Drum shoe replacement

Drum shoe replacement

I just replaced my drum brake shoes today. How long does it take for the spring to self adjust? The car seems to stop fine but my e-brake feels really weak. Any suggestions?

the latter is true, but be carefull, 1 of the times i did this my ebrake was stuck for hours, i still dont know how we got it loose

If you havent tried this already, you could adjust it by taking off the little plug behind ur drum and stickin like a small screwdriver in there and turn the little adjuster thing until you have it to your desired position....when i changed my springs, they just needed to be played with a couple of times n it worked fine but now i need to readjust it....

I tried to do this but its really hard to get the screwdriver in there and adjust it cause the little gear isnt even right by the hole. Shouldn't the brakes automatically adjust though?

As for the parking brake, I know I can adjust the tightness under the center dash piece because I've done it before. However it seems like by putting on bigger brake pads the parking brake should actually be tighter.

hmm...well mine hasnt exactly gotten tighter by itself....nor have i tried tightening the e-brake cable from behind the center dash piece....my dad has like this tiny tool he brought home from work at american airlines n thats what i usually use....but i havent gotten around to tightening it yet...ive waited so long already that i think i have to change my brake shoes again, hehe.....

...also, i was kinda wondering if anyone else had this problem.....the drum brakes always fill up with brake dust from the shoes causing my drum to screech as if the shoes are worn down when they're really just fine.....i have organic brake shoes n was told that those cut down on brake dust but it seems to just keep happening...suggestions??

I got mine tightened up a little in auto class today but they still feel weak. I tightened my ebrake cable so at least that works well now. I know exactly what u mean with the screeching cause now I get that and I didnt have it before. I don't think my shoes really needed replacing but I figured I'd do it at the same time as my front pads.

i always had bad luck when it came to my ebrake on my 97 rolla. i didn't have a stick shift, but i always used the ebrake when i parked, it's better for the tranny, less stress.

i have had some success with the screw driver in the rear of the drum thing, but the problem is that in order to get the ebrake decent, the wheels would barely turn freely. i have adjusted the bolt in the center console too.

i don't know what they do, but the place i took my car for my brakes, they always tighten the ebrake so nicely. it's awesome, it catches at half of what it used to take to catch, it's really stiff and actually works.

the ebrake in my corolla never had the power to lock the back wheels, even after replacing the pads and drums and getting the ebrake tightened. the only time i could lock the wheels for a donut was in the snow, sweet.

When I put my new drums on (with original shoes) it felt weak at first and then got better. (they are not the most effective ever)

Be careful with the adjustment on both the parking and the adjuster wheel not to get them too tight and be dragging.