Drum Brakes

Was wondering how long before any maintenance is required? Thanks

 

periodically, you'll need to clean and adjust the rears so that they wear even. when i had my 06.....every 15k,i would clean and adjust the rears.

 

Just clean them every 15K. Thats it.? Thank Man

 

yeah, just clean them and make sure they are adjusted, you'll be good to go.

 

Sounds good. Thank for the quick reply.

 

anytime man.

 

Drum brakes should be self adjusting.... most vehicles the drum brakes will adjust when you're in reverse and use the brakes (I'm not sure if this is accurate for the 2nd gen trucks).

Drum brakes don't require much or any maitenance (for the most part).

Opening them up and cleaning (hose 'em down) is a good idea. While you're in there, inspect the shoe wear. Make sure the shoes are wearing evenly top to bottom.

If they are not wearing evenly, then there's a problem with the adjusters. If you're under warrantee, I'd take it to the dealer and let them deal with it. If not - do some research on how the adjusters come off/apart. On other vehicles, I've taken them apart, cleaned them & lubricated them. I'm just not sure how the adjusters are on the 2nd gens.

 

Not wishing to derail this thread however I have a similiar question that fits with this topic....hope it is ok to add it here.

Is there any real advantage to drums vs disc? I can not figure out why Toyota continues to offer drums only while the rest of the free world has had 4 wheel disc for years. Is it simply a cost issue or is there some reason other than cost keeping Toyota with the rear drum set up?

 

Use the search button in the blue bar at the top. You'll get far better answers (that have already been discussed) from searching the forum than adding to this topic.

 

I do not see an advantage. seeing as the Tacoma is not a sports car. and rear brakes do about 20% of the stopping. not to mention for off road drums are more of a sealed brake and less likely to be damaged by off road conditions. un less something gets in there. then it can't get out.

Just my uneducated opinion.

but yes, the search function is marvelous.

 

I searched both here and google in general and all I really found were a thousand people asking the same question. It seems many were offering suggestions as to why they keep drum brakes however no facts were found in my searches.

From what I did find it seems it is just a cost issue however again just curious.

 

I found this thread searching for an answer to my e-brake question...

How does one clean/adjust the rear brakes? I still have my '06.

Thanks!

 

They don't offer any real advantage over the stock drums. No need for them. It's just a cool point factor for the owner.



As for the OP...the only real issue is checking the pad (shoe) wear. When they get thin, replace them. If they are wearing weird and uneven, troubleshoot them. Most rear brake pads/shoes wear slowly compared to the fronts. So if you are needing to replace the fronts, check the rears to see how they are, chances are they will be just fine until the next front pad change. That has been my experience with my vehicles at least.

 

I have done nothing to mine basically the whole time I have owned my 13 year old Taco. I mean nothing other than checking them and dumping out the tiny amount of brake dust. They've lasted 220,000 miles so far and I swear there's hardly any wear on the shoes. Obviously they do little of the braking.

 

Has anyone attempted to change their drum brake pads (shoes)? My parking brake is hardly working and i have the feeling its because the pads have never been changed.