Stuck brake drum, help

Doing my rear brakes, first side went fine. Moved onto the passenger side and the jack screw holes stripped out right away (turning by hand with a long ratchet). The question now is, how the hell do I get the drum off??

Any help is much appreciated.

 

Block of wood and a gentle hammer will usually break it loose. Or a rubber hammer. Usually have to work it back and forth a bit.

 

I've been hitting it with a handheld sledge and hit it with a propane torch and the rust still won't break free

 

I would try some pb blaster at the base of the studs, then let it sit and soak.

 

My drums were super rusted, I'm not sure I could have removed them without those bolt holes. I would try tapping some new threads if you have a tap/die set.

 

They've been soaking with PB. I'm gonna try tapping to a bigger size and letting it soak more. If that doesn't work I'm gonna find a big puller to borrow.

 

Some Autozones have drum pullers you can buy/return.

https://www.autozone.com/test-scan-...uller&fromString=search&isIgnoreVehicle=false

 

is there any possibility that the emergency/parking brake mechanism on that side is malfunction/hanging it up at all inside?
my drums would NOT come off until i realized the brake was on
habit of driving MT

 

Also possible that the pads are pressed tight up against the drums and providing some resistance in addition to the rust (that happened to me). You could try pulling the rubber plug on the backing plate and see if you can't turn the automatic adjustor with a flathead screwdriver to loosen the pads. I forget which way to turn the adjustor on that side to loosen the pads. Just a thought

 

Nope I backed off the star adjuster and released the ebrake. The spin nice and freely. I borrowed a puller from a friend and I’m gonna give it a try right now.

 

@goldentaco03
Scrape and wire brush where the drum mates to hub and soak in liquid wrench before attempting removal

 

if there is so much rust between the drum and when it "centers" on the axle hat/hub is one problem if the drum has a wear groove from where the shoes ride and the shoes are expanded inside that groove is another. For the first you are going to have to remove the rust so that it doesnt act as a wedge against the large hole in the drum for the second you are going to have to turn the self adjuster star all the way in... a real pain. If none of that works you might have to cut the drum of with a 4 1/2 inch grinder and wheel.

 

As a last resort you can: (1) purchase much larger diameter grade 8 nuts and bolts; (2) drill the jack screws holes out to allow passage of the larger diameter bolts; (3) weld the corresponding nuts onto the drum over the enlarged screw holes; (4) thread the larger bolts into the now welded on nuts and tighten to eject the drum.

 

Alright I got it off with the puller. So much easier than using the jack screws. I let the pb soak in for a while then mounted the puller and put straps around it. Hit it with the impact on its lowest setting and it came right off. There was no lip or groove in the drum and it wasn’t hung up on the pads.


152xxx miles and I don’t think it’s ever been serviced. Note how the one shoe is missing a hold down spring. Kinda scary, the other one hold down pin was bent at 45 deg

 

Do you remember what kind of puller you used?

 

See if the OP responds has not been here since April.

You have backed off the brakes as far as possible so you only need to pop it off The ridge in the drum?

If you need to use a puller the backing plate needs bent to hook the arms behind the drum. It never hurts to keep 2 lug Nuts on to keep the drum and puller from flying off in a violent fashion.

A good soak with your favorite penetrating fluid.

Good luck!

 

Good to see you got it off there. I opened mine up to inspect the condition and will be doing the rear brakes soon.

Had the same issue this weekend. Turning the adjuster really helped out. As far as which way to turn... It is made to tighten easy and prevent from turning backwards (loosen up). If it seems easy, its tightening, if it keeps slipping and seems difficult, that's how you loosen it. If you can peek in the adjusting hole with a flashlight, you'll see the teeth on the adjuster and get you going in the direction you want.

 

wow.. a 3 year old thread... doubt they are still around.

 

I made the recommendation for him to go to Autozone. The link I posted doesn't work now, but likely it was this one:

OEMTOOLS 7 Ton Reversible Puller (autozone.com)