I should be able to pull the drum off, right? I swear it looks like it may be attached to the axle. My truck has a W46 and they didn't put those in my year. I wonder if the diff is different too. Are there any Toy axles that are attached to the drum? Also, the FSM says to back off the adjuster but mine doesn't seem to have an adjuster. I couldn't bang it off with an 8 pound hammer.

 

It's probably never been off. Might have to pry it off and bend the sheet metal around it then persuade it back. Cuss at it too. That helps.

:wabbit2:

 

My drums have a pair of 10mm tapped holes. You just screw in two bolts and gently tighten them, that will push the drum off.

 

It has an adjustor assuming its the stock axle and brake set-up. Can't say I've ever seen a drum brake set-up that did not have an adjustor.

http://www.utoyot8.com/Picture.aspx?...ccode=&ppName=

http://www.toyotapartseast.com/Page_...2021,2026,2041

 

They stick to the center of the axle. PB Blaster the crap out of the center, then beat it with 10 lb sledge...it will loosen up.

BUT, it's easier sometimes if you back the adjuster off a little. There's an access hole on the back.

 

Blah. just stick 2 bolts in it and ratchet/ hand or air it off. it'll come off, and use a sledge hammer beat that mofo on the corners. i've seen guys just cut off the filmsy dust shield and come in from behind. (take that anyway you want). you can also use gear oil on the centers, all around. to help it slide off.

 

meant to quote him* but that's where i getting ^

 

All right, then. I just didn't want to beat on it until it breaks just to find out it's one piece with the center. I've got some stuff called S'OK. It's in a green can with a clover leaf on the front. It is amazing. It's better than PB blaster. I'll try some of that this afternoon (in combination with the BFH) and report back.

After looking at the diagram that rworegon posted (thanks for that), i see that the adjuster is not at the bottom like I expected. I saw the access hole, just couldn't find the wheel in there.

 

If I'm not mistaken, I think those adjusters are left hand thread. So if you decide to take the whole thing apart, go to your local auto parts store and get a can of Permatex disc brake caliper lube. Mine has a green label. It's good stuff. It doesn't break down with the heat. Use that stuff on all the hinge points. Just don't get any on the pads.

 

x2 on what shepherd said. Those adjusters are left hand threaded so you turn towards the differential on both sides (clockwise). I use "Never Seize" on mine. The access hole is a PITA because it's on top instead of the bottom like on my Ford pickup. I made a couple of tools for it by cutting off the top half of the handles of two small screwdrivers so they would fit in there as it is very tight in that spot. I'll post a pic of the tools later.

The driver's side drum came off with the two threaded holes by using a 10mm bolt. But the holes on the other side are screwed up. When I do my full brake job on my 94, I'm going to drill and tap to the next size on the bad one because it makes taking them off very pain free.

x2 on the hinge points or contact points and NOT getting anything on the shoe surface. As long as the drums aren't damaged, I have broke the glaze on the brake surface with sandpaper before I put it all back together as the cost of new drums, as I remember, were pretty expensive.

 

last drums I bought were not the expensive.

i put new drums on at the first brake change then i know the history.

 

the ebrake is not set correct?

 

I forget when I checked but I thought it was at NAPA abt a few years ago. You do have a point though...about knowing the history when you buy a new set. I'll have to check into the price and let you know. I just remember the dude at Napa saying that it was steep....

 

$14 to $50 at RockAuto. (Shipping will run that up a tad, but I've had good luck with RockAuto.)

Brake drums are just a hunk of iron; there really isn't much too know about their history. But if you're not sure they're in spec, $50 for a replacement is less than the cost of the caliper to check it. So go for it.

 

I had to turn my adjusters almost completely in to get them off when I first bought my 4runner. Almost every drum I've ever taken off looked like it has never been turned or replaced, probably the most neglected part of a braking system other than brake fluid...

They're right around $50 almost everywhere I've looked locally, and they can check if they're within spec if you take them somewhere to be turned(usually $10-20 a drum or rotor).

 

There is a trick to loosening the star wheel adjusters on these drum brakes. First off, you have to use a smallish flat head screwdriver to push the spring loaded e-brake lever off of the star wheel. With a brake tool or another larger flat head, you can then begin to rotate the star wheel. Look at a diagram to see where you need to place your screw drivers, once you get the placement right, you can feel it.

The adjusters are not threaded the same - one is normal thread (righty tighty, lefty loosey), while the other is reverse thread. (I think the passenger side adjuster is reverse thread, but not sure.) However, as you turn either star wheel, you want the top of it to rotate toward the differential to loosen. So as you insert the brake tool to adjust the star wheel, you are contacting the bottom portion of it and you effectively push it away from the diff at the bottom, which correspondingly makes the direction of rotation toward the diff at the top of its' rotation.

Once I loosened the adjusters several complete rotations of the star wheel, the drums just slid right off. Be patient because you only move the star wheel a tiny bit with each movement of the tool, it takes a while to rotate the wheel several full rotations.

Good luck with it.

 

This thread has ended up with ton's of good info. Thanks everyone.