Changing Rear Brake Shoes: The "easier" way
04-06-2012, 05:47 PM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Changing Rear Brake Shoes: The "easier" way
Hey all....
I had to change the shoes on the '92 4rnr yesterday and discovered, for myself, there was actually an easier way to do it than how the FSM describes.
http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...tem/11-4wd.pdf
Personally, I despise fiddling with the barrel adjuster through the backing plate. If you've figured a convenient way to do it, more power to ya. But, I'd rather lick bearing grease.
Anyway, here's a little bit of a write up describing how I came to do the procedure bypassing the barrel adjuster/backing plate mess AND.....most importantly.....bypassing multiple, frustrating attempts at reattaching the return spring upon reassembly even with the proper tools.
(A): How I disassembled!
1) First thing, of course, jack the rear end up and support on heavy duty stands. Remove the wheels after having loosened the lugs while still on the ground.
2) Remove both drums using two bolts to back the drum off the assembly. If it's sticky/frozen up to the shoes, continue tapping with a hammer or rubber mallet around the outer edge of the drum as you continually back the drum off with the bolts.
3) Once the drums are off, pick a side to start with leaving the other side as reference for assembly. On your chosen side, start by loosening the adjuster to get the tension off of the springs.
4) Remove both hold down springs w/cups. I use a pair of channel locks to grab the outer cup and push in while turning the pin with needle nose pliers. Do it however you want, but this works well for me and, I find, is easier than using the stupid tool. After this, both shoes will be loose enough to begin removing the return spring and anchor spring......this, effectively, making the stupid, special return spring and hold down spring removal tools useless/moot.
5) Note the barrel adjuster will now be dangling from the rearward shoe. Simply pull the two pieces apart leaving the remaining piece attached. It's easier to get it off once you've removed the adjuster lever.
6) To remove the adjuster lever, pull the spring off the shoe and lever. Then, remove the small, very easy to lose e-ring retaining the lever with a small flat head. Careful! Cup it with your hand as that doo-dad may fly off leaving you feeling dumb. (Yes, I found it
)
7) Remove the remaining adjuster piece and set it aside with it's mate reassembled.
8) Remove the c-washer for the parking brake lever by anchoring one jaw of your channel locks against the c-washer and the other jaw on the pivot pin. Squeeze. The washer will spread apart fairly easily and move off the pin. However, you may have to reanchor the channel locks against the end of the shoe to get the washer to come all the way off. You'll see. Once off, remove the PB lever.
9) Remove the parking brake cable from the lever.
10) Now, take the time to clean the backing plate and drums, grease the contact points on the backing plate, the pistons on the wheel cylinder, and the contact points on the block at the bottom end of the of the backing plate where the two bottom ends of the shoes contact.
Assembly:
1) Provided you've inspected the wheel cylinder, drum, and new shoes (see FSM) and everything's good to go, assemble the rearward brake shoe with the parking brake lever, followed the by the pivotal end of the barrel adjuster, and then the adjuster lever and adjuster lever spring. Install on the backing plate with hold down spring.
*For the parking brake cable, you can attach it to the adjuster lever before installing the shoe or after. It's easier beforehand, but make sure once the shoe's installed you've routed the cable back through the little retaining tongues on the block where the bottom end of the shoe seats. I had forgotten that and had to pull the drum off once again. <<<ding, ding>>>
2) Install the return spring, the anchor spring, and the adjusting end of the barrel adjuster to the installed rearward shoe.
3) Take the forward shoe and attach it to the anchor spring while the spring is behind the tongue on the block thereby connecting the two shoes. Then, seat the bottom end of the forward shoe to the block. Make sure that spring is behind the tongue on the block!!
4) Connect the return spring to the forward shoe
5) The fun part: Take a long, stout flathead screwdriver and poke it through the hole that the return spring is attached to and anchor the end of the driver to the backing plate in the little trough that follows inside the outer circumference of the backing plate. Pry the shoe outward while sliding it against the driver towards the backing plate. Line the shoe up with the wheel cylinder piston and barrel adjuster. While letting the tension off the driver, allow the shoe to fall in place.
6) Install the remaining hold down spring. Take a breath and a sip of beer.
7) Make sure the adjuster lever is properly contacting the starwheel on the barrel adjuster and that the lever adjustment feature functions.
8) Adjust the barrel adjuster outward about 1/2" or less (depends on shoe and drum thickness) so that the drum will just slide on over the shoes. You may have to persuade it a little with some rotating and/or a rubber mallet. Be gentle and try not the let the drum go on caddywompus.
9) Dismantle and assemble the other side in the same fashion
10) Once all that's done, tug on the parking brake lever from in the cab until the lever travel in quite short. You will have to start the vehicle and press the brake pedal to check for brake travel a couple/maybe several times until it all feels good.
