Curious How A Set Of Drum Brakes Are Changed?

While disc brakes are the industry standard, drum brakes are still found on the rear wheels of some cars. Changing them yourself can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be difficult, especially if you follow these five steps. Even if you don’t have any prior experience with auto repair, this should be a job that you can accomplish.

The first step in replacing your drum brakes is to remove the wheel. Ensure that when you do this, you have the car parked on level ground and the jack secured in the correct place on your car as indicated by your owner’s manual. Loosen the lug nuts a bit before jacking the car up, as the vehicle’s weight on the wheel will help keep the wheel from spinning.

Once you have removed the wheel, it’s time to remove the brake drum. Be sure to wear a dust mask as the dust inside the brake drum can be harmful if inhaled. Next, wiggle the brake drum back and forth and pull it from the car’s wheel hub.

Once you have the brake drum removed, it’s time to clean the brake drum assembly. Spray everything with brake cleaner as the dust inside the brake drum assembly can lead to noise and vibrations when stopping.

Next, remove the brake shoes by disassembling the brake drum assembly. Tensioner springs will hold the brake shoes in place. With a needle-nose plier, remove the springs starting with the topmost spring and working your way down. Once the springs are removed, you can remove the old brake shoes.

Finally, it’s time to install the new brake shoes and reassemble the brake drum assembly. Position the new brake shoes, and reattach the tensioner springs in reverse order of how you took them off. Once this is complete, you will need to adjust the brakes with a screwdriver so that they expand. Consult your manufacturer’s specifications to ensure that brakes are torqued correctly before replacing the brake drum. Once the new brake shoes have been installed and secured to the hub, replace the brake drum and the wheel.

Replacing drum brake shoes is not necessarily any more difficult than replacing the brake pads of a disc braking system. If you follow the above steps, you can have your drum brake system back in use. However, if you don’t feel confident in changing your car’s brake shoes, see your mechanic for help.