Oi! Actually this is just for us rookies, because I bet that most of the professionals have done this a dozen times. But anyway, the left rear brake of my 1983 HJ60 got stuck and I wanted to remove my drum brake, but couldn't. I looked it up in my Haynes manual (yes, I know it's not the best
, but the pictures and explanation for loosening up the brakes are not really clear. So I decided to place some pics.
So here it is. To loosen up the brake shoes from the drum, you have to make the adjuster screw shorter. In order to do that, the manufacturer of the brake assemblies made a hole in the backing plate. From the outside you can't really see (through this hole) what's on the inside, so you'll have to do this by feeling it. When you stick a flat screw driver through the opening (front side, in front of the star wheel), you'll touch the adjuster shaft. Slide the screw driver under it untill it touches the adjuster lever. Push gently against the adjuster lever untill it backs up a few millimeters, so that it doesn't lock the star wheel anymore. Then, with another screw driver, start turning the star wheel downwards (left wheel adjuster has left thread). The brake shoes will now loosen up and you can remove the brake drum. That's it! By te way, in your right wheel brake assembly everything is mirrored. Oh, some pictures are not really what they should be, because my camera is starting to disintegrate
Problem is, I still don't know what caused the problem with my brake
, but the pictures and explanation for loosening up the brakes are not really clear. So I decided to place some pics.So here it is. To loosen up the brake shoes from the drum, you have to make the adjuster screw shorter. In order to do that, the manufacturer of the brake assemblies made a hole in the backing plate. From the outside you can't really see (through this hole) what's on the inside, so you'll have to do this by feeling it. When you stick a flat screw driver through the opening (front side, in front of the star wheel), you'll touch the adjuster shaft. Slide the screw driver under it untill it touches the adjuster lever. Push gently against the adjuster lever untill it backs up a few millimeters, so that it doesn't lock the star wheel anymore. Then, with another screw driver, start turning the star wheel downwards (left wheel adjuster has left thread). The brake shoes will now loosen up and you can remove the brake drum. That's it! By te way, in your right wheel brake assembly everything is mirrored. Oh, some pictures are not really what they should be, because my camera is starting to disintegrate
Problem is, I still don't know what caused the problem with my brake
