How do I get rear brake drum off? - 2001 Dodge Neon

For drum brake related problem,i suggest you to go through this help links.Clickj the link below for troubleshooting procedure:-----How to service Drum brakes?http://repairhelpcenter.blogspot.in/2012/02/how-to-service-drum-brakes.html--------What type of problems usually noticed on Drum brakes?http://repairhelpcenter.blogspot.in/2012/02/what-type-of-problems-usually-noticed.html---------How to test Drum Brakes?http://repairhelpcenter.blogspot.in/2012/02/how-to-test-drum-brakes.html
---------How to inspect brake drums?http://repairhelpcenter.blogspot.in/2012/02/how-to-inspect-brake-drums.html
---------This will help.Thanks.

Brake Drums & Brake Shoes Removal & Installation To Remove:
Rear Drum Brakes

1. Raise and safely support rear of vehicle.
2. Release parking brake.
3. Remove rear wheel assemblies. NOTE: If brake drum is stuck, install two 8 mm bolts into threaded holes and tighten evenly.
   
4. Remove top return spring, front and rear shoe spring clips and hold-down pins.
5. Remove anti-rattle spring and adjuster spring. NOTE: Note position of operating lever prior to removal.
   
6. Remove bottom return spring.
7. Remove clip and washer and detach parking brake cable from rear shoe.
8. Remove brake shoes.

To Install:

1. Lubricate all brake shoe contact points with appropriate grease.
2. Place operating level into position on hub.
3. Install rear brake shoe and connect parking brake cable to rear shoe with washer and clip.
4. Install front brake shoe and install bottom return spring.
5. Install hold-down pins and spring clips.
6. Position operating lever and install top return spring.
7. Install anti-rattle spring and adjuster spring.
8. Install brake drum and screws.
9. Adjust brakes and install rear wheel assemblies.

Follow the instruction

Chock the front wheels and put your safety glasses on.

Loosen the rear lug nuts with the lug wrench. Jack the rear end off the ground with the floor jack and place the jack stands under the rear frame. Lower the rear end onto the jack stands.

Remove the lug nuts and wheel by hand. Put the catch pan under the brake drum and spray brake clean inside the brake drum from the rear until the drippings are clear.

Loosen the brake shoe adjuster as far as possible with the brake shoe adjuster tool, which you can pick up at your local auto parts store.

Hit the face of the brake drum with the dead blow hammer just above the center of the drum's face. Rotate the drum a quarter turn and hit it again, just above the center of the drum's face. Repeat this twice more and then try to pull the drum off. If the drum does not come off, continue to hit it, rotate it and hit it again until you can pull the drum off the hub.

The parking brake cable is not releasing, usually due to corrosion within the cable jacket or inside the drum if it has drum rear brakes. Put the rear end up on jack stands and have a helper push and release the parking brake and watch what the cable is doing on both sides. You should be able to see the hang up. If it is inside the brake drum you may want to try a bit of WD40 applied to the cable where it enters the backing plate. Do not go overboard with it as it will collect inside on the drum's braking surface.

If you have rear rotors that look like a rotor mounted on top of a drum brake, you will have an emergency brake inside the drum portion. The rear brake rotors are not flat like the front rotors for this style.

The E brakes have brake shoes and they have "Star" wheels for adjustment just like the regular drum brake. You really need to take off the rear rotors to inspect the inner drum portion. If you do adjust the E brakes without looking at the drum part, chances are the drum is pitted and rusty and you will be lucky to stop once before the E brake linings are ground off.

The other type of E brake works off the Rotor pads. You will see the brake cable attached to a lever on each wheel. There will be an Equalizing cable connecting both rear wheels with an adjustment point joining the main cable. Although the 3 clicks moves the main cable, to have both rear brakes equally tight you need the Equalizing properly adjusted.

Those are the things you need to look for.

As you apply your car brakes, your brake pads/shoes wear against the brake rotors/drums. Rear brakes usually have brake drums. As your brake shoe linings wear (as would be the case for your car), the brake linings from the brake shoes have worn down to metal and they wear into the metal of your brake drums. After you park the car at night, the natural moisture in the air facilitates an oxidation (rusting) process along your brake drums. When you get in your car and take off in the morning, you have a light layer of rust that gets scraped off by your worn brake shoes. This is what is causing that annoying noise you hear in the morning (or after the car has been parked for hours). Simply put, you need a rear brake job. They will also check your front brakes and can let you know how much life you have left up front. If you continue to drive around like this, you'll end up ruining your rear brake drums and this will quickly become more expensive. When you have a rear brake drum job completed, they will likely "turn" your rear brake drums - which means they will put the drums on a mechanical lathe that will scrape any uneven surface into one congruous even surface.

If your pads are completely gone then you may have damaged the drums if you still have any pads left or shoes if they are drum brakes then you still need to have your drums checked out for the proper size to still be there for the brakes to function properly. You won't know until you look at them or are shown them by a pro. who has measured and found them to be beyond reuse! If you had leaks then you will need to repair the brake calipers or the wheel cylinders depending on which system you have drum or disc they are different!!! Hope this helps someway !!
Swampratt200 AAAAEEE!!!!!!

Most of the time with the rear brakes locking up the brake drums are warpped. If you remove the rear brake drums and take them to almost any auto parts store (Napa, Checkers ect.) they will turn the drums for about $10 a piece.

After you have the drums turned you will need to readjust the rear brakes.

i think your aware of how to change the brakes if im right and your problem is the rusted drum doesnt want to come off the only way to get the old drum off is to remove adjuster plug from behind drum dustshield and adjust the shoes so that there not even close to the braking area of the drum then try and wiggle the drum off of the assembly if it is not coming off then you need to use the old nylon hammer on the drum and i mean you must hit the drum from side to side trying by hand to wiggle the drum off its a tight fit and you need to strike the drum on the face not on the fins not wanting to damage with persistance and care and patience you will eventually be able to remove the drum to service brakes take care and good luck with it