Rear Drum Removal

Anyone done this on a gen 2? Is there a secret to it or are they just remove the wheel, pull off the drum? I had the wheels off at the last tire rotation and the drums didn't budge with my hands alone. I didn't bother with the hammer yet, but I am coming up on the next rotation and I would like to pop them off while I am in there just to take a look at the shoes. I know they arew fine, but call it peace of mind.

 

Here's a post from another site:

There are two threaded bolt holes opposite eachother on the face of the drum. they are either 8mm or 10mm bolts. I forget which. Just spray a little wd40 in each hole and slowly thread the two bolts in. Alternate a few turns on each on until they push the drum off. they might be a little hard to turn at first, but it is really quite simple once you figure it out.

Oh, and you'l have to get your own bolts. Sorry, I forget what the thread spacing is.


If I had to guess i would say they are a 8mm with a 1.25 thread spacing. 90% sure on that

 

Thanks to both of you. I do recall those bolt holes now that you mention it.

 

Mine were held on by a paper gasket, I was able to pull them off. The gasket is torn but I see no use for it. It may be there so the drums don't fall off during assembly.

Mike

 

I pull mine off every 20,000 miles to inspect and blow out the brake dust. you need to screw two bolts into those holes and go back and forth, going about 1 turn each on them, to get the drums off. Kinda like using a puller on something.

 

Pretty sure its the same thread of the bolts that hold the skidplate on. Remove one of those and head to the nut and bolt shop to get a couple of similar thread, but a couple of inches longer.

I always just use a hammer. Give the drum a few solid smacks all the ways around and it'll pull right off.

 

Some drums are balanced also so if you see a random piece of metal welding attached to it, don't knock it off. Once the drum is off it's good to spray the whole assembly down with brake cleaner. Who knows what's in your brake pads if there aftermarket. If there is asbestos (which there shouldn't be anymore but this is good practice) it is harmful while air born.

 

I may be a little overcautious, but when it comes to brake dust, none of that stuff is safe to breathe - even if it isn't asbestos. If you want to clean it out, please use brake cleaner or rubbing alcohol so the dust doesn't become airborne. The particles that are the most dangerous are the small ones you may not even notice and that will stay in the air for a while. I prefer the rubbing alcohol as brake cleaner isn't too healthy either.

Don't forget to clean up the dust that "washes" off before it dries. Brooming it off the garage floor later will put it in the air as well.

 

I confirmed today that 8mm X 1.25 is the correct size - at least for a 2009 4wd.

I was rotating the tires at the time and it looks like the front rotors are set up the same way.

Thanks for all the replies.

 

Thank you so much! I couldn't get the thing off for the life of me and I removed one bolt from the front skid and what do you know it worked like a charm. I can't thank you enough.

To anybody doing this in the future apply a little bit of pressure to one side then remove the bolt and go to the other side. Their are two holes on the outer drum assembly one on each side of the axle.

 

Dont forget to release your parking break!!!! It makes it much easier.

 

Haha. This to and and because you won't have a parking brake on and an open diff you should chalk your tires. Oh and btw welcome to TW!

 

And I'll add one more comment. I've known the trick with the bolt for years (Toyota's had it there for years on their drums/rotors). But even using that trick can give you problems on the rears. I've pulled mine off several times over the years. But when I tried to pull them off at 93K miles, I ran into lots of problems. I even loosened the e-brake cable in case that was the problem. And releasing the shoes using the adjusters via the slot in the back...PITA. My problem turned out to be the fact that after that many miles, the shoes wear a deep groove in the drums (by groove, I mean the whole width of the shoe). So you end up with a lip that can't get over the shoes unless you back them way off first (PITA using the slot in the back). So there's the warning for when you attempt this with higher mileage.

 

Thx!!

 

good info! thanks to all for your input....

 

Removed my 2 rear drum at 110k. But the shoe hold down cup broke !! Parking brake was off , well not sure if its normal.

My shoes and drum are fine.
I was doing a clean up because i was hearing a noise while (completly) depressing brake pedal, evreything was fine while breaking.

 

My brakes make a squeek when I depress the pedal and then release it. Even when parked. Its strange

 

"Chalk" your tires. Can't tell you how many times I read this.

It's chock not chalk. A wheel chock keeps your vehicle from rolling. Same for airplanes. Chalk is what you write with on a school board or police use to mark your tires when you park in a timed parking space, or what my daughter uses to draw on the driveway

Next time anyone does work on their truck, be sure to chalk your tires so you can tell just how far the damn thing rolled over you because you didn't chock the tires.

Otherwise good points on the drums.