Can anybody give me tips on brake pad changing?

[anxious]

Hi, everybody,

I am going to replace brake pads on the two REAR wheels for my 2001 Corolla. Should it be called brake shoes instead of pads?

I absolutely need help and tips on doing this.

Thanks !

[w203]

Yes, they are brake shoes because you have brake drums in the raer. Your gonna need a rubber mallet to beat on it after taking the wheels off because it tends to get stuck.

[whatproblems]

can anyone give me a walkthrough on how to change brake shoes? lol, i have a '01 Prizm and have no idea how to change drum brakes... thanks for any help

[anxious]

Thx, Tangerine.

Any other tips? Such as tools, procedures, etc.

Again, many thx.

[Flashmn]

If you have no idea how to do it, dont do it, have someone do it and watch how it goes. Brakes are too important to have them messed up due to lack of knowledge.

[stubborn1]

Leave one side fully assembled as a reference point. If you haven't done drums before, it can be easy to forget where the springs go. A brake spring tool is also a good investment.

[toyomoho]

Take Stubborn 1’s advice, real easy to forget where things go! If you have a digital camera, also take lots of photos as you take things apart. Make note of which spring and which end of the spring goes where. Don’t just start pulling parts off.

Doing rear brakes is not complicated but it can get frustrating if you don't have the right tools for say removing/replacing the springs.

Suggest at the least you find some kind of manual, even generic, that covers doing this job. Try the library as they usually have manuals.

Download the section on brakes for the Camry at the link below. This will give you an idea of what the job involves.

http://oregonstate.edu/~tongt/camry