jh26

Anyone care to recommend a good choice for rear brake shoes for my 2000 4runner? A couple months back I finally replaced the original shoes are 95k miles, but despite proper adjustment the parking brake won't hold with the new shoes. It obvious from the feel that these new shoes just don't have the "stick" that the original shoes had. Barring recommendations for something better, I suppose I could just go pick up some stock shoes - that would certianly be better than what I have now.

Thanks in advance

2ToyGuy

I try and use stock parts when they've proven themselves, and I'd call almost 100k on brake shoes pretty good. I've gotten over 120k on each set on the p/u, and the 4Runner has 146 on it's now, so, I guess stock isn't so bad after all

TRunner

I have been happy with the Wagner ceramic ones. They cost a margin more then cheapies, but they have a life time warranty. I bought my first set of pads in 2000 and have already replaced them three times. Not because they had to... but because I could for free! I only hit the squealers once so far, other times were because I just replaced the rotors and once before because I was under there fooling around and just figured... while I'm here and have my hands dirty...

jimbo74

i have raybestos pro stop.....


the rear drums need to be adjusted properly more than anything.... this is a far more vital procedure than having hte best shoes in the world......

LittleRedToyota

i agree with jim...i doesn't seem likely that any brand of shoe would not hold your truck if the e-brake system is in good working order and properly adjusted.

assuming the system is working OK, you can adjust it by just pulling the e-brake many times.

i take it the e-brake was working before the new shoes?

are you sure you got everything hooked back up correctly? are the drums in decent shape?

maybe pull the wheels and drums back off, then have someone pull the e-brake whole you watch the mechanism and shoes to make sure they move properly. (this may "adjust" your shoes out too far since there is no drum to stop them, so you'll have to move them back in by hand by turning the star adjuster before putting the drums back on.)

jh26

Yes, the e-brake worked before the shoe change. I've already been through the rear brake adjustment twice with the new shoes - when I first installed the new pads I tightened up the adjustment because the because they weren't holding, but I got them too tight which resulted in some very hot hubs when I got to work the next day. If anyone is wondering, you definitely can over-adjust the rear brakes just by pulling the handle many times. I backed them off and tried again. This time the brake pedal and e-brake handle travel and feel are just right, but a normal human amount of pull on the handle isn't enough to hold the truck on my steep driveway like it was with the old brakes. And not nearly enough to hold the truck and 3500 lbs boat on the launch ramp.

LittleRedToyota

that should not be the case. if it were, you would eventually over-adjust your shoes just by routinely using your parking brake.

moreover, pulling the e-brake should have no effect on the brake adjustment unless the shoes move enough for the automatic adjustment lever to catch the next tooth on the star wheel...and the lever should not move that much unless the shoes are too far from the drums.

i really think there is something wrong with your drum brake mechanism (or maybe the aftermarket shoes you bought don't actually fit right or something...that would make sense). maybe something is bent?

you could always spring for a set of toyota shoes and try those. if they don't work, then you know there is something wrong.

i could see that...there is a limit to what the rear drum brakes will hold. especially if they got wet--in which case they can become about useless.

lowrange

you mentioned the brake shoe self-adjuster was made too tight when the shoes were installed... the shoes and drums then overheated from "dragging" while you were driving around.

it is possible that the shoes and drums got glazed from overheating... you may have to take them apart and have a look. the shoes may need to be scuffed and drums remachined in order to get their "bite" back.

don't mean to be critical... just a suggestion.

Citykid

I am planning on replacing my pads soon. Any suggestions of how to correctly set up the rear brakes? I have no idea other than the e brake trick.

LittleRedToyota

the e-brake is how to do it...

here is what i do:

1. use the star wheel to adjust the shoes by hand so they are way too "loose" so the drum goes on over the shoes easily.

2. work the e-brake bell crank (on the back of the backing plate) by hand repeatedly....you can hear the adjusting mechanism click each time it catches the next tooth on the star wheel (and thus adjusts the shoes a little bit closer to drums).

3. when you don't hear it clicking anymore, the brakes are properly adjusted.

4. repeat on the other side of truck

5. go into the cab and pull the e-brake lever a few times just for good measure.

6. test the brakes and e-brake before taking off driving anywhere.

jh26

Yes, I also think that glazing due to oveheating is the most likely explanation for the current pads not holding. When I get a chance I'm going to put new shoes in, but probably OEM this time instead of "whatever" from the autozone.

Is it necessary to machine the drums to remove the glaze, or is there some technique I could use at home? It's a bit hard to drive the drums to the store while they are off the truck, so I'm hoping I can find a way to get the glaze off myself.

BTW, the original "overtightness" was done solely by pumping the e-brake handle. After that I took everything apart to make sure it was working right, and I adjusted the brakes the old-fashioned way - by turning the wheel by hand while adjusting and listening to the shoes start to scrub a bit. No more overheating and the e-brake handle is "just right" too.

TRunner

turning the drums will cost you anywhere from $10-$20 at O'Reily or the like. It would be worth the money. And never by the "whatever" brand from any place. OEM are good and I have had great luck with Wagner ceramic pads. If "overtightness" occurs from the use of the hand brake, something was wrong with how they were set up to begin with. It is not possible for that to happen with the brakes installed correctly form what I understand.

jh26

Why are folks having such a hard time believing multiple independent reports of this? In the other thread on adjusting brakes with the e-brake, several people reported overadjusting using the handbrake method. Sure, it may not be possible in theory. I know, I've seen the mechanism myself - it shouldn't happen. But in practice it does happen if you repeatedly pump the handbrake. I can assure you that mine are installed and working correctly because I went through them every which way. The only problem was that I overtightened them using the handbrake as a shortcut. Shouldn't be possible, but it happened anyway. If you don't believe me, give it a try yourself - pump the handbrake hard about fifty times then jack it up and see if the brakes are over tightened. Pull hard. Try it, you'll see. (Then loosen them back up before driving, lest you suffer my problem of overheated and glazed brakes!)

MTL_4runner

I wish I had enough time to do the switch to discs in the rear and get rid of those drums completely. I have never been satisfied with their performance and they are difficult to work on compared to calipers. I have had many of the same problems everyone is mentioning and unfortunately there is no easy fix for it.

TRunner

I have tried pulling my brake over and over, and nothing happens after a point. But when you say, jack it up and see if it is over tightened... What do you define as over tightened? Completelty locked or draging?

jh26

Not locked up, but dragging so tight that the brakes overheated on my normal 10 mile drive to work. Perhaps the 2nd gen adjusters works differently than the 3rd gen - that could explain the difference.