Help me fix my drum brakes please

[Rustbucket1994]

Alright, so what I thought was the driver's side hub making a large clunk after rolling forward for a bit is actually the rear drum brake on the driver's side.

I roll forward and I hear a large clunk and then there is a noticeable resistance. If I put it in reverse the resistance is gone.

I am able to take drum off with ease, and both shoes have plenty of material on them. That goes for driver and passenger side.

However on the driver's side, the side where I am pretty sure the clunk is coming from, the front brake shoe is badly cracked in a webbed type pattern, probably 4-6 cracks that randomly cross paths. So this tells me that its getting damn hot, and that it is getting jammed when the car rolls forward.

When I took the drum off I didnt see any loose parts or anything.

Any ideas on how to fix it?

Thanks guys.

 

[Gatorblazer]

I would replace the shoes with new ones, and clean really well with a quality brake cleaner. You might also want to get a new hardware kit for your assembly (new springs etc), and I would also take your drums into a shop to see if they need turning. This would essentially take care of all of just about everything in the rear and should be less than $100 total.

 

[Rustbucket1994]

I assume the kit would contain all the springs, new adjuster, etc? And can this be purchased at the normal auto parts store?

 

[MrShorty]

When I've bought the parts, the springs, etc. were in one kit. The adjuster parts were a separate kit.

 

[Gatorblazer]

Just checked on that. the adjuster kit runs $5, the all in one spring kit was $11. Shoes can run $15-60. Typical turn job is $20-$50

 

[Rustbucket1994]

Alright, I will replace the springs and the adjuster then. Is there any chance that the e-brake cable is the problem?

 

[Gatorblazer]

If the cable was causing tension, you wouldnt be able to get the drum off

 

[Rustbucket1994]

Ya that was my thought as well. I just have herd people having similar problems with the e-brake not fully releasing as the cause of the problem. But Ill see what happens after new springs and everything. Thanks for your help

 

[gsmaclean]

Ya that was my thought as well. I just have herd people having similar problems with the e-brake not fully releasing as the cause of the problem. But Ill see what happens after new springs and everything. Thanks for your help

I would not consider replacing drum brake shoes/linings without also replacing the hardware. When I did the drum brakes on my 94 Limited, I used this hardware kit:

http://www.rockauto.com/dbphp/prt,31,0841371

One kit is good for both rear wheels.

You'll also want to go get a cheap brake spring tool. The $10 you'll spend on the tool is worth not going through the two hours of frustrating screwing around with needle nose pliers trying to get the springs back on.

Also...pull the drums off of both wheels, then pull the brakes and springs off of one...and use the other one as a reference when reassembling it.

 

[Rustbucket1994]

Are there any sticky threads that have pictures of going through drum brake repairs? I havent been able to find one so far.

 

[Gatorblazer]

Spring Tool is a HUGE help. its not hard, just disasseble the one first like gsma said and use the other as your reference for reassembly. Also, I would suggest an old towel or cardboard under the rear axle when you do the work. Brake dust and cleaner has a nice way of staining concrete.

 

[little x]

I didn't know there was a spring tool, lol. That could have helped. Smaller vice grips work alright.

 

[MrShorty]

Are there any sticky threads that have pictures of going through drum brake repairs? I havent been able to find one so far.

I'm not aware of a sticky thread here with instructions. I've always found the instructions given Haynes' or Chiltons DIY manuals to be adequate and they usually have plenty of pictures in the drum brake section.

I second the use of the spring brake tool. I actually have two of them from different manufacturers. For whatever reason, the one seems better at getting the springs off the anchor pin, and the other works better at getting them on.

Getting the last spring on seems to be the worst part of drum brakes. I don't know what tricks others use, but when I do my Explorer's brakes I save the "high" adjuster pawl spring for last. Then I use another tool from my brake tool set (the one for removing the shoe that has a screwdriver type handle with a round end. The end has a fairly deep slot in it), to push up on the end of the adjuster pawl until I can get the last spring to hook into the shoe.

One last piece of advice on drum brakes. Give yourself time if this is your first set. They can be done, but I've always hit a few frustrating steps the first time. It will take longer than you think, but once you've done it once, the second time will be easier.

 

[Rustbucket1994]

We shall see how it goes. Thanks for all your help guys

 

[Gatorblazer]

Results?

 

[gsmaclean]

I made a tool that works really well for pushing the hooks of springs into holes, like on the inner parking drums on my 2003 Ex. I took a long flat blade screwdriver, and cut a deep "V" into the end of the blade using a grinder. You can get the spring into the "V", then push it up into the hole.

 

[Rustbucket1994]

Well turns, out the the dirver's side parking brake cable was the cause of the problem. It wasnt allowing the shoes to retract all the way. Enough that I could get the drum off but not enough to keep the shoe from binding up. I replaced the cable and all the springs, I will be putting the wheels on in the next 30 min to see how things end up.

 

[Rustbucket1994]

Well, with a new ebrake cable on the driver's side she's driving like she should now. No more loud clunks, no more resistance, all is well! Thanks for all your help.

 

[sheky]

I am going to share my rear brake experiance with my '94. I have have the truck since it was new and never had a rear brake problem until recently.
I put new brake shoes and drums on from autozone. After a few months I started having trouble with the brakes note fully releasing when I released the emergency brake cable.
I took the drums off to find that the shoes were note "floating" on the brake mounting plate. I dug a little deeper to find that the cheaper knock-off brake shoes I bought were poorly designed.
Instead of having a nice bent over flange on the side of the shoe to ride on the mounting plate these shoes just had a flat edge. This flat edge over time
worn into the brake mounting plate and the brakes were no longer free to "float".
A bit wordy, but this issue really ticked me off. 214k miles first time to have a problem like this.
I hope this helps someone.