How to Change Drum Brakes

Drum brakes are mostly found in old cars with rear wheels. Some people still use them because they are cheaper. Changing them is a necessary part of car maintenance, and here is a simple way of changing drum brakes.

Materials

• New brake shoes
• Brake retainer tools
• Brake spring pliers
• A pry bar and a hammer
• Pliers, wrenches and screw drivers
• A jack and a jack stand
• A car lift
• Brake clean
• Anti-seize
• White lithium grease
• Latex gloves and a mask

Changing Drum Brakes

1. Drain half the brake fluid from the master cylinder of your car. Throw away the brake fluid you drained and just replace the fluid with a new one.
2. Unscrew the lug nuts from the tires on your car and remove them. Take out the round clips on your wheel studs as well if your car is a rear wheel drive. If it is a front wheel drive, the parts you should remove are the bearing cap and the wheel bearings. Once these are done, remove the brake drum. Lubricate the axle of the drum if the brake is resisting your pull.
3. Make sure that you remember where everything goes into. You can consult your car’s manual or take a snapshot of it.
4. Take out all the holding springs, parking brake cables and any hardware attached to the brake shoes of the car. And then, remove the brake shoes themselves.
5. Do a maintenance check on the brake drums. Remove the spring-and-screw assembly from the brake shoes. Clean both the old and the new brake drums, the new ones especially before installing them. Sand the drums with sandpaper to make the surface smooth. Also, put lubricating oil on all the contact points.
6. 6. Recall the way the old brake shoes were placed. Install the new brake shoes in the exact same way, and make sure that they are aligned against the backing plate.
7. Once the brake shoes are in place, reattach the spring-and-screw assembly, the parking brake cable, and all the hardware that was previously removed. Put them all back in the exact places where they were, as shown by your manual or your snapshot. Then, reattach the return springs on the brake shoe.
8. Replace the brake drum, and then reattach the wheels. Remember to replace the brake fluid that you have drained out earlier.
9. Go out for a test drive. Drive carefully and make it a point to go slowly, without pushing too hard on the brakes.

Tips

While it is great to be able to replace the brake drum on your car by yourself, you should only attempt to do it when you have all the right tools and materials available to you. If not, just take your car to the mechanic and have them change your brake drum for you. Changing the brake drum can be quite risky, and you could get into an accident if you do it incorrectly.

For more information on How to Change Drum Brakes read:

How to Change Drum Brakes

How to Change Drum Brakes

How to Change Drum Brakes