Cleaning and Adjusting Rear Drum Brakes

[Tosh]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
You could blow them out with compressed air, or use water sprayed from a pump up insecticide sprayer, or use spray brake clean.

You would use water?! Seriously?

 

[tom slick]

Originally Posted By: Tosh
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
You could blow them out with compressed air, or use water sprayed from a pump up insecticide sprayer, or use spray brake clean.

You would use water?! Seriously?


Water/degreaser is the preferred method for cleaning drum brake assemblies

 

[Ross]

Tom Slick, that was a good link!! Thanks.

 

[wiswind]

1. If you install new shoes, you will need to adjust the "star" wheel self adjuster to compensate for the thicker lining on the new shoe.
2. I would recommend getting a drum brake hardware "kit" when doing drum brakes.....all new springs and clips.
3. Sometimes there is a rust "ridge" on the inside edge of the drum surface...a thin band at the edge where the brake shoe does not rub. This causes the drum to "hang up" on the shoe when trying to remove the drum...and you have to remove the dust cap on the back side of the backing plate....and adjust the "star" wheel to loosen the self adjuster.
You will turn it in the direction that you have to release the little cog that keeps the star wheel from backing off on it's own.
To remove the drum....pull outward while slowly rotating the drum back and forth.
Of course.....remember to NOT have the parking brake set!!!!

 

[George7941]

Originally posted by Kestas.
"Just about all drum systems are now servo type. The non-servo type does not have any self adjusting mechanism and has to be manually adjusted every so often. I haven't seen that design since my 85 Omni"

I have news for you. When I pulled the rear drums off my 2006 Sierra 1500 for a clean/lube, I was shocked/disappointed to find that the the brakes were not servo but the old leading/trailing shoe type. I expect that the primary shoes will wear out faster on my truck, unlike the servo type brakes where the secondary shoe does the majority of the braking and wears out faster.

There brakes are self-adjusting but the adjusters are not at the bottom like on servo brakes but on the strut at the top that goes between the two shoes. The two shoes pivot at the bottom on a fixed anchor.

Looking at the brake mechanism on my truck, it has just as many parts as a servo system has, so I just do not understand why GM went for this setup. Maybe the brake configuration is such that GM did not want the extra self-energising action with servo brakes.

BTW I manually adjust the rear brakes on all my vehicles twice a year(when I do the seasonal tire changeover) because the self-adjusters do not adjust till there is a lot a travel on the shoes. I can usually turn the adjusters about four clicks without the shoes dragging on the drums and end up with a noticeably tighter pedal.