Brake drum stuck

[sgtsandman]

Discs are not always better than drums and depending on the design, the parking brake is still a drum and might even be not self adjusting.

Every time I go on a deployment, I end up replacing the rear rotors and pads. Never fails. Every d@mn time.

 

[Paisano]

I got the drum off. 30 minutes of relentless pounding on the edge of the drum and off the studs. I banged a ball-peen hammer with a 5-lb sledgehammer. I used a pry bar also. I salvaged the parking brake lever from it.

So I pounded if off the studs, in the same way I would pull the drum off the studs.

Good suggestions on the other methods you guys used to remove your stuck drums.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Now you have the idea...

Sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do.

 

[Paisano]

I have to walk to the auto parts store again, this time to order that parking brake cable I cut off.
I get the cable tomorrow.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Did you see what was holding the drum in place? Was it rust?

Cleaning the metal between the wheel studs and then smearing a little antiseize across that area (nowhere near the brake shoes) should help next time.

 

[Paisano]

I never did find out what caused it.

 

[sgtsandman]

I prefer fluid film over antiseize but it depends on the application too. Fluid Film is oil from processing sheep wool and does a pretty good job of preventing rust and keeping things from sticking like brake drums and rotors to the hub and wheels to the drums and rotors. Plus it's doesn't get everywhere like antisieze does. Once it gets on something, it never seems to completely go away.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

" Don't force it, get a bigger hammer"

 

[ekrampitzjr]

I'm thinking: if the holes for the wheel studs were drilled just a little off when the brake drum was being made, so the drum was a little tight new, that could make it a real female dog to get off later after a little rust and a lot of heat-cool cycles. Been there, done that.

 

[Paisano]

Well, When I pounded the drum off the studs if bent the forks on one of the wheel cylinder push rods. But the local auto parts stores don't sell these. So I had to re-use it. The forks still set in the notch.

 

[Paisano]

I'm wrapping up this big rear axle and brake drum project I've been talking about. But h ow do I work with these parking brake cable fasteners? I can't get these to seat in the holes
In the photos, notice the tangs....tabs......whatever these are. I tried tapping these in.

The other ends of the cables are already secured to the parking brake levers inside the drums.

So I have to seat the parking brake cables outside both brake drums and at the tension limiter outside the frame. (I have to hook up a new cable under the frame...where the remains of the old cable is shown in the photo.

 

[Paisano]

Haaa.....................This figures. The parking brake cable hole on the new backing plate is smaller than the hole on the old 1992 backing plate. That's why I can't seat the fastener into the backing plate hole. But this new cable connects ok to the parking brake lever inside the drum. And the other end matches the original tension limiter underneath on the frame.

Shouldn't it still work? The whole outer jacket doesn't move when engaging the parking brake...................just the inner cable.

 

[Uncle Gump]

File the holes bigger until the cables click in.

 

[pjtoledo]

the cable needs to go in at a right angle to the hole, not angled as pictured.

if the end starts in, like in the pic, the hole should be big enough.
put an open end wrench over the flange and apply appropriate pressure in "short bursts"

 

[Paisano]

It won't go any further even if you push it in straight. The backing plate hole really is roughly 1/8 inch less diameter than the old backing plate. I took measurements.
Actually it's stuck in there as you see it in the photo. I tapped it partway in. It's in there tight.

I can leave it that way, or I can pullout the part I tapped in and inset a narrow tube-shaped file without disconnecting the cable from the parking brake lever