11) If it's all good, yer done. Finish yer beer....
I assume some folks may already know about doing the job in this way, but I figure there has to be some that don't. I hope this explains everything well enough for you all. If not, feel free to ask any questions.
I had to change the shoes on the '92 4rnr yesterday and discovered, for myself, there was actually an easier way to do it than how the FSM describes.
http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...tem/11-4wd.pdf
Personally, I despise fiddling with the barrel adjuster through the backing plate. If you've figured a convenient way to do it, more power to ya. But, I'd rather lick bearing grease.
Anyway, here's a little bit of a write up describing how I came to do the procedure bypassing the barrel adjuster/backing plate mess AND.....most importantly.....bypassing multiple, frustrating attempts at reattaching the return spring upon reassembly even with the proper tools.
(A): How I disassembled!
1) First thing, of course, jack the rear end up and support on heavy duty stands. Remove the wheels after having loosened the lugs while still on the ground.
2) Remove both drums using two bolts to back the drum off the assembly. If it's sticky/frozen up to the shoes, continue tapping with a hammer or rubber mallet around the outer edge of the drum as you continually back the drum off with the bolts.
3) Once the drums are off, pick a side to start with leaving the other side as reference for assembly. On your chosen side, start by loosening the adjuster to get the tension off of the springs.
4) Remove both hold down springs w/cups. I use a pair of channel locks to grab the outer cup and push in while turning the pin with needle nose pliers. Do it however you want, but this works well for me and, I find, is easier than using the stupid tool. After this, both shoes will be loose enough to begin removing the return spring and anchor spring......this, effectively, making the stupid, special return spring and hold down spring removal tools useless/moot.
5) Note the barrel adjuster will now be dangling from the rearward shoe. Simply pull the two pieces apart leaving the remaining piece attached. It's easier to get it off once you've removed the adjuster lever.
6) To remove the adjuster lever, pull the spring off the shoe and lever. Then, remove the small, very easy to lose e-ring retaining the lever with a small flat head. Careful! Cup it with your hand as that doo-dad may fly off leaving you feeling dumb. (Yes, I found it
)7) Remove the remaining adjuster piece and set it aside with it's mate reassembled.
8) Remove the c-washer for the parking brake lever by anchoring one jaw of your channel locks against the c-washer and the other jaw on the pivot pin. Squeeze. The washer will spread apart fairly easily and move off the pin. However, you may have to reanchor the channel locks against the end of the shoe to get the washer to come all the way off. You'll see. Once off, remove the PB lever.
9) Remove the parking brake cable from the lever.
10) Now, take the time to clean the backing plate and drums, grease the contact points on the backing plate, the pistons on the wheel cylinder, and the contact points on the block at the bottom end of the of the backing plate where the two bottom ends of the shoes contact.
Assembly:
1) Provided you've inspected the wheel cylinder, drum, and new shoes (see FSM) and everything's good to go, assemble the rearward brake shoe with the parking brake lever, followed the by the pivotal end of the barrel adjuster, and then the adjuster lever and adjuster lever spring. Install on the backing plate with hold down spring.
*For the parking brake cable, you can attach it to the adjuster lever before installing the shoe or after. It's easier beforehand, but make sure once the shoe's installed you've routed the cable back through the little retaining tongues on the block where the bottom end of the shoe seats. I had forgotten that and had to pull the drum off once again. <<<ding, ding>>>
2) Install the return spring, the anchor spring, and the adjusting end of the barrel adjuster to the installed rearward shoe.
3) Take the forward shoe and attach it to the anchor spring while the spring is behind the tongue on the block thereby connecting the two shoes. Then, seat the bottom end of the forward shoe to the block. Make sure that spring is behind the tongue on the block!!
4) Connect the return spring to the forward shoe
5) The fun part: Take a long, stout flathead screwdriver and poke it through the hole that the return spring is attached to and anchor the end of the driver to the backing plate in the little trough that follows inside the outer circumference of the backing plate. Pry the shoe outward while sliding it against the driver towards the backing plate. Line the shoe up with the wheel cylinder piston and barrel adjuster. While letting the tension off the driver, allow the shoe to fall in place.
6) Install the remaining hold down spring. Take a breath and a sip of beer.
7) Make sure the adjuster lever is properly contacting the starwheel on the barrel adjuster and that the lever adjustment feature functions.
8) Adjust the barrel adjuster outward about 1/2" or less (depends on shoe and drum thickness) so that the drum will just slide on over the shoes. You may have to persuade it a little with some rotating and/or a rubber mallet. Be gentle and try not the let the drum go on caddywompus.
9) Dismantle and assemble the other side in the same fashion
10) Once all that's done, tug on the parking brake lever from in the cab until the lever travel in quite short. You will have to start the vehicle and press the brake pedal to check for brake travel a couple/maybe several times until it all feels good.
