civicpower

Hey guys, it's been quite a few years since I've owned a vehicle with rear drum brakes and was wondering if any of you could help refresh my memory. I purchased new drums and shoes for my '88 dx and wanted to know if I should buy a new spring kit or just re-use the old ones? Any other tips/suggestions that will help make this job go alot smoother? Thanks

kwikb16a2

you'll need a alot of patience and a brake spring tool

imported_BoOsTd

hondas are easy, and you wont need a spring tool for it...you can take it all off, then reasseble it all on the bench with a pair of pliers and a screwdriver...the bitchy part of the whole job, is getting the ebrake cable on, when you put the assembly back on the backplate... Be prepared with a few bolts for removing the drums...most likely they will be stuck on, so you have to thread in a bolt trhough the face of the drum to push the drumm off......you will see what i mean..

And generally the springs will be alright to reuse.. just use your own judment on their condition..like if ones broken or rusted to **** type thing ...

civicpower

Thanks for the advice guys ... anyone else have anything to add? All tips are appreciated

Cynikal.Mindset

just remember how it all came apart and how it goes together and properly adjust the brakes after installation

imported_BoOsTd

Well first of all, I hope you have done this before, or feel confident enough, seeing as its brakes...

On that note, I highly stress that you get a Hayns manual from crappy tire, incase you forget how to reasemble it ect.. (and it also has bleeding procedures in it, incase you need to do that too), and it will also have all the greese points where the pads rub on the backplate ...

but another general rule of thumb when doing unfamiliar drums is to do one side at a time, compleately... that way if you forget how to reassemble it, you can always look at the other side of the car to refresh your memory

Also take a screwdiver and peel back the wheel cylender boots, to closely check for any signs of leaking or wear, because this is the time to replace a worn brake cylender(/piston assy)... if they look bad, replace it..they arnt very expensive, but remember this will invole bleeding the brakes, which i would do a flush anyway just for maintenece reasons, also depending on the milage of the old brake fluid...

one last little tip, make sure to have a few cans of brake cleaner on had, hose it all down before taking apart, makes things easier when its all clean

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

do one side at a time, leave the other for reference. have a wire brush handy, strip it down right to the backing plate, then wire brush all that crap off, then brake kleen the crap out of it. Then apply antisieze or synthetic grease to the spots where the shoes rest on the backplate. Then clean and assemble the wheel cylinders, maybe consider picking up a pair or rebuilt ones for cheap... then put the springs back on and adjust the parking brake.

check with the other side to make sure you got all the parts in all the right places that's it.

civicpower

Thanks alot guys! I've done drums many times in the past, but it's been well over 5 yrs since my last attempt at it and I just want to make sure I don't miss any small details. You guys rock

imported_BoOsTd

well since youve done drums before, you will laugh at the simplicty of the honda setup, compareing to say a truck or any domestic... no worries... none of the springs should have any extreem heavy tension to need special tools... If i remember correctly, they even have an automatic adjuster, unless the 4th gens are different?...


Good Luck

civicpower

Well, that's a relief ... my experience with drums pertains to some older domestics. Let's just say that there were alot of "choice" four letter words thrown around while working on those Good to hear the honda setup is much simpler ... thanks again.