ok here whats going on i just replaced my rear brakes with new shoes, springs, and drums. and the passenger side is locking up when i come to a stop and then when i start moving they like break lose. i think i may have the shoes on backwards.

ive have my 2 friends telling me 2 different things. one says the smaller shoe goes in the front. and the other says the bigger shoes goes in the front on the drivers side but on the passenger side its opposite, meaning the bigger shoes goes in the back. as of right now i have it set up as bigger shoe in the front on the driver side and on the passenger side the smaller one in the front. so could someone jump in and set things straight.

thanks, chris.

I'm no expert, but I know that one side is a mirror image of the other...

I think the shoe that's closer to the front of the car is the primary, and I think is actually the smaller one.

It sounds like your driver side is backwards.

I checked my Haynes Repair Manual... There's a pic, and it looks like the driver's side, because the muffler is in the pic too. It looks like the smaller shoe is in the front. In their pics, the star wheel on the self adjuster is closer to the larger shoe, and the actuator for the self adjuster is connected to the larger shoe. I these parts are closer to the rear of the car.

I hope this helps some.

yea we been looking at the repair manual also well staring at it and we thought it was the big shoe in the front. but if the driver side is the one that is incorrect it doesnt make sense why the passenger side is locking up.

Pull both drums and compare.

ummm, there souldnt be a larger primary shoe....they are all the same size for the j's....perhaps you got the wrong shoes...

rule #1 when doing drums/shioes: leave one side together so you have something to reference.

I agree with john....i actually adjusted my back brakes last night and they are the same size.

speaking of adjustment,.....having severly out of adjusted brakes can cause your symptoms.

I know a lot of times when doing the brakes, it is hard to get them centered so the drum fits over them and the lugs properly.

Usually people will turn the adjuster all the way down to fit the drum over the new shoes, and then not adjust them back out to where they should be before driving around. Remember, you want LIGHT drag on your drum when the shoes are adjusted properly, and you should have to give the drum a little wiggle to get it off. If you jack your wheel up and spin it, it should not keep going and going and going....and you shold not be able to pull the drum off like its not attached to anything,...

im the one who put these brakes on his car, but the kid who changed them before him @!#$ them all up so i had nothing to reference them off of. The problem we are getting is that the primary shoe is on the front on the passenger side, and the primary is on the rear on the drivers side, but the passengers side is the one thats locking up. it doesnt make sense, we replaced both the shoes and the drums. the next thing im thinking of is the wheel cylinder but its not leaking, maybe its clogged??? Im not too sure on how the rear brakes on a 3rd gen compare to the 2nd gen brakes but i put the brakes the same way on my 2nd gen i used to have and had NO problems with them at all....

01' Z24 5 speed
422whp/400wtq
T4 Turbocharged
Built LD9
HP Tuners

ok well i just checked on auto zone's online repair guide and there is a smaller and bigger shoe. and it showes that the bigger shoes goes in the back and the smaller in the front. which is how i have it on my passenger side. and the drum and shoes are adjusted the way john said above. but its still locking up? anyone got any other suggestions?

hose, W/C....thats bout it

puck i hate drums. i hate drums i which i could find a neon sport around here.

theres a neon kit up for grabs in the classifieds....

CORRECT ME IF IM WRONG BUT ISNT IT THE SPRINGS that pull the shoes back in place after you let go fo the brake. sounds like there is a problem other than the shoes being on the wrong side.

yea i think it could be the springs but idk im going to take nice really close up pics tommor when i get my camara back and post them on here.

My drum brakes had two shoes with a wear surface longer than the other two shoes, and when I installed them (replaced factory brakes) the factory ones were the same way, so the'00 cars (mine at least) DO have different size shoes. Just can't for the life of me remember whish length goes on front and which is on the back.