Need to replace the shoes on my drums on my 97 Civic, anyone have any tips or a link to a how-to?

I did a search and only found a couple threads. Also someone mentioned that it may be a bit tricky if it's your first time. Can anyone give me some pointers? TIA

 

first after lifting the car make sure you have the front wheels chocked and then remove the rear wheels. Your going to want to have either a factory manual, haynes manual, or a digital camera if you're doing this the first time. Make sure the parking brake is off. Remove the drums, do one side at a time so that you don't confuse parts side to side. There are four major components that usually fail in rear drum brakes, drums (get egg shapped or cupped), shoes (wear down), parking brake cables (seize or return springs break), return springs (wear out due to use). Replacing just the shoes is fairly easy. The drums can be a pain sometimes to get off due to either the groove worn into them by the shoes or just from rust between the drum and the wheel hub. I usually use a rubber mallet and going around the outside of the drum just hit it until it comes loose. There are threaded holes on the face of the drum that you can use to push the drums off, if you use this method, just thread two bolts in the holes and tighten each evenly until it pushes the drum off. Once you get the drum off inspect it for rust build up on the edge that runs inside the inner backing plate, usually there is a common complaint of noise in the rear end when taking tight turns left or right, it almost always comes from the drums rubbing agains the backing plates due to rust build up. If this is the case, just use a small hammer and knock the rust off. Using a right angle die grinder or equivalent tool, clean off any rust on the inner face of the drum that contacts the wheel hub. Now take a picture of the assembly as you can see it now, the orientation of the hold down and return springs, the star wheel adjuster, parking brake cables, and shoes. Start by removing the two hold down springs that are on the faces of the shoes. They are short springs 1" - 1 1/2" in length with a cap and a stake that goes through the center of the spring and cap into the backing plate. Just compress the springs and twist the spring and cap to remove them and then take the stakes out through the backing plate. Remove the lower return spring along the bottom of the drum brake first. I usually just set everything down as it came off so I know where/how they go when I put it back together. Now remove the upper return spring, it can be difficult sometimes because of its tension, just take it easy, it takes some finessing with vice grips or a flat screw driver. Once that is off the star wheel adjuster is going to want to fall out along with the adjuster arm. Make sure to note which way the star adjuster faces and turns as you remove it as this is important to the reassembly and proper operation of the drum brakes. The shoe facing the front of the car will come off now and the one facing the back of the car can be swung down around the parking brake cable. Push the parking brake cable return spring and remove the other shoe. Using some brakcleen spray down the entire inner backing plate and wheel cylinder. Grease up the contact points on the inner backing plate, they are raised and grease the pivot point at the bottom of the inner backing plate where the shoes pivot and at the top groove where the shoe contacts the wheel cylinder. With the new shoes should come a new horseshoe clamp and wave washer, if not you will have to reuse them. Take the braket off of the shoe that was attached to the parking brake cable and put it on one of the new shoes. Use some grease on the pivot point of the pin and the shoe. Place the new shoe with the bracket on the parking brake cable and then swing it up into the general placement it will be. You can use the hold down spring to keep it in place. Now clean the threads off of the star wheel adjuster and grease the ends and threads so that it spins freely. Place the star wheel adjuster and adjuster arm on the shoe already assembled. Put the other shoe on the inner backing plate and use the hold down spring to keep it in place. Put the upper return spring on, again the most difficult part, and then the lower return spring. Grease up the wheel hub face to prevent the drum from rusting to the hub again and then put the drum back on. It may be difficult to get it to fit because the star wheel adjuster has been adjusted to the old shoes. If this is so the drum won't go on easily, so don't force it on. You want the drum to go on smoothly but have a little bit of drag when spinning the wheel by hand. Use two flat screwdrivers to adjust the star wheel by holding the adjuster arm away from the star wheel and then push the teeth of the gear in whatever direction you need to, one way separates the shoes and pushes them towards the drums the other way will bring the shoes closer together. Pictures help, drum brakes aren't that bad at all, and if you take your time I'm sure that you can do it.

 

pm sent

 

awesome, thanks to both of you