WaarrEagle Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 I would say I am pretty handy with cars and have changed more disc brake pads than I can count but I have never messed with drum brakes before. My family has two 01 Pathfinders, both of which have roughly 56k on them. The front brakes on both were just replaced - I believe for the first time. The rear brakes make a squeal every now and then, mainly when they are cold in the morning. This got me thinking: how long do drum brakes usually last, how hard are they to change, and should this be something I could do myself? Is there any way to see how much pad is left without taking the drum apart? Also, if anyone has a how-to or pictures of a rear brake change I would love to see them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffri Posted May 11, 2005 Share Posted May 11, 2005 Drum brakes are not too hard. The components of the brake are different and I would say the most annoying thing is all of the little springs. Drum brakes are a job that can be done with relative ease. You will need a bolt (maybe 3/8-16, or 5/16-?) to get the drum off, unless your shoes are woefully worn. From there it is just disassembly of the parts. Make sure you note where all of the springs and parts go and in what orientation. On the 96 Pathfinders there is a "spreader" that is responsible for keeping the retaining spring from pulling the shoes too far from the pad, every other drum I have seen uses a similar technique. The "spreader" has a ratchet action so as you apply the brakes the spreader will click forward if there is enough room. This allows the spreader to seat the shoes just up against the inside of the drum. Now, when the shoes where the "spreader" will click the shoes to keep them close. This means when you replace your worn shoes with new ones that you will have to set the "spreader" narrower, otherwise the increased thickness of the new shoes will prevent you from getting the drum back over the shoes. I usually bring the "spreader" back pretty low and then just click it up using the parking brake, it will also adjust itself as you drive and brake. You may want to check the condition of your wheel cylinder in the drum, they are cheap to replace (~$15) and inaccessible once the job is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj big shoe Posted May 11, 2005 Share Posted May 11, 2005 If this is your first drum brake job, by all means DO ONE SIDE AT A TIME! That way you'll have the other side to use as a reference of how to put it all back together. It's really not that hard, just take your time and maybe get some drum brake spring tools to make it easier. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted May 11, 2005 Share Posted May 11, 2005 ^ Definitely !! I fubiached my first drum brake job about 15 years ago by not thinking of doing that, then guessing, wrong... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaarrEagle Posted May 12, 2005 Author Share Posted May 12, 2005 What about wear - should the rear pads need replacing before 60k? Can I take the drum off and see the pad without removing all the springs/clips/etc? Anyone know the bolt size for an 01? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02silverpathy Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 (edited) you can definatly see the "shoe" before you remove any springs, and the shoe last quite a while...they are really cheap so if you think they need replaced just buy'em my first drum brake job was just last summer, and i bought a new spring kit for the set up...really handy they were all color coded so you could not= place them wrong...also if you have a camera phone it will help!!! in addition...check the little "wheel cylinders" my crx had a bad one, goop and grease everywhere and the brake was doing next to nothing...very easy to replace except for the whole bleeding process. nice Villans by the way!!! Edited May 12, 2005 by 98silverpathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edta1 Posted May 14, 2005 Share Posted May 14, 2005 What about wear - should the rear pads need replacing before 60k? Can I take the drum off and see the pad without removing all the springs/clips/etc? Anyone know the bolt size for an 01? I bet the rear brakes are just dirty. Take the drums off and spray the drums and brake components with brake cleaner. Reassemble the thing and it should be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaarrEagle Posted October 9, 2005 Author Share Posted October 9, 2005 I finally got around to taking the drums off today. The bolt I used to get the drums off was a M8-1.25x30 - it worked great. Once I got the drum off the shoes were hardly worn at all. If I had to guess I would say maybe 1/4 worn. The car has exactly 60k on it too. I just cleaned everything with brake parts cleaner and will see if I still get a squeal at low speed when they are cold. Thanks for all the help - replacing the shoes doesn't look too hard once you get the drum off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now