Cannot remove brake drums

Have tried taking the parking brake cable loose? Have you tried removing parking brake assembly? Do you have brake drums on the rear? Have you tried drum brake adjust to loosen?

Rear Drum Brakes-let me know if you have rear disc brakes. Brake Drums Removal & Installation Remove the access hole plug, then back off the adjusting screw
Exploded view of the drum brake system

1. Raise and safely support the vehicle with jackstands.
2. Mark the relationship of the wheel to the axle flange to help maintain wheel balance after assembly.
3. Remove the tire and wheel assembly.
4. Mark the relationship of the brake drum to the axle flange. CAUTION
   Do not pry against the splash shield that surrounds the backing plate in an attempt to free the drum. This will bend the splash shield.
   
5. If difficulty is encountered in removing the brake drum, the following steps may be of assistance.
   • Make sure the parking brake is released.
   • Back off the parking brake cable adjustment.
   • Remove the access hole plug from the backing plate.
   • Using a screwdriver, back off the adjusting screw.
   • Install the access hole plug to prevent dirt or contamination from entering the drum brake assembly.
   • Use a small amount of penetrating oil applied around the brake drum pilot hole.
   • Carefully remove the brake drum from the vehicle.
6. After removing the brake drum it should be checked for the following:
   • Inspecting for cracks and deep grooves.
   • Inspect for out of round and taper.
   • Inspecting for hot spots (black in color).

To Install:

1. Install the brake drum onto the vehicle aligning the reference marks on the axle flange.
2. Install the tire and wheel assembly and hand-tighten the lug nuts.
3. Carefully lower the vehicle, then tighten the lug nuts to 100 ft. lbs. (140 Nm).
4. Road test the vehicle.

Hello there,

To begin, Slack off the parking brake cables completely. Follow the cable from one wheel to where it comes together with the cable from the other wheel. There should be an adjusting nut. Loosen the nut and turn the cable joint so that it unscrews as far as it will go. Also open the fluid reservoir in the engine compartment. You can now attempt to remove the drum. Some hammering may help to get the shoes to retract fully. Releasing/penetrating fluid on the centre of the drum where it fits over the hub is also recommended.

Best of luck.

Slack off the parking brake cables completely. Follow the cable from one wheel to where it comes together with the cable from the other wheel. There should be an adjusting nut. Loosen the nut and turn the cable joint so that it unscrews as far as it will go. Also open the fluid reservoir in the engine compartment. You can now attempt to remove the drum. Some hammering may help to get the shoes to retract fully. Releasing/penetrating fluid on the centre of the drum where it fits over the hub is also recommended.

With the parking brake released go under the car and trace the parking brake cable s all the way the the rear brakes. If no problem is found jack the rear of the car up and remove the rear wheels. Remove the brake drums (you might have to insert a brake tool or screwdriver and loosten the adjustment in order to get the drums off. Inspect both brake systems for problems. If you drove through water on your last trip and the car was parked for several days the rear shoes sometimes get stuck to the drums because of rust. Water on the shoes can also cause the automatic adjustors to over tighten the shoes and adjusting the tension with the brake tool or screwdriver will correct it. Most of the time the adjustment slot is on the backplate at the bottom and has a small rectangular rubber plug you have to remove to make the adjustment. Some of the newer vehicles have the adjustment on the front of the drum and is a round hole which must be near the top to reach the adjustor.

The back rotors have another set of brakes on them which are drum brakes. They are Emergency brakes and may need to be loosened like the old style drum brakes of yesteryear. There is a rubber plug and a star wheel to turn on each wheel.

You probably need a little penetrating oil on the lugs and around the circular joint by the axle. Sometimes in Rustbelt states you have to chisel behind the rotor to get the swollen rust to break loose.

Be sure your parking brake is off.

Safely jack and support the rear corner of the vehicle and remove the tire/wheel from the car.

The drum *should* slide right off.

If you live in a northern area where rust is an issue, take two 12mm bolts and insert them into the two shallow threaded holes on the front of the drum.
Turn them in equal amounts, using plenty of penetrating oil and patience, and the bolts will force the drum off the hub.

Do not rush or skip the penetrating oil, or you will strip the holes out, they are not very stout!

If you have aftermarket drums that do not have the threaded holes or the holes are stripped out, tap the facing area of the drum (where the wheel touches it) with a hammer using moderate pressure, and working in a circle around the face of the drum. This will loosen the rust and aid in removal. Check periodically for outward movement, if it goes a little bit but gets stuck, continue tapping with the hammer.
It will take longer than the bolts, but will work with patience.

After the wheel is removed you need to spray penetrating oil around the lug studs. Next, hit the drum with a hammer between the studs until it pops, now pull it off.

I just had a similar problem with 1997 Hardbody.

Cause: The E-brake cable was binding up inside the drum causing the e-brake not to disengage - despite the handle being released inside the cab.

Solution: Look for 2 threaded holes in the drum. Insert two bolts and crank these bolts in. They will eventually work to push the drum off the wheel. Be careful to go slow and evenly (don't snap off the bolts!). Penetrating oil and mallet will help the process.

Are the parking brakes on, or they won't go on? The cable from the front e-brake pedal back to the rear wheels has probably seized due to corrosion. Soak it over several days w/ wd-40 or some type of penetrating oil and it may loosen up the cable. If u have 4 wheel disk, just pull off rear tires for access to cable connection to brake pads. Use penetrating oil at any points where cable attaches to rear pads (don't get any on the pads ) good luck countrycurt0