[pythonidler]

Today I was cleaning and adjusting my rear drum brakes. The left one went fine.

When I got to the right brake, I noticed the drum was already partially dislodged from the rest of the assembly - no need to use a pair of 8 mm bolts to dislodge it. I took off the drum and started separating the shoes using the star wheel. I would turn the wheel three clicks and then put the drum back on and give it a spin. I did this probably about three times, and the third time I did it, the drum wouldn't go back on. I thought "OK, maybe I just separated them too far", so I spun the wheel a bit the other way - but the drum still wouldn't fit on.

I then made many different adjustments around the original position of the star wheel, and even tried bringing the shoes as close together as possible, but the drum didn't fit. Then I started looking for possibly broken or loose parts, and I noticed a spring at the bottom of the assembly (see attached picture) that was loose near one shoe but fixed near the other shoe.

Is this spring causing the shoes to be separated too far? If so, what is involved in replacing or reattaching it?

 

[jimijam]

When you can't find this thread, it's be because it got moved to the proper forum. Yeah guy, there is a forum for wheels, suspension, and BRAKES. If you missed something that obvious, are you sure you want to work on your own brakes? :x

 

[pythonidler]

I worked on this with my dad, and we think I probably just accidentally moved the cylinder when I was putting the drum on. Too late to fix it tonight, so I'll try tomorrow morning and report back.

 

[RickBlaine]

I hope someone can chime in here before morning. Good God, I just realized I've forgotten just about everything about drum brakes....

 

[jimijam]

 

[t-rd]

Drum brake is a real pain in the @$$ because you can't check its condition whatsoever, until you take off the rusted cover. Sometimes a covered up hole is only for adjustment only, still can't see the brake shoes themselves.

I will admit that I have not worked on a rear dumb,... I mean drum brake at all. Watched plenty of videos but nobody has a car with a complete drum system in the rear. Have worked on a toyota with rear drum-in-disc design, which is much better than all drum. TL's have this design. Drum brake should be used only for parking/emergency brake, and not for braking in my opinion because it's not well ventilated and brake dust just wears off staying inside the enclosed space.

 

[pythonidler]

So I looked at my Chilton manual last night, and found that the spring is the parking brake cable. I had someone pull the parking brake lever while I looked at the cable. It seemed pretty normal to me (i.e., not broken).

However, because I was playing around with the wheel cylinder, I actually DID break something this time. Now the cylinder leaks whenever the brakes are pumped. And because the local Honda dealers don't have it in stock, I had to order it online and it won't get here until next Thursday.

Sometimes I learn lessons the hard way.

 

[RickBlaine]

I'll bet Advance Auto/NAPA/Pep Boys/Autozone, etc carries that cylinder.

These brake assemblies are used by many manufacturers.....

 

[t-rd]

That cylinder is a very common part, just get another one from your local auto zone/advanced auto/napa like Rick said. If it continues to leak, then your brake fluid level will drop, then you'll have a real problem on hand.

Don't feel bad, I stripped a brake bleeder bolt on a rear caliper 3 years ago. I also learned.

 

[derass]

Your problem had me curious so I went through the FSM.

I see that you found that your loose spring is for the parking brake, and not broken. So that's good.

But I just wanted to point out that the FSM doesn't list anything about rear drum adjustment, but rather describes it as self-adjusting. When new shoes are installed, the adjusting nut is supposed to be turned all the way into the clevis, and each time the pedal is pressed, the mechanism adjusts itself.

So as long everything is intact and moving freely, I personally would refrain from extending the adjusting nut any further during brake inspections. It could cause brake drag, reducing fuel economy and accelerating wear.

And I agree with the guys above, if you're in a pinch, you will certainly find an aftermarket wheel cylinder at any parts store. They're quite common.

 

[pythonidler]

Thanks all for the input. Unfortunately, I placed the order for the wheel cylinder before everyone told me I should get aftermarket. I do have another car I can borrow in the meantime.

