Drum brakes, any suggestions?

[Saurian]

Ok, I have the '00 FSM, and was looking at the brake section, but was having a tough time figuring it looking at it... Now, usually, if I can hands-on look at something, I am really quite good at figuring out how to take it apart, and put it back together, but I have not yet had the time to pull apart the wheel and look at this...

Here's the deal... I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 73,000 miles on Jeepy, most if not all are on the original rear brake system. My brakes suck, the parking brake does not hold like it used to, and the fronts are still in good shape, leading me to believe that the rear drum brakes are worn out. I'm gonna get to them eventually, hopefully in the near future, but in the meantime, does anyone have any helpful hints, how-tos, descriptions, etc... that they want to share? It's always nice to get a second opinion, especially when you're not proficient in something...

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Pa off-roading

It's not too hard to tear into drum brakes and take them apart, you just start with the large springs and end with the retaining pins that hold the brake shoes to the backing plate. Just leave the other side intact so you have a reference for putting the brakes back together. A digital camera would also help for knowing what goes back where. It really looks more intimidating than it is.

The front pads usually wear out long before the shoes in the back, so it may just be a matter of adjusting the rear brakes. Pull the drum and see how much material is left on the shoes.

Support the rear axle securely so the rear tires can spin. Pull the rubber plug from the backing plate and adjust the star wheel inside that hole with a flat-blade screwdriver. Adjust them until the brake drags slightly then back it off a little.

 

[Saurian]

Hmmm... Didn't know that one could adjust to get more wear out of the shoes...I'll have to take a look at that when I get around to it. I know that the fronts normally wear faster, but my brakes suck royally, and I just had the fronts done not 20,000 miles ago, they are still looking pretty decent. But maybe that's the broke side of me clouding my vision and judgement... Thanks again, Bounty... You're in the quad-state area, maybe you and I will end up wheeling someday

 

[mud4feet]

Don't know about Jeeps, but most of the later model vehicles had "self-adjusting" rear shoes (I think when you back up and hit the brakes). But, like Bounty said, they're really pretty simple to mess with....Hell, I can do it so it can't be that hard. And, the way they wear, you should only have to do it once.......unless, of course, you put about 500,000 miles on that baby!! Good luck.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Yes rear drums auto adjust, to the extent they don't get gummed up. 70K is about time for shoes anyway, and they're not that expensive. What better time to learn than the present?

 

[jay79cj7]

I also have the 00 XJ and when I did my CJ drums about a year ago, I also intended to do the XJ because it had about 70k on it and I figured they needed it also. I did my learning on my CJ (its easy) and then when I went to do the XJ, there was alot of shoe left. There was a grove down the center of the pad, which I interpreted to be a guide to determine wear (could be wrong) and the grove was still plenty deep. My e brake is not as tight as it used to be either, but I think it just needs an adjustment.

 

[Saurian]

Interesting, Jay...

It seems that our Jeeps share the same woes, and we think alike when we work on them... I have not yet gotten to looking at them, maybe I should look at the front pads again, I thought that there was a goodly amount left on them, perhaps I was wrong...

 

[jay79cj7]

Yes, we have all the same problems!

I did my disc pads at 40 and 80k. The second time around they sqealed like hell after they broke in. I used some of that spray stuff for the back side of the pads and it seems to work. Your post reminds me that I should probably check my drums again sometime soon...

 

[MudderChuck]

The star wheel/adjuster, gets rusty threads and siezes. If your shoes are good, you can pry a shoe over enough to drop the adjuster out (without removing all the springs), count the threads remaining, screw it out (right side has reverse threads) coat the threads and the swivel end, with a light coat of grease and reinstall it. If the adjusters were hanging, a few times backing up and hitting the brakes moderatly, will tighten the shoes right up, raise the brake pedal some and help the parking brake.
While you have the drum off, I wash mine with mild soap and a bottle brush. Rinse with hot water. Safe way to remove the powder without breathing any and removes salt that causes rust and corrosion.
Gently pull the rubber cover (just a corner) off of both ends of the wheel brake cylinder, check for seepage. If there is any brake fluid behind the dust cover, it´s probably time for a new brake wheel cylinder. Nice to catch a seep, before it turns into a leak and messes up the brake shoes.