Rear Drums

[GrayCar]

How can you tell your rear brakes need replacing?

I plan on taking it to CarX, Midas, etc. for $70 and a warranty it's worth avoiding the hassle.

What about the drums themselves? Do they ever wear? Want to make sure I know what's going on before they tell me I need new drums.

Thanks.

[GrayCar]

Anything (damn 10 characters...)?

[timmy0tool]

you will never need new drums unless some major problem occured (i.e. accident). under normal use and wear, the drums should be ok. the brake shoes inside the drums do have to be replaced every so often. just check your hand brake. how high is it when you pull it? i should be between 4 to 8 clicks where it can hold the car at an incline. if it is more than 8, you may need to replace the shoes. good luck.

also, the cylinder in the drums may leak over time too. the shop can easily fix this if they find it to be a problem.

[GrayCar]

Excellent, never did the rear breaks before, didn't know what could go wrong back there.

Ya, I saw in the service manual that the service measurements where like 1mm between old and new so I figured they weren't that much of a wear item.

Thanks for the help!

[SuperNova92LX]

you will never need new drums unless some major problem occured (i.e. accident). under normal use and wear, the drums should be ok. the brake shoes inside the drums do have to be replaced every so often. just check your hand brake. how high is it when you pull it? i should be between 4 to 8 clicks where it can hold the car at an incline. if it is more than 8, you may need to replace the shoes. good luck.

also, the cylinder in the drums may leak over time too. the shop can easily fix this if they find it to be a problem.

Not neccesarily true... Your drums can wear out, just not as quickly as rotors. Drums do need to be turned once in a while, but only if your car "hopps" when you hit the brakes.

And the thing about the E-brake is not that accurate. Your E-brake cable can wear and get loose and need adjusting. And if its loose, you could pull it all the way up and it still not work even if you have new drums and new shoes.

And if your wheel cylinders are bad, you will know it due to the fluid all over everything and the "squishiness" of the pedal when you hit your brakes.

Hope this also helps.

[93accordcoupe93]

Not neccesarily true... Your drums can wear out, just not as quickly as rotors. Drums do need to be turned once in a while, but only if your car "hopps" when you hit the brakes.

And the thing about the E-brake is not that accurate. Your E-brake cable can wear and get loose and need adjusting. And if its loose, you could pull it all the way up and it still not work even if you have new drums and new shoes.

And if your wheel cylinders are bad, you will know it due to the fluid all over everything and the "squishiness" of the pedal when you hit your brakes.

Hope this also helps.

^^^^

[GrayCar]

I knew the forum would come through, thanks guys.

[accordztech]

take off the drumps and inspect the pads, if they are cracked replace it...or if they are thin.

the drum should be ok, just look for abnormalities, usually they go bad most of the time from neglected shoes.

[SuperNova92LX]

ok, so if i hit the brakes after the car and the brakes are all warmed up and the pedal is squishy i should replace my shoes, i've got new pads up front, probably a year old at most, but the shoes havent been replaced in the 4 years i've been driving it. or would i need new cylinders

The "squishiness" is not caused by pads or shoes, but by air in the brake lines. How dose air get into brake lines you say? From worn out seals around cylinders and the like. If you remove the drums and see a wet look, chances are you need new wheel cylinders due to bad seals leaking brake fluid. If you perform the repair yourself, make sure a friend is around to help you "bleed" the brakes, or all the air will stay in the lines.

[alb_accord]

my drums were all fucked out. bad dude bad. i had to take my grinder and sand it down. lol. i wasn't gona apy 60 for a drum set.