Can't get brake drum back on

baz

Member
I've put new brake shoes on my 98 protege LX 1.5
and now I can't get the drum back on.
And I can't find an adjuster to bring the shoes closer together.
Any tips and/or photos would be much appreciated.
thanks,
baz
 
Do you mean the adjuster that clicks forward and back? Yeah, I've pushed that in all the way. But I have realized that the pivot that attaches to the emergency brake cable on the back of the hub will not pivot or move in any direction. Totally seized. I can see it still has about a half inch of movement available in the slot it travels in but it won't move forward or back. The emergency brake goes all the way up without any effect since the adjusting pivot is all the way open so the shoes are too far open for the drum to fit.
My problem is how to unseize that e-brake adjuster. I've tried WD40 but it did nothing. Right now the ends of the shoes are so far apart they don't even contact the slots in the wheel cyinders.
Any ideas on how to free up the e-brake adjuster at the back of the rear hub would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
baz
 
Drum brake replacement problem solved

I found the problem.
The e-brake arm, which is fork shaped, is behind the hub and it's stub comes through the brake shoe's steel frame in the front. that must pivot along the full length of its channel. There is a joint in the middle it pivots on and that was seized solid. I had to take off the new shoes, springs etc, take out the whole fork and adjuster assembly that is just below the wheel cylinder. I applied heat to it with a propane torch, liberally used 3-into-1 oil, some more torch and it finally broke loose and after lots of working back and forth was freed up. It must move with complete freedom.
After I re-installed it and put the shoes back on, the drum went on a little tight but no real problem. I then bled the rear brakes and took the suggestion of several more experienced listers. I did about 10mph in reverse and gave the brake a good stomp. That adjusted the e-brake tension and now the drum spins freely and contacts the shoes only when I apply the foot brake or the e-brake.
thanks for all the posts and ideas.
baz
 
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