11) If it's all good, yer done. Finish yer beer....
I assume some folks may already know about doing the job in this way, but I figure there has to be some that don't. I hope this explains everything well enough for you all. If not, feel free to ask any questions.
Last edited by thook; 04-11-2012 at 09:13 AM.
04-11-2012, 09:15 AM
#4
Registered User
Thread Starter
Okay, sorry to have kept anyone waiting. I just get busy! But, now it's all done. See my posting above. Have fun!
Right..........
Right..........
hehe.
03-23-2014, 09:45 AM
#7
I changed my breakes yesterday, I tried to adjust the shoes through the slot so I could bleed the breaks. I got close enough and bled the breaks. BUT, after about 30 pumps of the parking break it still didn't adjust. I read elsewhere on the forum to be movinnng backwards while im doing this and may have to do it 50 or so times... My question, should I be moving backwards? What is it that moving does to make it adjust? Also, now my breaks work a bit differently than before. Under very heavy breaking the pedal goes all the way to the end, and breaking is pretty good but the wheels don't lock up. Asjustment ? or more bleeding required?
Thanks!
Thanks!
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03-23-2014, 10:39 AM
#8
Registered User
I changed my breakes yesterday, I tried to adjust the shoes through the slot so I could bleed the breaks. I got close enough and bled the breaks. BUT, after about 30 pumps of the parking break it still didn't adjust. I read elsewhere on the forum to be movinnng backwards while im doing this and may have to do it 50 or so times... My question, should I be moving backwards? What is it that moving does to make it adjust? Also, now my breaks work a bit differently than before. Under very heavy breaking the pedal goes all the way to the end, and breaking is pretty good but the wheels don't lock up. Asjustment ? or more bleeding required?
Thanks!
Thanks!
IHTH.
03-23-2014, 12:59 PM
#9
Note of caution: if your drums are adjusted tight, then stuff will break if you try to jam the drums off with the bolts. Ask me how I know. There's really no substitute in terms of precision of preload and speed to just getting comfy with the screw adjuster. I had a come-to-Jesus session with these brakes this past summer and that was my conclusion.
But I agree, the design stinks and discs are so much easier to service. Oh well.
But I agree, the design stinks and discs are so much easier to service. Oh well.
03-23-2014, 04:43 PM
#10
Well I went through the pain to adjust the shoes just before they started grabbing on the drumm. Or so I thought. I do not want to take anything off and be able to adjust it still. Its not holding as it should yet, I worked it another 20 or so times.
Nyway.. Id like to understand whats happening to the setup that it adjusts this way..
Nyway.. Id like to understand whats happening to the setup that it adjusts this way..
03-23-2014, 08:14 PM
#12
Registered User
When you pull the parking brake lever it grabs a cable that goes to the back and into each drum. That cable when tension is applied will move the barrel adjuster. In all honesty I could never get this to work fully.
The tools that are used for brake adjusters suck. I took a torch and a cheapo stanley flathead and just heated it up and bent it to about 60 degrees. Works wonders.
The tools that are used for brake adjusters suck. I took a torch and a cheapo stanley flathead and just heated it up and bent it to about 60 degrees. Works wonders.
03-24-2014, 03:55 AM
#13
Registered User
Well I went through the pain to adjust the shoes just before they started grabbing on the drumm. Or so I thought. I do not want to take anything off and be able to adjust it still. Its not holding as it should yet, I worked it another 20 or so times.
Nyway.. Id like to understand whats happening to the setup that it adjusts this way..
Nyway.. Id like to understand whats happening to the setup that it adjusts this way..
Jacking the rear up and removing the wheels will take more time than adjusting the brakes. You don't need to remove the drums unless the adjuster isn't turning but you might want to remove the drum to check that your adjuster is working properly. If the adjuster is turning, put the drum back on and pump the bell crank by hand. When you get close, then attach the parking brake cable (with clip and pin).
On a second thought, maybe your bell crank is "frozen" on it's pivot pin (which is a common problem) and that is preventing the adjuster from turning when you are pulling on the parking brake. This is a good link on how to repair the bell crank. I tried to upload the .pdf but it was too large.
Last edited by KidSheleen; 03-24-2014 at 05:13 AM. Reason: Second thought.
03-24-2014, 08:02 AM
#14
Thanks for the advice guys.
This morning I woke up with a disturbing uncertainty in my mind tha tI didn't put the passenger side brake cable back in it's guide. It is bothering the crap out of me.. thus I will remove that wheel to make sure.. lol.. I hate my memory... and the pictures I took don't show it :/
This morning I woke up with a disturbing uncertainty in my mind tha tI didn't put the passenger side brake cable back in it's guide. It is bothering the crap out of me.. thus I will remove that wheel to make sure.. lol.. I hate my memory... and the pictures I took don't show it :/
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