Parking Brake Shoe Replacement
 

Hey Dudes,

If you have the need to disassemble and reassemble your parking brake because maybe you left your parking brake on, went driving, and wore down the shoes majorly, or maybe you need to pull your rear axles to perform an axle seal/bearing job, this video will show you how to deal with this very annoying parking brake design.

The parking brake isn't overly complicated. What makes it hard to deal with is the amount of space available between the axle flange and brake backing plate to get in with tools or your hands to disassemble and reassemble the parts. It can be a very frustrating experience and this video will help lessen the amount of frustration you experience.

Hope you guys like the video. Happy Wrenching and Sic Mods for All!

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Some good tips in there, I like that forked tool and using the hub hole. I had to remove one side to replace an axle seal recently. I always have a hard time getting the e-brake cable spring pushed back as it's tough to get a grip on. Didn't help that it was slimy with gear oil. I've had success with the zip tie trick on those shoe spring locks but your way looks good. This job is not for folks lacking finger dexterity.

I was about to pay a shop $400 to do this for me after two failed personal attempts. Timmay, you are a legend.

Looks like a handy tool and a really good video. He gives some great advice on taking a picture before you start; a video would be better. Using the other side as a reference is also a good tip. BTDT Drum brakes are all pretty much like this video shows. You'll encounter some differences but 98% will be the same.

I've been working with drum brakes since my '58 Chevy's 4 drum brakes (and other cars until disc came along) many, many years ago. I used a strong pliers for the top return spring removal and flat tip screw driver to put them back on (hook the spring to the screw driver shaft, flat tip on the post, then pry the driver handle towards the brake). It's tricky but after you've done it a lot you develop a feel for it. You can also grab the spring on the shaft by the hook with Channel Locks and pull the hook to the post. He does this in the video to remove them. At one point he uses grease. I have never done that. I feel that using grease near the brake shoes is looking for trouble. That mechanism is designed to run dry. Never used grease, never had a problem.

For the brake clips I used a pliers to hold and rotate the disc while I held the pin on the back with my fingers. (Or hold the pin with a needle nose pliers and rotate the disc with your fingers) To back off the brakes from the drum there was a slot in the bottom of the backing plate and you needed a special angled tool to reach in and turn the star wheel. It was possible to use a flat tip screw driver too. On these brakes you remove the rotor and the star is visible. After assembly he shows you can adjust through the access hole. That is a good tip for me. I wasn't aware of it.

Our '99 Sienna and '12 Corolla have rear drum brakes, so I get to stay in practice. For someone encountering drums for the first time it can be a daunting task.

There is a brake cable adjuster nut under the console to the rear of the shift mechanism. That's for the Gen4 T4R, I don't know about later models.

It's a great video, especially if you've never done drum brakes. I'm going to "like" it so it will be saved in my YouTube favorites.

great video, it's a patience-testing job for sure. It's the only thing I've done that made throw tools and walk away for a day before re-trying again.

I'm terrible about not having proper tools and that fork tool would probably have saved some gray hair. Magnet on the backside pretty damn genius too, might have to give it a try next time

I will say though, I don't think i'll ever do this job again without doing the small zip-tie method to hold the spring/retainers together to get them back on. After practicing on the first side I was able to get the complete passenger side together using that method in literally 15 minutes

The grease applied to the rear spring plate to give it some holding power to the shoe isn't going to be an issue. The Toyota FSM instructs to put grease on the backing plate raised spots so the shoes move smoothly when they contract and extend. You also apply grease to the shoe lever pin and adjuster. There's grease all around the brake shoes and it's not an issue. I have a fair amount of experience working with drum brakes and I've always used grease where the Toyota FSM recommends you put it.

We were originally going to use a panel clip remover tool to compress the hold-down spring assembly while rotating the shoe into position. We tried it with an altered pry bar, and it works, but it's still was a bit of a fight. A person commenting on the video gave us a link to a panel ciip remover tool he said works well for this application. We're going to give it a try this coming Wednesday and film the result.

The zip tie trick is a total gamechanger. When I first did mine a few years ago, those little clips took me what seemed like hours to take care of. Earlier in the summer I did a friend's parking brake with the zip ties in less time than it took him to do his front calipers on and off.

I just wish Toyota would have put some sort of cutout in the hub to work around!

Another trick I have learned and use is I will take some super glue and apply it to the inside of the head to the shoe hold down pin. Put the pin in and it will stay attached to the backing plate. This will free up a hand/finger that you would use to hold the pin in place while putting the spring and cup on. When you have them installed take a small screwdriver and from the backside of the backing plate just tap on the pin and it will break free and not be glued anymore.

Here's another trick on how to deal with getting the shoes back into position and locked down by the hold-down spring assembly.

I think you guys will appreciate it. If features a tool that only costs $5. Maybe not as affordable as the zip tie trick, but it's a fast way to get the job done.

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