obastable

So I'm pretty confident I've figured out how to do my front rotors/pads. My bro is coming to supervise the procedure on Monday just in case, and to lend me some tools because that's what brothers are for!

My question is in regards to rear drum brakes. Is this something I could do in my driveway with little to no car knowledge, or something I should get someone else to do?

I'm half afraid that more than just the brakes need to be done. There is a squeak coming from the rear when I take my foot off of the brake (not when I brake, but when I release the pedal). I know a very nice and rare breed of honest mechanic in Oshawa who has informed me that it's a spring and can be replaced when the rear brakes are done ... but since then we had the brake line snap, had a quick emergency fix done on a Sunday at Crappy Tire that made no sense to me, and yeah ... I'm concerned that if I take the car in to get the rear brakes done it's going to cost a bloody fortune.

Is this something I can feasibly do on my own, or with the aid of someone else who knows wtf they're doing, on a weekend and have the car drivable by Monday?

9HatchSi3

are there any mechanics in your area that you go to often enough to trust their judgment and opinions? sometimes these kind of people can fix it for cheap sometimes, or tell you what you can do at home. Don't go to Canadian tire for repairs, i hate that place.

I'm not sure what the rear drum problem is, i don't personally have rear drums, but the whole front brake assembly is really easy to replace (rotors, pads, calipers if needed).

obastable

Recently moved to Kawartha Lakes ... I don't know anyone up here (I barely know my neighbours yet) that can do this kind of stuff, let alone someone I trust!

I trust that I can figure it out myself (I'm smrt like that), buuuut it'll probably take me more than a weekend to do it & that just can't happen. 1 car and the spouse commutes to Ajax Monday - Friday. No working vehicle during the week is not an option (hence the Sunday repair at Crappy Tire).

D.T.P

Well why don't you jack the car up take rear wheels off, make sure your ebrake is off and take the drum off and see if you can figure it out? Its simple really. The drum just slides off, well may be slightly seized on, so you can hit it few times or use the 2 threaded holes and push 2 bolts through to pop it off.

Honestly, if you can't buy a hayness manual, just download it for free. It shows you step by step how to change almost every single part on the car, very helpful

chris_v2

Your squeek is due to lack of lubrication on the backing plate. Lube up the backing plate and your squeek will go away.

If the shoes still have a decent amount left on them, leave them.

And I don't recommend doing drum brakes if you have almost no mechanical knowledge.

MPR

Drum brakes are awesome because they last almost forever, requiring only minor servicing and adjustments every now and then. They can be a pain if the drum is rusted and/or seized on, but they can be persuaded off as martin mentioned.

Grab a couple cans of brake cleaner and when you get the drum off, spray the whole assembly down well. There is a simple procedure for adjusting them properly which you can find detailed instructions on online DIY's or hayne's manuals etc...

obastable

Awesome, thanks for the tip MPR!

jdm_77

hey bud you can do it yourself with little to no problems at all if you have the right tools to do it. im 17 years old and i can do them my self with my mechanic teacher at my school inspecting them after i was done and i never messed up once on my car. if you have a general idea and a little research it should be a piece of cake.

jdm ek4

Those springs were a bitch to put back on, go to parts source and get the drum replacement springs, clips and pins. Its about $13 for the kit and comes in a box for both sides.

iTaLiAn_vIrUs

i say switch that over to discs and ur laughhhhhhhhing

old_dud

Yeah it's not too bad but they can be tough to put back on best to get the kit.

You can get really good shoes because they last forever and are cheap!