rear brakes-what to replace

I've been having noises coming from the rear wheel areas so I pulled my wheels and drums off to take a look.

The front shoe on driver side seemed to be stuck somewhat inside the drum. When pulling the drum off, the front the pin holding the shoe retaining spring pulled through the little cap on the spring.

Obviously will have to replace that but wondering what else I should replace while I am in there.

I don't actually know if the noises I have been hearing are related to the brakes, but since I have them open maybe i should do some work?

The drums look very rusty and beat up, at least to my untrained eye, so I think I will replace those. How about the rest? I know drum brakes are supposed to last a long time, and my truck is only at 70,000 miles. But, is 13 years old.

2nd pic driver side not cleaned at all. 3rd pic passenger side after being cleaned out a bit with brakleen.

Thanks for any advice

 

If you get the kit from RockAuto, like from Centric, they even include new wheel cylinders along with springs, etc.

It LOOKS like the adjusters and arms are way newer than everything else?

The hubs can just be cleaned up with a wire brush or Roloc (to me, but I live in NH).

It's also easy enough to pull the axle (with hub) to replace the axle seal if it's that old (and not rust seized), but some go with the "if it ain't broke..." Just be aware that if you do it, the bearing and backing plate all come off with the hub as a unit.

 

Shoes, springs, clips.
If drums are within spec after being turned, run them or replace with new. Their cheep.
Good luck with your truck.

 

Drums

Shoes

Hardware kit

 

Shoes actually dont look that bad...
Not sure though from the pics, maybe the bottom of the right shoe is starting to thin, or its picture angle?

 

Yes those kits are tempting, less than half the cost of OEM components. In your opinion, any downsides to using aftermarket parts for this?

 

I didn't measure, but I would estimate about 1/8 inch at the thinnest point

 

Get all that rust off your hub face too
Wire wheel, etc

Then a bit of grease or anti corrosion spray

 

I pretty much use aftermarket for all brake work. The only thing I personally buy OEM for is sensors (and similar) - and even then, if I can find the OEM supplier equivalent, I get those. For example, Toyota's MAFs are made by Hitachi, so I will buy the Hitachi branded part, and it will usually be about half the price or less than getting it from the dealer. The last time I got wheel bearings for my wife's Prius, I was able to find Aisin bearing assemblies for about 1/3 what it would be from the dealer (Aisin is the OEM supplier for the bearings).

For brakes, I have PERSONALLY never had a problem with Centric (the better line - not the cheap line) or Power Stop. Unless you need some kind of unique, heavy duty need, they do just fine. In fact, my job used to be auditing, and in that auditing, I have done quite a few independent shops, so I would always ask such questions. MANY of those shops have specifically cited liking Centric (again, the higher line) because of fewer issues - even compared to using OEM.

The last few brake jobs I've done on our cars have been Power Stop because I couldn't get Centrics with corrosion protection (not sure if they just don't make coated rotors or what and I live in NH) and they get a lot of recs on forums. I have had no issues/problems.

If you want to get "aftermarket," Akebono, Aisin, Advics, and Nisshinbo (harder to find) all make brake parts for Toyota, but I would PERSONALLY just rec Power Stop as reasonably priced and performs well.

 

In case this helps
A lot of people debate about the "gasket." It's just a thin paper gasket that goes between the hub and drum. The most common belief is that it's to prevent the seizing of the drum to the hub and/or provide some kind of "cushioning" between the drum and hub. A lot of people just skip it. I put them in the last time since they're cheap anyway.

 

You have it apart: replace everything: New OEM Toyota parts from a dealer or the Toyota parts website: especially the wheel-cylinders and all of their related pieces: the cups, rubber boots, springs and pistons. Shims, springs, pins, silicone brake grease. 70,000+ miles isn't unusual for Tacoma drum brakes, but 13 years on a vehicle is a long time if the drums and other parts are the factory originals. Flush and bleed the lines while you are at it. Have fun!

 

Yes, thank you I was curious about the gasket. I figure with all the rust I get that I might be better off skipping the gasket and just coating the hub with something, like 545 mentioned above.

 

PERSONALLY, I always put anti-seize at the hub/drum or hub rotor interface at the center (so where a spindle would be in old wheel bearing setups. I have personally found THAT is where the rotor or drum tends to seize to the hub. I always use a nickel based anti seize as they are able to handle higher temps - you can even get "nuclear grade" nickel antiseize. No, it's not radioactive, it's just rated for use in nuclear power plants. It's a little more pricey, but for DIY use, the small tube lasts a long time.

https://www.grainger.com/product/5X...e_VVrXRcCVqBY6TRGV_fTIlBEuk61N5RoCGvYQAvD_BwE

 

Gasket...had no idea, never head of any car having something like that behind the drum. Good to know for next time!

 

Do yourself a favor and buy OEM hardware.
Aftermarket shoes and drums are fine.

But go with the OEM hardware. (Springs, adjusters, retainers, and pins)

 

I bought the Powerstop drum and harware kit for my truck. I also replaced the wheel cylinders while I was in there.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinf...u49pTAaGPi1Kyn/dgrv48BKaq+MHXc0jSX3VUJ2eo1P48

 

The reason the drum was difficult to get off was the rust ridge that builds up on the edge where the shoes don't touch.



At least once a year, twice is better, pull the drums and do an inspection. When you do this clean the ridge off and the drum will pull off nicely next time. You can use an old putty knife, gentle taps with a hammer, a small chisel, a rotary wire brush - most anything will take the ridge off with a bit of work.
Wear safety glasses.

While you are at it also clean the flange area shown below, sand cloth, ScotchBrite, a wire brush - all will work. Coat the area with a skim of high temperature grease or anti seize, rub it in with a finger. Not much is needed, just enough to seal the steel from water.



Finally, clean up the flange where the drum sits, yours are pretty rusty so a power tool version of the ones above will make this job easier.



Coat the cleaned flange with a skim of grease, again only a tiny amount is needed as there is no motion here, you just want to seal the steel up from water.

 

I’ve always had good luck with the Napa hardware kits.

Little cheaper than OEM and similar quality.

 

Thanks, sounds like good advice. I'll replace the springs and pins, hoping I can reuse the adjusters.

I'm having some trouble trying to understand pricing on some of the parts regarding aftermarket vs OEM.

Aftermarket adjusters on RockAuto range between 5 and 10 dollars. OEM from online dealers look to be around $80, do I have that right? Happy to pay extra for good parts but a difference that large is hard to wrap my head around lol