Need Immediate Help!

[azncapcom]

I went to inspect my rear brakes. I noticed that one shoe was wearing ALOT more then the other one. So i decided to swap the shoes (front facing one to rear, rear facing to front). after putting it all back together. I tried hitting the brakes to see if it works. It worked fine but then after 3 or 4 brakes, the rubber thing just burst, and brake fluid came out. Then i realized that i had put the shoes (the bottom part) on top of the small metal part when it was suppose to be under the metal part. So then i fixed that, and tested the brakes again. This time the other rubber thing started building up pressure and was bulging.

Anyone know wats going on?

[all2baka]

1) Front facing and rear facing pads can't be swapped for each other as far as I know on drum brakes.

2) Did you bleed the line after putting the line back on?

[randini667]

Sounds like maybe the rear wheel cylinder has a bad piston or the piston came out, resulting brake fluid getting past the piston into the rubber protective boot. You should not have any fluid visible anywhere. You need to inspect the cylinder and make sure everything is set properly.

If the cylinder is in fact not setup/working properly, you will loose all your fluid in a few brake presses, and then you will have no brakes, period. Make sure you have your parking break ready to pull in that case.

Once you solve the issue, you may need to bleed the brakes if you got any air in the lines.

[AlaricD]

Originally Posted by azncapcom

I went to inspect my rear brakes. I noticed that one shoe was wearing ALOT more then the other one. So i decided to swap the shoes (front facing one to rear, rear facing to front). after putting it all back together. I tried hitting the brakes to see if it works. It worked fine but then after 3 or 4 brakes, the rubber thing just burst, and brake fluid came out. Then i realized that i had put the shoes (the bottom part) on top of the small metal part when it was suppose to be under the metal part. So then i fixed that, and tested the brakes again. This time the other rubber thing started building up pressure and was bulging.

Anyone know wats going on?

Yes. Someone unqualified to work on their brakes tried to work on their brakes.

[azncapcom]

Originally Posted by AlaricD

Yes. Someone unqualified to work on their brakes tried to work on their brakes.

well actually it isnt that hard, but yes the first time is the worst. it was all because i forgot to put the drum back on before i began pumping the brakes. which pushed the pistons out too far. I pushed them back in and then the brake pedal would require to be depressed all the way to stop. also the self adjuster wasnt adjusting. Then i realized that non servo drums require the hand brake to adjust so i did that.

I've pretty much fixed the problem now. I bled the brake fluid a few times. Its not quite working as good as before, it takes about 60% of the braking length to stop compared to 50% before. and the hand brake requires to be pulled a bit further.

Will probably take it to a mechanic to have it fixed completely in a couple months when i change brake pads.

[randini667]

If the pedal is "squishy" or goes low, it's usually air in the lines yet. Drum brakes are what they are.

[fishexpo101]

Did you swap the shoes around to back where they were originally? Did you end up replacing the wheel cylinder? Did you grease the contact points where the brake shoes touch the drum's backing plate?

all2baka is right, the trailing (rear) shoe and leading (front) shoe are not interchangeable. It will affect how the brakes "self-energize" or how they bite into the drum. If you hold them side by side, one shoe will have more friction material on it, compared to the other or have the friction material "shifted" on the shoe.

Always a good idea to work on the drums, one at a time - so that you can always go back and reference how things fit together.

[azncapcom]

Originally Posted by fishexpo101

Did you swap the shoes around to back where they were originally? Did you end up replacing the wheel cylinder? Did you grease the contact points where the brake shoes touch the drum's backing plate?

all2baka is right, the trailing (rear) shoe and leading (front) shoe are not interchangeable. It will affect how the brakes "self-energize" or how they bite into the drum. If you hold them side by side, one shoe will have more friction material on it, compared to the other or have the friction material "shifted" on the shoe.

Always a good idea to work on the drums, one at a time - so that you can always go back and reference how things fit together.

yeah the shoes are identical but the friction material is shifted a bit. I dont get how this will affect the performance though. other then that area is not getting friction, but the wheel rotates while stopping anyways, so all the friction will be touching regardless?

the braking performance is still the same as before after i swapped the shoes. The back facing one had alot more material left (the front ones wear alot faster cuz the cars rotation is forward most of the time when braking.)

The master cylinder still seem to be working fine right now, it popped out cause of my dumb mistake of not putting back the drum while pumping. The only difference in the braking right now is that it goes slightly lower. Before i bled the system, the pedal went all the way down, after i bled it, its pretty goood, maybe 10 to 15% more depression required.

[AlaricD]

Originally Posted by azncapcom

yeah the shoes are identical but the friction material is shifted a bit. I dont get how this will affect the performance though. other then that area is not getting friction, but the wheel rotates while stopping anyways, so all the friction will be touching regardless?

This is why it's good to get some of that there book learnin'...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_brake

http://www.automedia.com/cs/forums/t/1668.aspx

I don't have my Chilton guide handy, but I'm sure they discuss the differing shoes as well.