Rear drum brake repair tutorial
 

I've looked all over this forum and a few other HHR forums and can't find any tutorials on rear brake shoe replacement, however there are several around for the front brakes. Does anyone know where a HHR rear brake tutorial is? That might be good to add to the forum.

Mike,

This is actually pretty simple to do. Take off the rear wheel. ONce rear wheel is off you take the drum off. Take the drum to the nearest dealer, or repair shop to have resurfaced if it can be. This will ensure even wear on the shoes.

Next to take the shoes off. Here is the tricky part. When you replace the shoes, you should also replace all of the springs and other hardware as well. Just to make everything new and tight. To take the shoes off they are held in by spring loaded pins about midpoint to the shoes. Take a needle nose plier and push the spring while turing the pin to release.

Once shoes are loose, you need to take the spring off one by one. After all springs are you there is a "U" clip holding the emergency brake cable. Remove this clip and the shoe will come off. Installation is opposite of removal.

I have to re-adjust my rears in a few weeks. I can take pictures for you once i get to that point. I hope this helps a little bit.

Thanks. I thought I could do it after looking at generic drum brake repair, but wasn't sure if there was anything special about it. Plus, I thought it was rather strange that the disk brake, which seems less complicated, had more HHR tutorials than the drum brake. I wondered why.

Yea pics would be great for me.

Remember to do one side at a time so you know where the springs go, or as one of my student did, take a picture first with your cell phone camera.

The E brake is different on disc from car to car where drums have changed little over the years.

Many people just now are owning cars with rear disc and never have changed them before.

most likely the reason for no tutorials for rear brakes is because rear brakes on most car are done once too two times on the front. hope that answers your question

I'm sorry but I don't understand what you are trying to say there.

I think he ment that the brakes are usally done twice as often on the front as they are on the back most time.

I think.

yes on alot of vehicles with rear drum brakes, they aren't done as often as the front, and most people on here haven't had to do them yet is my guess. Also alot of talk about front brakes is due the up grade to better pads and rotors because of the vibration problem with the cheap rotors we have on our HHR's Front brakes are done normally twice before the rears are done once.

On my last truck the front to rear ratio was 3 to none in 100,000 miles.

I am waiting to see what the HHR does. My GTP has a Bosh balancing system with the stability control and even with the wifes hard driving got 63,000 miles front and rear. The pads were dead even on wear on both ends.

I hope the system on the SS does the same.

[QUOTE=NxlKing2304;369268]Mike,

This is actually pretty simple to do. Take off the rear wheel. ONce rear wheel is off you take the drum off. Take the drum to the nearest dealer, or repair shop to have resurfaced if it can be. This will ensure even wear on the shoes.

Hi .
It might sound stupid, but how exactly remove the drum? :confused:
I have a noise on the rear right wheel while breaking and I looked to remove the drum to check the shoes ( they are probably worn) and I couldn't figure out how; usualy there is a center cap and a nut under ...
Any suggestion will be highly appreciated...
Thanks!

take the wheel off theres a weird washer or two on one or two studs, remove them. pull the drum off, done

I had to use a 3 jaw puller to get mine off; they were stuck there pretty bad. One drum even sprung out a couple of feet when it finally let go.

Yves

The drum tends to rust to the center shaft, I used penetrating oil to break the rust. I have used a torch to heat the drum to free it. Usually hitting it with hammer after heating will free it.
I found the v shaped shoe retainer shoe to be the biggest problem. I put the shoe with the e brake attachment on first then pulled the clip outward and slipped the shoe other shoe in.

This is an old dead thread, but.... I too have something to add.

They changed the hold down and adjuster system in 2009 or 2010 to the same sort American cars have had for ages. But they also created a loose "interference" fit for the drum/hub connection.

I actually dented my drums with my 3 LB sledge hammer trying to get them off. Then I stuck a prybar between the backing plate and the drum while banging and came off gradually. Be careful though there is a backing plate backing plate that you can bend by accident.

This applies to 2011 models for sure, I think 2010, maybe 2009.

Oh, and the adjuster turns in the opposite direction.

"The drum tends to rust to the center shaft, I used penetrating oil to break the rust."

On mine after cleaning up the hub-snout, I wiped it with a hi-temp grease, very lightly..

Has never rusted/corroded again on my 2008....

tried to get rear drums off with hammer and pen titration oil..no luck so far... really stuck

If the drums wiggle on the the hubs then you may be stuck on the brake shoes. You may have to back the adjusters off to get the drums off.

If the drum is stuck at the hub, there will be no movement there when trying to take off the drum.
If only the shoes are holding it, there will be a little give and you should be able to see the hub is free.

Over the years I've had to use a BFM(Big Frigging rubber Mallet) on many different types of drums. It's not just a HHR thing.

Their is a good video on youtube how to do rear drum brakes just type in hhr rear brakes and you will find it hands on:thumb:

I finally triumphed by inserting a prybar between the drum and backing plate while beating on the drum with the "bigger hammer". Be careful though, there is another bit of metal on the backing plate that you may get caught on.

drums do not seem to have any wiggle..I think they are stuck on axle..thanks

drums do not seem to have any wiggle..I think they are stuck on axle..thanks