drag on the wheels.

In the middle is the tool for removing teh springs on the pins that hold the shoes to the backing plates. I don't care what you have used I haven't found an easier way. There is 2 different sizes on that tool.

On the far left is the brake spring pliers. On the handle end they have a little round tool for taking the springs off.

The hook end, hooks onto the spring, the pointed end i find a spot on the rivets of the shoe or anywhere on the backing plate that is solid. You then pull the spring to where it needs to go on the peg sticking out in the top middle of the backing plate, using the pointed end for leverage.

Its that simple, although hard to explain.