I have read in the past lots of people that have had trouble removing the drums,thew general description is...
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ok to start i got a pretty bad squeek comeing from the rear right. ive tried to remove the rear drum but theres no success ive tried penetrants,prying,bangingit. i cant get the stupid thing off. and yes the E brake is off.
note: 2003 cavalier Ls
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Ok Im going insane here, its my understanding that the drums outter shell should pop off and mine will not for anything come off.
Ebrake is not engaged, I removed those two washer grip things on the studs and tapped it with a hammer beat it with a hammer and it will not budge. So far anyone Ive asked says there isnt anything else holding it on, so is there something different about the drums on 2003+ ? ( mines an 03 sunfire no abs ) is there some magic hidden bolt to unscrew or what? both sides are like this. neither will move even with a bit of prying.
Any help at all would save my sanity
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So I wanted to check on the rear drum that is never replaced. I tried to remove the rear wheels and the wheels didn't come off. Someone advised me to kick the wheels with my heel while sitting down and 1 bolt back on, the wheels did finally come off. However, I could not remove the drum (I pulled, tapped it with a hammer, and even oil the axel). I gave up and put the wheel back on...
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I'm trying to remove the drums on my 97 Cavalier, but they will not come off easy. I picked up a Chilton manual and it refers to an access hole in the back plate to back off the shoes with the adjusting star. I was unable to locate the hole, so I had gotten the Chilton Professional manual, and it said to "Knock out the access hole in the break drum and turn the adjuster to retract the linings from the drum. Install a replacement hole cover before reinstalling the drum." Anyone know where the access hole or knock out is? A picture would be great!
I have tried to remove mine in the passed and they would not budge, I got a tip from a friend on how to get them off, and it worked like a charm.
1.raise the car, and put it on a jack stand for stability
2.take the tires off
3.make sure the E_brake is off, and the tires are choked
4.I got a large hammer ( bout 5 or 10 lb sledge hammer) and placed it flat on the face of the drum.
5.then I hit it sharply, with another hammer. it doesn't have to be a sledge hammer, I used a regular claw hammer since I only have one BFH. I hit it this way it about three different places
6.after watching tee dust fly and reached down and gave the drum a tug, its almost fell off into my hands.
7. move on to the other side
hope can help someone that has a stuck drum.
I just hit the face with the BFH. Usually takes about 3 to 5 whacks and it comes loose. I've seen the pads hold the drum on (wiggles, but doesn't come off) too. Just shove two screwdrivers in the sides (front and back) and push in on the pads to release the drum.
i would spray them with some water before beating with a hammer. I personaly would not want to be breathing brake dust.
Careful beating it... I did this with an older set of drums and when I put them back together, the right one would lock if the pedal was depressed more than half way, and stay that way for several seconds. This made rush hour in LA more fun than usual. I ended up having to replace the entire wheel bearing and brake assembly. It was the only way I could get it to stop. I think the impact of breaking the drum free on my old ass car damaged the center brake cylinder and possibly the hub/bearing itself...
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When American astronauts first went into space, they discovered their pens wouldn't write. So the government spent $30 million to develop a pen they could use in space........ The Russians used a pencil.
ok hitting it sharply means a quick short hit, think of doing that thing with a crochet ball. you hold one ball next to the other, hold down one ball and hit it, the energy is transferred to the ball on the opposite side and it moves.
as for watering down the drums, the dust is mostly trapped on the inside, I drove through the rain the night before. it all but floods here in Florida because the water has no where to go. if your that concerned about not being able to take a step back from the car after the dust comes out, take it to a shop.
sorry cinny didnt mean to offend you. and for the record i worked in a shop and we water it down so we dont breath that stuff in. Do you really relize whats in that dust? plus why you have to get so deffensive when all im doing is giving u advice.
Here's how it worked for me when I couldnt get the drum/rotor off of my GTP upon doing rear pads.
1. Beat with hammer
2. Beat harder with said hammer
3. Get larger hamer, and continue beating
4. Check parking brake and realize it needs to be OFF in order to remove the drum/rotor.
no offense was taken, and I didn't mean to be defensive, I was just pre-coffee
I personally wouldn't use water
(water = rust), just buy a can or two of brake cleaner. That will take care of the dust as well as oily fingerprints. I would also use WD-40 or any good penetrating oil spray to get around the studs and hub to undo the rust, then lightly tap around the drum
One tip I was told was to adjust the brake self-adjuster mechanism (screw star wheel) I have not looked at mine lately but there should be a slot either in the drum or on the back plate that the adjuster tool can access.
Drum Brakes
Then when putting drums back on apply a light amout of anti-seize on the hub between the studs.
Just my two pennies.
Cinny wrote:
5.then I hit it sharply, with another hammer. it doesn't have to be a sledge hammer, I used a regular claw hammer since I only have one BFH. I hit it this way it about three different places
You've never seen steel shatter have you. It's not a good idea to hit hardened steel with hardened steel. A sledge (for hitting rocks, posts, etc)
may be soft enough, but I wouldn't risk it. Instead I would use a brass hammer, piece of wood, or a piece of softer steel. But if you are going to risk flying steel, be sure to wear proper safety glasses.
Mike Brock wrote:Cinny wrote:
5.then I hit it sharply, with another hammer. it doesn't have to be a sledge hammer, I used a regular claw hammer since I only have one BFH. I hit it this way it about three different places
You've never seen steel shatter have you. It's not a good idea to hit hardened steel with hardened steel. A sledge (for hitting rocks, posts, etc) may be soft enough, but I wouldn't risk it. Instead I would use a brass hammer, piece of wood, or a piece of softer steel. But if you are going to risk flying steel, be sure to wear proper safety glasses.
I sure haven't, but I didn't think I was hitting it that hard,
live an learn.
you could use anything really like you said, two wooden mallets if you wanted. the idea here is top make tea whole drum vibrate and loosen. not to power drive it like a stake into the ground.
