Rear Brake Drum Quote

They do suck. But if you do one side at a time, you’ll be fine.
That’s how I learned. My father “tried” to teach me. But he’s the type that gets easily frustrated and I didn’t learn anything that time around. He just took over and did it….

The next time, it took me a good 2 or 3 hours.
But I went really slow, and checked the other side throughout the process.
And that was when camera phones weren’t a thing.

Now, I takes lots of pictures.

 

Pictures definitely help, then make sure the pictures are clear enough to see what goes where. Something I do is remove parts, line them up in the order they came off, spray each with brake cleaner, set it down one at a time. Then when it goes back on it's all lined up in order, just don't accidentally kick everything out of place. Get more brake cleaner and brake fluid than you think you'll need. It sucks running out.

I'm way too far away to help. If you get someone, make sure to provide the beer and sandwiches.

 

I still have the picture on my phone from the last set I did.
(Not a Toyota, so no need to post them)
Pictures have saved me multiple times.

 

It's mainly those dang springs and having only 2 hands. There's a drum brake spring tool that sometimes can be useful, but for me it has always been a surprise when it actually works. But even with pliers and simple hand tools it just requires patience, not really a hard job. Getting things apart after years of road grime, salt, and corrosion is the first tough part. Getting the springs on is the second. Final adjustment, the last, but then you are done for a long time.

That Powerstop kit from RockAuto looks pretty sweet, has a lot of stuff in it. That would be the route I would go, but I am cheap and have the willpower (some skill, but mostly you just need willpower and Google).

 

$678 is not outrageous for rear brakes on a nice truck. Notice how it turned out to be cheaper than the other 2 quotes?

They lasted 12 years and 170k, relax, nobody is getting screwed here

 

I just reread the original post and saw that. I missed it the first time. AJC84, you may want to just edit your original post and remove that. Hopefully it was a joke, if not I'm glad RI pulls the wheels during their State inspection. If you don't understand the seriousness of making sure that all 4 wheels need to brake and function properly, $678 is a bargain! What's your medical and insurance deductible? RI is a small State but there are other drivers on the road.

Rear drums on the Tacomas are easy to do but it is a bit of a "spring puzzle" with some attention to detail on wear/contact surfaces and the self-adjuster, and which shoe is front and which is rear. There are probably 5 different youtube videos at least. I agree with the other posters that if you learn to do this you will save a lot of money over the long run. Its just that February and assuming they didn't pass inspection isn't really the best time to learn. Oh, and pick up a good grade 8 M8x1.25 bolt from the hardware store to help get the drum off (smartest thing I've ever seen a car manufacturer do!). Good luck! Let us know what you decide.

 

Rhode Island, state inspection required every 2 years.

Here is link of video they sent me of the inspection report. Brakes are at the end.

https://app.truvideo.com/v/rqrpAnNV?s=EVi3s406zW6p7plS3zL8hJLxIhTvGBvQ

 

I understand all brakes should function properly lol. Not sure what I said in original post, but I thought the rear brakes engaged much less than the front, 70/30 front vs. back, but I could be wrong. I’m guessing that’s why they last 10 years compared to the fronts which I’ve done much earlier intervals about every 4-5 yrs.

 

I wish I had the time, give me 30k more miles and ill show you how I change mine haha

 

The reason I do my own repair and maintenance is because I know the job will be done right.