I removed my rear left drum brake to check and see if my rear cylinder is leaking. In the process, I pressed my brake pedal to see if any fluid would leak out, I thought I saw a drop or two. But now I can’t put the rear drum cover back on because the rear shoes are expanded, even though the springs returned them a little. What does that mean and how can I put it back on? Do I need to drain some brake fluid to relieve a little pressure for the shoes to fully back down? Please advise. Thanks in advance as always!
12 Answers
You need to put some inward pressure on the brake shoes to push the brake cylinder rods back into the cylinder.( if you haven’t popped them right out on the ground when you applied the brake) Just do this by hand. Don’t hammer on it – .just constant pressure.
You may also have to turn the adjusting wheel in and adjust the brakes again when the drum goes on.
First off, NEVER press the brake pedal when the drum is off. Without the drum limiting the shoes’ movement, the piston will often pop right through the cylinder end, destroying the cylinder assembly and leaking lots of fluid. Also this is no way to check for leaks as very little pressure will be produced in the cylinder, since the piston is free to move.
Assuming you haven’t damaged the cylinder already and that your brake system is a normal one, just pop open the rear-left bleed valve and drain it until the shoes come back together. You might need to use a soft-shoed clamp to squeeze the shoes back together, such as a wooden Jorgensen clamp.
For future reference, here’s how to properly check for cylinder leaks: Pump the brake pedal hard a few times with the drum on, then take it off soon and look. Even small leaks will be more apparent this way.
Drum Brake Shoes
Assumming that you did not busted the brake cylinder out of place:You must loosen the bleed off fitting enough but not too far until a little fluid shows, then compress the two brake pads slowly over the brake piston cylinder area a little bit at a time. Make sure that the tension springs and small parts around stay in place while you doing this. Sometimes is tricky to place the drum back even when the brake piston is depress. Once you have the drum in place, re close the bleed off fitting, re fill the master cylinder reserve and then bleed the brake wheel to compress to normal pressure as follows: 1) Have a second person in the car to help pumping the brake pedal. 2)Loosen the brake bleed fitting slightly until you see a drop of fluid showing. 3)Have the second person to pump the brake pedal slowly 3 times and then keep it down the last time to tie the bleed off fitting. 4)Re tie the fitting and see if the brake pedal feels hard enough. If if not repeat steps 1 to 4 as needed. Make sure to keep the eye on the brake master reserve that this does not run empty. When you done and your brakes are normal, re fill the master cylinder. Hope you good luck…!
You should never press the brake pedal when the drum is off. The wheel cylinder pistons probably popped out of the cylinder (that’s the little round thing at the top of where the shoes meet). Most likely a new wheel cylinder, and a full brake system bleed, is in order. You might be able to pop the pistons back in but they will probably leak badly.
As said never ever operate the brakes while disassembled. If you saw nothing wet upon dis assembly there was no leak’ Your wheel cylinder is probably bad now though. Good advice given by others here.
Make sure e-brake is off. make sure cylinders are pushed all the way in and shoes are aligned correctly. Check the brake drum. As the drums wear the self-adjuster moves the brake shoes outward. The drum wears but the very outer edge does not. Use a file or even a chisel to scrape the inside edge of the drum. Change the adjustment screw as a last resort.
Go to your local parts store. Along with the new brake shoes and replacement hardware, pick up a generic service manual for your truck. The salesperson should be able to help you find the correct manual. This manual details most of the more common repairs and diagnostics. Down the road, it will help you perform most of the procedures common to your vehicle.
oh my ! i bet you blew the wheel cylinder. you don,t hit the brake with the drum off. by hitting the brake with the drum off you pushed the shoes out and won,t go back in.
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