How to take off drum brakes?

I have drum brakes on Dodge Caravan 2002 that I am trying to clean
the inside of the drums because of squealing noises.

I took off the wheels and the drums seem so solid. Ho do I take it apart.

Thanks

 

Is there a place that can show images of the procedures?

 

First, ensure that the parking brake is NOT applied.. remove any obvious
screws that look like they hold the drum to the hub.. use a rubber or
plastic mallet and tap around the drum.. you may have to 'tap' fairly hard..
try to use an action that moves the drum towards you.. heating up the drum
can help in removal.. start early in the day.. it can take a while..

 

I've had brakes where I had to back off the adjuster a bit, too.

 

If the brakes are fairly high mileage, it is very likely that you have
worn the drum enough to leave a ridge of metal and/or rust around the
edge of the drum that the shoes don't contact. Since the shoes self
adjust to stay near the drum, they are likely now larger in diameter
than this ridge on the drum meaning that they effectively lock the drum
into place. The solution is to pull the rubber plugs in the backing
plate and use a screwdriver to turn the self-adjuster cog wheel to
retract the shoes. Once that is done, typically a good rap on the drum
with a small hammer will break loose any rust and the drum will come off
fairly easily.


Matt

 

Ahh - yes - I've seen that to - due to a ridge being worn (or should I
say *not* worn) on the inner edge of the drum, or if wear is slightly
conical.

Bill Putney
(to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with "x")

 

On my 1990 caravan I had to remove the axle nut and wheel bearings to remove
the drum. I had to do the same on my hyundai.