Replacing Drum Brakes

[darkz711]

I searched online and found a DIY but i'm having problems just getting the new drum over the newly installed shoes. It's all just a little too tight. I've only done drum brakes once in N2OLT4Birds class and that was almost 3 years ago.

I have the adjuster plate all the way over so that the brakes are as compact as possible. E-brake is not engaged at all and yet no luck. Can get the drum about 1/3 way on and then no luck after that. Am i missing something obvious??

[Gary94Formula]

Sometimes you have to loosen the e-brake cable a little if it was adjusted when the shoes were worn. It will stay partially engaged if it was adusted up. That could be your problem.

[Rob B (shoebox)]

New brakes plus new drums (or even old drums) can be very tight. The drum must go perfectly straight on. If it gets tilted, there is no slack.

[darkz711]

Sometimes you have to loosen the e-brake cable a little if it was adjusted when the shoes were worn. It will stay partially engaged if it was adusted up. That could be your problem.

i did that too, but no luck

[raroZ28]

i ran into this on my friends gf's tempo... we finally called my friends dad, and he knew exactly what to do. He's old school. I just wish I could remember what it was. It was very simple and made the drum slide right over the pads.... It's so simple I just can't remember exactly what it was.

[diamondjimtwo]

If everything else in adjusted/installed correctly, try taking some 40 grit sandpaper to the shoes themselves. Sometimes with aftermarket components they don't always get manufactured correctly, meaning the drums might not have been cut to spec. or the shoes have too much lining on them.

[fastTa]

Do you mean you had the adjuster actuator link (part# 7 in pic) pushed over? That won't work usually. You need to rotate the star wheel on the adjuster up to completely back off the adjuster. That will "pull in" the shoes just enough to allow the drum to go on.