Ok, thanks, I see how it works now. I have a tool that performs that function, but it has a plastic handle that makes it look more like a screwdriver than a torpedo.
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I have also seen that kind.
Sorry to hear you blew out the brake fluid but spills of some kind are common.
BTW brake fluid is an excellent paint remover and lubricant for your pads so break out the Simple Green and give everything a good cleaning before reassembly. Pay particular attention to the inside of your drum (Simple Green, brake cleaner, ScotchBrite pad) and if the pads got soaked consider new pads.
Hey, itās a ālearning experienceā and after your first one youāll be a pro.
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George,I have modified the āhold down spring toolā to fit my Corolla.It has a little bend at the end to clear the hub assembly.
HA ! Yes, rear brake SHOESā¦ as in shoesā¦ Gotta love em. Iām convinced that there is a warehouse somewhere in Ohio with 300 years worth of drum brake parts and the car industry just finds ways to employ them, so they can use up the parts at the warehouse that they got a screamin deal on back in some other decade.
Let me say thisā¦ there are no āextraā parts in a drum brake setupā¦each part is essential and not one can be omitted. That being said I am sure you will reinstall the inner spring. Once you do that and get a better feel of how to choke up on the manual adjuster, your pedal feel will be much better.
P.S. It IS possible that when you were deflecting the wheel cylinder that you popped one side out of the cylinder, they tend to go back into the bore easily, so if you did pop one side out momentarily, you now have air in your systemā¦ SO bleed them just to be sure you have no air after you install your spring and choke up on the manual adjuster.
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My old brake tools are too large to work on newer econocars with their tiny rear drum brakes. I do the job with large and needlenose vise grips and a piece of metal tubing just large enough to fit over the return spring post. A hammer and drift are sometimes useful for tapping things into place.
A dremel grinder is usegul to remove the head of the hold down springs if you absolutely canāt get the drums off because the adjusters are frozen solid.
Exactly. If it were just āthis makes it easier for amateurs to work on them,ā race cars would still be running drums. Besides which, the trend for decades has been to make it harder for amateurs to work on them. No one in the engineering department cares if the car is DIY friendly.
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The 1969 Dodge Dart I learned to drive with had drum brakes all around, and I never noticed a difference in wet driving and dry driving.
The Volvo semi I drove also had drum brakes all around, and braking in wet weather was fine.
I retired in 1995 after 40 years in trucking. Every tractor trailer I ever drove had drum brakes. Have they ever gone to disc brakes?
As far as driving drum braked cars in the rain, the only times I noticed any real problems was driving through standing water could make you lose most of your braking power. After the first time you learned to keep your left foot lightly on the brake through the standing water.
One time I was in the right lane with a car behind me in the left lane. the road narrowed ahead and I was accelerating to try to get plenty of clearance to pull in front of him. He accelerated to prevent that. My right wheels were running through standing water at the curb. I had to hit the brakes to let him go and my car leapt sideways at him. We didnāt touch but it scared him so badly that he shot across the street and up over the curb.
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Great idea there CG1, I had a problem with that hub/tool/hold-down-spring mechanical interference myself last time I worked on the Corollaās drums. If I knew how to weld Iād make a tool with an offset like that. Next time ā should I ever have to replace the rear shoes again ā Iāll try the bending technique.
Yes big truckās have gone to disc brakeās not sure when but I ad a 2003 with disc brakeās.
We have many class 7 and 8 trucks in our fleet that are considerably newer than 2003 that still have drums all around. Some of our 2015 models still have drums all around . . . and the trucks Iām thinking of are highly optioned, not some strippo model
I believe the transition to air disc brakes is a somewhat slow process
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I donāt notice much in the way of shorter stopping distances with all drums vs front disc/rear drums. But the disc/drum configuration make rapid stops a little safer b/c that config doesnāt seem to pull one way or the other during hard braking as much as the all-drum configuration does.
[quote=ādb4690, post:32, topic:140012ā]
I believe the transition to air disc brakes is a somewhat slow process
I believe you are right I did not know heavy truckās had disk braheās until I bought mine. I have a nephew who is a diesel mechanic that workās at a truck stop
where I was getting my service work done & told me that an averege of 3 to 5 owner operaterās was havinig there brakes converted to diskā He also said some companyās were conerting there trailerās to diskā
Just to say something in addition to yeah, use all the parts. My BIL did my 59 Pontiac back about 1968. Showed me how and it was colder than heck in the garage which is why I have a heater now. The last ones I did was on my 86 Park Ave about 1990. I broke my tool and havenāt done drum brakes since. It was a little confusing when my Park didnāt have the adjusting hole anymore. Suppose to use a special measuring tool. I guess Iād do them again if I had to rather than paying someone but itās easier just not to buy a car with them. Reminds me Iāve got front disc brakes to do in the near future.
YES, ABSOLUTELY: I WAS WRONG ABOUT LEAVING OFF THE INNER RETURN SPRINGS. Since I struggled so mightily to get the outer return spring on (because I had done the job in the WRONG SEQUENCE) I figured they were more than strong enough. That is just plain wrong.
Anyways, itās 11pm at night and I believe I have finally resolved everythingātomorrow I can use the daily driver again.
This is what I have to contribute
The proper sequence for 9th Generation Toyota Corolla rear drum brakes:
- The inner return springs must be installed FIRST. This is an absolute must.
- Then install the adjustment wheel (turn it to minimize its length)
- hold down springs
- bottom spring
- outer return spring
(You can probably switch 3 and 4, but I have determined that this is the best sequence)
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Great! Now one more thing to bring it to A level. Do a couple of stops, in forward and reverse and then recheck the adjuster.
It may not be necessary on your car but mine has a floating cylinder that sometimes sticks and a snail adjuster that sometimes moves so itās a good idea to recheck after the shoes are properly bedded in.
A tip to remember, always do one wheel at a time completely, that way you can use the other wheel as a guide!!
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You can use on side to check the other as long as you remember they are mirror images of each other but things on your right on one side will be on your left on the other. The easiest way to think of it is toward the front or the rear, that will stay the same. In the old days with drums all around doing a good brake job was a little more involved especially if you had some miles om the car. You not only had to measure the drum inside diameter, you also had to make sure it was not bell mouthed. Then after you had the drums turned, you bought oversized linings and had them arc ground to fit the drums. Lining material seemed to make more difference in stopping power than with discs.
Good tips!