Brake drum removal

[NathanOfSeattle]

With close to 160,000 miles on my car, I'm wondering if I need to replace the brake shoes in my rear brakes for my 2000 4Runner. I took the rear wheels off and could not for the life of me, remove the brake drums. I didn't see any clips or anything holding the brake drums in. I hit the shoulder several times with a rubber hammer and that didn't do it.

How do I remove the brake drums? Or if there is a way to inspect the shoes without having to remove the drums, let me know how. I didn't see any way to actually look in to the brake assembly.

 

[rjaudi]

Parking brake off of course. Look inside the backing plate at the bottom. There should be a hole that gives you access to a star wheel. Turn this wheel with a screwdriver to loosen the shoes up and that should release the drum. You dont always need to do this, but you may need to.

 

[NathanOfSeattle]

Parking brake off of course. Look inside the backing plate at the bottom. There should be a hole that gives you access to a star wheel. Turn this wheel with a screwdriver to loosen the shoes up and that should release the drum. You dont always need to do this, but you may need to.

Oh, I didn't know you had to remove the parking brake. Noob mistake I guess . If I have the rear end lifted up, how do I prevent the car from rolling? Of course I'm lifting up on a flat surface, but I feel better knowing that the wheels that still have contact with the ground can't freely turn.

 

[fightman80]

I always use a couple of small red bricks I have or a nice chunk of wood, just make sure it's taller than a couple of inches....try a 4X4 piece of lumber or a fire wood piece.

Not sure, but sounds like you're pretty new at wrenching (not a bad thing!), you may want to pickup a shop manual and take a read. The book is great for Newbies (I found it helped me when I first started, and actually still use it to this day for some stuff). It will direct you with things like "How to jack you truck up", and "How to change your oil", and can even show you how to do a complete engine tear down and rebuild!

Congrats on doing things on your own, and saving yourself some cash!

 

[NathanOfSeattle]

I always use a couple of small red bricks I have or a nice chunk of wood, just make sure it's taller than a couple of inches....try a 4X4 piece of lumber or a fire wood piece.

Not sure, but sounds like you're pretty new at wrenching (not a bad thing!), you may want to pickup a shop manual and take a read. The book is great for Newbies (I found it helped me when I first started, and actually still use it to this day for some stuff). It will direct you with things like "How to jack you truck up", and "How to change your oil", and can even show you how to do a complete engine tear down and rebuild!

Congrats on doing things on your own, and saving yourself some cash!

Thanks for the advice. I actually have wheel chocks which I can place under the front wheels. I just feel better knowing that at least 1 wheel that has contact with the ground can't freely spin.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Buy two M8 X1.25 bolts, thread each one into the drum and start to turn one of them until you hear it pop. Then turn the other one. The bolts put pressure on the backing plate to push off the drum.

OEM shoes, use no other.

 

[zcruiser]

Oh, I didn't know you had to remove the parking brake. Noob mistake I guess . If I have the rear end lifted up, how do I prevent the car from rolling? Of course I'm lifting up on a flat surface, but I feel better knowing that the wheels that still have contact with the ground can't freely turn.

Not sure what you mean by 'remove', but you only have to release the parking brake, not remove it.

The rear brakes / shoes require some special tools for the spring removal / reinstallation, and they must be properly adjusted when you put the shoes back on. Might want to do some reading up on this before you open it up.

The FSM is online at http://alvania.net/~nrcain/contents.htm

 

[techno]

The rear brakes / shoes require some special tools for the spring removal / reinstallation, and they must be properly adjusted when you put the shoes back on.

No special tools needed. It actually quite easy to do with just your gloved hands. Leave the springs clipped into the shoes and simply lift the shoes out of the piston slots and then towards you. Once the tips are clear of the pistons let the springs contract until they go limp and you're done. Install by assembling the shoes and springs together completely in front of the cylinders then fit one shoe end at a time. It's very easy to extend the springs when you hold the shoe. You can use a large screw driver for leverage if needed.

X2 on the M8 bolt to loosen the drum.

If you ever don't have chocks for the wheels, put the transfer case in 4wd so the front wheels are locked in park (or gear).

 

[Scramble]

Buy two M8 X1.25 bolts, thread each one into the drum and start to turn one of them until you hear it pop. Then turn the other one. The bolts put pressure on the backing plate to push off the drum.

OEM shoes, use no other.

I did a google search for "3rd gen 4runner drum bolts" & it brought me to this thread & your post. :hatsoff:

 

[kolelt]

Buy two M8 X1.25 bolts, thread each one into the drum and start to turn one of them until you hear it pop. Then turn the other one. The bolts put pressure on the backing plate to push off the drum.

OEM shoes, use no other.

Exactly what I was going to say!

 

[LittleCaesar]

Nothing like getting "liked" on a post almost seven years later. Kind of scary, in reference to the fact that I have been on here this long.

The threaded holes make it a life saver to remove the drums.

In addition, if anyone tried to remove rusted drums on other autos, I have found that a good dosing of Kroil where needed followed by using a large two jaw puller and a strong impact works wonders. I never try and get the drum off if it is stuck on there, just put the puller under enough tension just like with the bolts and let physics do its work. Usually it lets loose within 15 minutes and then go from there.....
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NJ1CIW/ref=psdc_15708871_t3_B000O866VK

 

[19963.4lsr5]

If you have a ridge on you brake drum those bolts will help brake stuff behind the drum. I you can move the drum in and out on the rear axle but it acts like springs keep pulling it back you will need to back off on the brake adjuster. The adjuster only spins in one direction freely. (And that direction is to tighten them.) there is a catch that you must push back with 1 screw driver while turning the star wheel with another screw driver.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mtbtim]

Here's a video that shows the bolt technique as an option to get the brake drums off as well as the technique of backing off the automatic adjuster via the access hole on the backing plate.
https://youtu.be/IJkVEBYSecs

 

[SodiumFlouride]

Buy two M8 X1.25 bolts, thread each one into the drum and start to turn one of them until you hear it pop. Then turn the other one. The bolts put pressure on the backing plate to push off the drum.

This is great advice, where without the 2-inch long M8x1.25 bolts, I would never have gotten the drum off today to look at these brakes at 175K miles.

 

[thinkCooper]

The bolts work epic until that day (like today) where the drum is so stuck, the 8x1.25 threads strip.

 

[LittleCaesar]

For this case, a good dosing of Kroil, followed by the use of an air hammer, would work wonders. If one didn’t have an air hammer, a BFH, 40oz or heavier, may work as a substitute.

 

[Krommeweg]

Oh, I didn't know you had to remove the parking brake. Noob mistake I guess . If I have the rear end lifted up, how do I prevent the car from rolling? Of course I'm lifting up on a flat surface, but I feel better knowing that the wheels that still have contact with the ground can't freely turn.

You're not alone. The first time I jacked up the rear end to check brake shoes, I left the parking brake on as well. Took me 30 minutes with a rubber mallet before I realized my mistake.

The transfer case is your friend. Throw that sucker in gear and chalk the wheels.

Shop manuals are an excellent investment, try to find a Haynes manual, as well as the original Toyota factory manual (I found a .pdf copy online). The Toyota manual has all the information you'll ever need, and the Haynes manual has good step-by-step instructions. You've already found the best online community...