Changing drum brake pads

alright yeah the shoes arent bad, i thought they were cuz i keep here a squealing noise when im drivin up to about 30 40 then its gone.

so im gunna inspect the fronts.
how tight should i set the back drums?

 

I have a little over 94K on my 2003 Double Cab, I've gone through 3 sets of brake pads. First set went out at 24K, second set went out at 59K, third set went out at 89K...

My rear shoes are still at 70%. The rears go muuuchhhh slower.

 

Maybe I'm just being silly, but I just dont see any way to successfully use the pliers like tool on either the main spring or the hold down springs. The angles just seem completely wrong to try to use it like a pry bar, trying to use the twist method just doesn't look like it'd work since the end of the spring is on the wrong side, and using it like pliers just looks like a really bad idea since one end would have to be on the lining itself.

Could you tell me how you're using it? Maybe I'm just completely missing something. I'm definitely open to a new way of doing it, specially if its easier. 40 sec does seem like a long time to take off or put on a spring though, and I definitely wouldn't have the patients for trying to figure it out for 30 min.

 

Yeah....can be normal.

I bought a 96 tacoma with 60,000 miles on it. I'm not sure how old the shoes were when I bought it but they had plenty of life left. I sold the truck with 110,000 miles and I never did anything to the drum brakes. They still had plenty of life left when I sold the truck.

 

I'm telling you, they could last a very long, long time. I had a 96 2wd that I bought brand new and I sold it 14 years later at 126,000 miles and the rear brakes still had a good amount of material left on them!

 

I have no idea who did my rear shoes last but when I checked them they were brand new. I had new shoes and when I compared them they were just as thick. I know my rear brakes work because when I waited too long to do my pads and rotors up front the rear brakes were causing the rear of the truck to break loose on downhill stops in the rain. I wonder if our BPV's are set to expect a load more of the time than we actually have one. Is it possible to rebalance the system by adjusting the BPV mechanism? I wouldnt mind a little more help from the rear. My truck seems to stop great though. Maybe I should just put a cap on and call it a day!

 

I'm with you. I've been replacing drum brake shoes since 1960 and they are more difficult to replace as time goes on. That pliers-like tool you mentioned was good when there was one retraction spring on each shoe, but I haven't used it for at least 20 years now. My 1998 has a single return spring that connects both front and rear shoes. The last time I replaced my rear shoes I had to use a pair of vice grips, all my strength and every one of my filthiest curses to get the bleedin' spring off, and even more to get it back on. Can't recall how it went with my 1987 SR5, but certainly not as hard as it is on my Tacoma.

For the brake nails (they're inserted from behind the drum plate and go from the center of the truck outward thru the shoes) I'm going to get one of those screwdriver handle removal tools. That should make the job of reinstallation a bit easier.

Good luck, I feel for ya!

 

Not sure if the OP has the dual return spring setup though. My 1998 does NOT. (I didn't check the video so I might be 'way off here.)

 

The video isn't for Tacomas. It's a general approach to issues involved in drum brake service. Spring removal, getting the drums off, etc. are all covered as well as simple things like taking a picture of the brake before disassembling for making it easy to put them back together are all referenced here.

 

Here is a video for Tacoma rear brakes,also check DIY's for 3rd gen 4Runners as they are the same I believe... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKgboMQiBr0

 

Good instructional video! But doesn't anybody clean the parts they remove before reassembling? Roadside/trailside fix I can understand...

 

Most shops? Nope.

 

ChrisFix wire wheeled and painted his drums in another video, I think he got new drums in this one. Always a good idea. I paint the frame and whatever else I can get to when I'm working on stuff. In my climate rustoleum does the job just fine but I know in other areas you need to be careful about what you use and how to apply it.

 

My 2000 has about 200K miles and never had to change the shoes. So yea, they really don't do much. I could prob. do away with them and never notice.

 

Wish they'd just put pads and calipers on the rear like almost every other modern car. Even the 2017 Tacoma has rear brake drums.

 

sometimes the hardest thing for me is to get the drum off...the springs can be a pain but not as much as the drums.

 

Drums are less maintenance and easier to set up with an e brake. Most of the stopping power comes from the front brakes so drums are used by a lot of truck companies.

 

18 wheelers still use them. They're sticklers about brakes so they must be adequate.

 

OK so question on the rear brakes on 03. I replaced my axle and when I did I had to disconnect the brake line. After I reassembled everything I decided to bleed the brakes. The tire still spins freely and doesn't stop with the brake pressed. Please help? I also made another post on first gen but need help figuring this out.