Drumming Along

[1] Our lab rat for today's tech will be a 1999 Civic DX hatchback, selflessly donated by our super managing editor, Adam Douglas. This first step should be quite obvious: raise the back end of the car, whether on a lift or on jack stands, and remove the wheels. Once the wheels are off, the brake drum should pull straight out. If it doesn't, tap it a few times with a soft-faced mallet, or better yet, screw a couple of bolts into the threaded holes and press the drum off.

[2] With the shoe assembly exposed, it's a good time to point out that it's best to work on one brake assembly at a time so you have the other as a reference (plus there's no chance of confusing parts). Using a set of diagonal cutters, Mike LaPier, a technician from the Huntington Beach, Calif.-based AutoWave, gingerly grabs one of the tension pins from the front and turns it so the blade aligns with the slot in the retainer spring, which should pop the spring right off. He repeats this on the other spring and frees the shoe assembly from the backing plate.

[3-4] All the springs are then detached: the return spring (at the bottom of the shoe assembly behind the anchor plate), the self-adjuster spring, and the upper return spring (not pictured). This releases the self-adjuster lever, the adjuster bolt and the leading shoe.

[5-6] To let loose the trailing shoe from the parking brake lever, LaPier pries open the lever retaining clip and removes it, which allows the pin connecting the two pieces to drop. He warns not to lose the wave washer underneath or the pin--you'll have to reuse them when everything goes back together.

[7] The team at AutoWave highly recommends replacing the rear wheel cylinders every time you replace the shoes. To do this, LaPier first has to pinch off the brake hose leading to the cylinder.

[8] With a flare-nut wrench, he unscrews the brake line fitting behind the backing plate. It's imperative to use a flare-nut wrench on these fittings to avoid rounding off the edges on the nut.

[9-10] Then the two cylinder retaining bolts are unscrewed and the cylinder comes right off.

[11] Before doing anything else, LaPier saturates the backing plate with brake cleaner and allows it to dry.

[12-13] While it's drying, LaPier preps the drums for resurfacing on the brake lathe by flattening out the mounting surfaces with an abrasive wheel. He also points out that a wire brush or even some emery cloth should do the trick. The purpose is to remove any rust or other buildup that would cause the drum to wobble as it spins on the lathe (wobbling on the lathe means an inconsistent finish on the drum surface).

[14] The inside of the drum is measured with a brake-resetting gauge to determine its diameter. If the drums are worn so much that they can't be resurfaced without exceeding the maximum allowable diameter, new ones should be purchased. Typically the max diameter is cast into the front of the drum.

[15] We realize most of you probably don't have your own brake lathe (if you do, can we hang out at your house?), so LaPier suggests taking your drums to a local automotive machine shop to have them do it.

[16] With the backing plate clean, drums resurfaced, and new shoes, cylinders, and hardware in hand, LaPier reassembles the whole enchilada. The wheel cylinder is hooked up and bolted in place first. Then the areas where the brake shoes make contact are treated with 3M Brake Lube and Anti-Seize Compound.

[17] The new trailing shoe is attached to the parking brake lever by way of the aforementioned pin, wave washer, and a new retaining clip. The ends of the clip are crimped together with a pair of needle nose pliers to keep the whole thing together and the lever is ultimately swung upward so it's tucked behind the shoe.

[18] LaPier lubricates the threads and ends of the adjuster bolt and clevis with more 3M Brake Lube.

[19] This next step is kind of a bitch. Linking the upper return spring between the two shoes and holding the adjuster bolt right below it, LaPier finagles the shoe assembly so it fits behind the hub. The short clevis of the bolt should fit into a slot on the leading shoe and the stepped opening of the other clevis should fit over the shoe and the parking brake lever.

[20] Once the clevises are locked in, the return spring is attached, routed behind the anchor plate. The parking brake cable spring should also run behind the plate.

[21] The self-adjuster lever is sandwiched between the clevis and the leading shoe next, the pin on the lever inserted into its hole in the shoe.

[22] LaPier then attaches the self-adjuster lever spring to the lever and the shoe.

[23-24] Finally, the tension pins are passed through the holes in the backing plate, and brake shoes and new retainer springs are installed.

[25] One last thing before the drum goes back on: LaPier cranks the adjuster bolt a few times by using a standard screwdriver to push the teeth on the bolt. This drives the shoes outward and is done until clearance between the shoes and the drum is relatively snug. You want the wheel to spin, but not spin freely; there should be a good amount of resistance, but not too much.

[26] And as with most brake service (with the exception perhaps of changing pads in a disc setup) you will need to bleed your brakes. The procedure goes a little something like this: first, LaPier removes any residual vacuum from the power booster by applying the brake several times with the engine off. He then fills the master with brake fluid and checks it often throughout this process (this is CRITICAL).

[27-28] Starting at the right rear brake, he loosens the bleed screw slightly and places the end of a length of 3/16-inch hose over the bleed screw. The hose is connected to a brake bleeder, which creates a vacuum to suck out any air in the system. An assistant pumps the brake slowly a few times to get pressure in the system, then holds the pedal down while LaPier bleeds the brake, opening the bleed valve just enough to allow fluid to exit. Once no air bubbles are escaping through the hose, he tightens the valve and moves on to the next brake, repeating the procedure.

[28] When he's all done, LaPier makes sure the master is filled with fluid. Then he takes the car out for a spin and checks the brakes. The pedal should feel solid with little to no sponginess.