rear brakes

[samsara]

elo, i have a 90 accord lx. do i have rear drum brakes under the rubber circle? do many people end up replacing these brakes? you never hear to much about one replacing the rear brakes. should i replace them my car is almost 20 years old?

[93accordfreak]

Honestly, you'll have to examine them to see if they need replacing.

In most cases I've dealt with, the rear brake shoes take a VERY long time to wear out, and the only wear you'll see starts at the leading edges of each shoe.

If you aren't too sure if they need replacing, take a trip to your local parts store before you pull off your rear drums and take a look at the friction material's thickness on the new shoes. Heck, I don't think they'd care if you measured it either, so you have a hard number to compare yours too.

Once you take off your rear wheel, you should give the drum a good whack with something comparable to a rubber mallet. Hit the top, bottom, and front, and rear near the outside edge. You'll have to make sure your E-brake is disengaged to remove the drum.

The whacking should dislodge the brake dust and rust holding it in place, and you should be able to slide off the drum. If not, pry it off with something like a large screwdriver or a prybar, alternating sides in the same fashion I explained for whacking it with a mallet.

Once the drum is off, you'll be able to see your shoes and note their wear.


Also, be sure your face is a good distance away and upwind of the drum when your whacking on it. This is going to release brake dust and you DO NOT want it in your lungs, so be sure to take caution when pulling them off.

[samsara]

wow! exact answer i was looking for. thank you for taking the time to respond. many thanks!

[93accordfreak]

No problem at all, let us know how it looks.