Originally Posted By: SonicMustang
Hundreds of millions of vehicles over 115 years have used drum brakes. Drum brakes continue to be used in all kinds of vehicles including semi tractors/trailers.
Do you think, just maybe, you don't have a clue about how to install and maintain them?
I didn't kill myself driving a 1966 Dodge Charger 426 Hemi with four drum brakes and I didn't crash driving a 1972 FIAT 128 with rear drums. In fact, only one out of 87 guys in my eighth grade class is dead and he didn't get killed by drum brakes. How can that be, we all grew up driving cars with FOUR drum brakes? We should all be dead!
For your own safety and mine, please leave the mechanical work to professionals. If you're too pig headed to do that, at least you can buy OEM brake parts instead of Chinese stuff from Ghetto Discount Auto Parts.
I'm glad you are insulting my intelligence over a poor design that is not mine.
I think if I walked in to a dealer and asked for rear brake parts for a 15 year old vehicle, I'd be laughed out. But , as I stated before, most of the components are made in USA. The brake shoes are not the cheapies, either.
I'd also like to say that it is not this vehicle in particular. It has been a few different vehicles, brought to different professional mechanics and dealers as well.
All a mechanic is going to do is throw the same exact parts right back at it as I did, it will work for a few months and that is it.
When I get home from work tonight, I am pulling it apart again. I will make sure to grab pictures to prove that nothing is in backwards
Originally Posted By: BurrWinder
The one thing as a professional I can tell you universally about drum brakes is - if you want to be able to service them easliy along the way, ALWAYS MAKE SURE there is no rust ridge buildup or lip on the outside edge of the drum where the shoes ride. Either make sure it is beneath the level where the shoes ride or grind down the ledge there to remove/prevent it. Checking and adjusting rear brakes properly is almost always a breeze in the future if this is done. Shoes that bind on this and drag or refuse to come off ruin brake hold down pins and shoes when this isn't done. Adjusting them thru the backing plate ( esp. without a hoist ) is always a pain compared to sliding off like they should, properly ground down and adjusted.
BurrWinder
There was a slight ridge, but that was removed and I scuffed the surface with some coarse sand paper. Generally when I do the drum brakes, I adjust them out until I can barely side the drum on with no resistance, then jack it up and have a go at the adjusting wheels. Once I start to get some resistance I leave it. The auto adjusters should take over from there.
Originally Posted By: HangFire
Originally Posted By: Miller88
Originally Posted By: Dallas69
What exactly stops working?
Drum brakes are simple to maintain,so I really don't know what you mean.
Beats me what stops working. The garbage brakes stop working? Best I can say. I'm pulling them apart - but, like every other time, everything will appear to work correctly. I'll put the drum back on and they will work for 2 months then quit again.
So you don't even know? You can't even tell us if the parking brake has stopped working?
Your slave cylinders might be sticky or 1/2 or fully rusted shut. Your parking brake lines could be stretched. You might have a bad rear anti-lock brake modulator. Debris in the brake lines. An air bubble. An air sucking loose brake bleeder.
There is a whole list of possibilities, but don't let our ability to help you stand in the way of a good rant and another useless disc versus drum debate. You just go along ranting and debating and doing your 2-month thing and don't let me stand in your way.
The parking brake does not hold, but the cable does pull on the shoe and it moves. The whole thing is set up per the factory service manual.
Wheel cylinders are new as of last year. Bled them with no issues. I replaced them when I replaced the brakes lines out of preventive maintenance. The joys of living in the rustbelt
Same as before - they worked shortly and stopped. If I adjust the brakes out, they will work fine.
For some reason, they always back off the adjuster. While the adjusters can be put in both ways, there is only one position where the arm will come in contact with the wheel. I suspect that's what happened this time.
The studs in the bottom of the shoe, the adjuster arm, adjuster cable and adjuster are all brand new. Drum brakes are so cheap, it's almost foolish to NOT replace the hardware when servicing them.