Drum Brake Removal

One of the most important sub-systems of a car assembly is its braking mechanism without which car driving would be absolutely disastrous! Drum brake is a type of braking system installed in a car for the rear wheels while the front wheels usually have disc brakes.

Drum Brake Working

Drum brakes work on the principal of friction which can halt a moving wheel. Any drum brake is made up of two brake shoes, the drum connected to the wheel and a piston that controls their movement along with a set of springs. When you press down on the brake pedal, the piston is pushed by hydraulic action and the brake shoes press against the drum and the wheel, ceasing their motion through friction. When you release the brake pedal, the shoes are pulled back by spring action. That was a simplified explanation of how drum brakes work.

With time the brake pads wear out and they often need to be replaced. If the drum braking system itself breaks down, it has to be replaced as soon as possible. However, that is rarely the case and most probably the only repair job that comes up is brake pad replacement. In the rest of the article I explain the procedure of how to remove a drum brake. Going through it may help you decide whether you want to do it yourself or leave the job for a car repair center.

Drum Brake Removal Procedure

Drum brake replacement is a job that requires a great deal of mechanical expertise on your part and expertise in dealing with car problems. Before you go ahead with drum brake replacement, you need to know whether your car is front wheel or rear wheel drive as that will decide the position of the drum brakes and also decide the manner in which you remove them. Be warned, drum brake repair is a time-consuming job.

The things you will need to get a drum brake replacement done are jack, along with jack stands, screwdrivers, pry bar, pliers, hammer, brake retainer tool, brake spring pliers, wrenches, gloves, and grease. The exhaustive list of tools here should give you an idea about the complexity of the job, which is quite high.

First thing to do is to locate the car's master cylinder that holds the brake fluid. You need to drain at least half of the brake fluid before you go for drum brake removal. You must replenish it with new fluid after re-installation or replacement of the drum brake.

Once you have removed the brake fluid, the next task is removing the car tires to access the brake drum assembly. I assume that you know the tire removal procedure using jack and jack stands for drums and wrenches for removing lug nuts. Once the tires are off, you can access the braking system behind.

If your vehicle is a rear wheel drive, the following procedure is recommended. Locate a round clip connected with the wheel studs and remove it. Then you can remove the brake drum by turning the brake adjustment screw while making sure that it does not drag against the brake lining.

The following procedure is recommended if your car is a front wheel drive. You will have to remove the wheel bearings along with the bearing cap. Then similar to a rear wheel drive, you can remove the brake drum by turning the brake adjustment screw. Use a lubricant if the brake drum doesn't come off easily. Next, you will have to remove the parking brake cable along with the springs that press the brake shoes against the wheel cylinder. First, remove the return springs, and then the hold down springs that are directly located on the brake shoes.

Get rid of any other connections that are made with the brake shoes. Then you can remove the pair of brake shoes along with the self adjusting spring and screw assembly. With that, the procedure is complete. Depending on the condition of the brake pads and brake drum, you can decide whether you need to replace the drum brakes entirely or just go for brake pads or brake shoe replacement. A replacement will involve installation of new brake shoes and brake drum. Then you will have to put back everything the way it was!

For detailed instructions specific to your car model, refer to the appropriate Hayne's manual. Personally, I recommend you to leave the job of drum brake replacement to a car mechanic, as it is quite a complex job that requires considerable expertise.