One other thing I'm worried about at this point is that the leak (which was more of a "spray", because the cylinder broke when I pumped the brakes) may have introduced air into the braking lines. Should I do a complete braking flush just to be safe? I don't know if I could reliably bleed air out of the system without flushing the whole system.

 

[derass]

If any air entered the system, it would have been very little and most likely contained to that single line of the system. And so bleeding that one corner will be enough.

But when was the brake fluid last changed? If it's been 3 years or more, now's a good opportunity to change the fluid, which will require bleeding the entire all four corners.

I would get the Honda fluid. The fact that their change interval is 3 years suggests to me that the fluid is high quality. Most other brake fluids recommend being changed every 1-2 years. I plan on changing mine this fall when I switch over to winter tires.

 

[pythonidler]

My brake fluid was changed about a year ago, so it's still probably too soon to change it.

 

[jimijam]

@chris918 says it is never too soon to do anything to your Accord.

 

[pythonidler]

Just replaced the wheel cylinders on my rear brakes. Tomorrow I'll replace the shoes and bleed my brakes.

I'm seriously thinking about doing a full flush, since I bought enough brake fluid to do one. One potential problem is that I only have two jack stands. Has anyone tried to do a brake flush with only two stands? I would have to bleed the two rear brakes, put the wheels back on, then jack up the front of the car. I'm thinking the process of first lowering and then raising the car might mix the old and new fluid.

 

[t-rd]

How soft is the pedal and do you feel that there is air in the system? It is pretty obvious when there are air bubbles in the lines, you'll press the pedal, then the very last half inch would go down more than usual because you are compressing air. Base on that, you either bleed just the corner in question or the entire system. I doubt that slight raising or lowering of car makes a big difference in air mixing through the system, but actually pressing the pedal moving the fluid does. And state how you are bleeding the system?

 

[pythonidler]

How soft is the pedal and do you feel that there is air in the system? It is pretty obvious when there are air bubbles in the lines, you'll press the pedal, then the very last half inch would go down more than usual because you are compressing air. Base on that, you either bleed just the corner in question or the entire system. I doubt that slight raising or lowering of car makes a big difference in air mixing through the system, but actually pressing the pedal moving the fluid does. And state how you are bleeding the system?

I bled both rear brakes yesterday with help from another person. Here's the procedure I followed:

1. Connect tube to bleeder valve
2. Open up bleeder valve
3. Have person depress brake pedal fully
4. Close bleeder valve
5. Have person release brake pedal
6. Repeat Steps 2-5 until new fluid comes out of the bleeder and no air bubbles are visible

I'm not worried about air in the system - I think we got it out pretty good when we bled it.

However, now I'm concerned about the drums and shoes. I put new shoes and a resurfaced drum on each rear wheel before I bled them, and I pumped the brakes several times to test the system for leaks as well as allow the shoes to self-adjust. But when I spin the drum over the brake assembly, it doesn't slow down smoothly. It's smooth at first, but then the drum hits a certain point where it either stops or slows down significantly at that point.

Is this "normal," or should I be concerned about wearing down the drum/shoes too quickly or unevenly?

 

[t-rd]

Sounds like the drums were not resurfaced properly that's why you hit a bump/dead spot on the inside of the drum cover, given that you did put on new brake shoes. You should get a set of new drum covers.

 

[pythonidler]

Sounds like the drums were not resurfaced properly that's why you hit a bump/dead spot on the inside of the drum cover, given that you did put on new brake shoes. You should get a set of new drum covers.

Got them resurfaced at an auto parts store for cheap. Maybe too cheap.

Any recommendations for new drums? OEM is really expensive and it seems like I might be able to find a quality aftermarket for 1/2 the price.

 

[t-rd]

You should always look on rockauto first:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/honda,2007,accord,2.4l+l4,1433638,brake+&+wheel+hub,drum,1744

The are under $20 for a drum. You should never resurface any rotor or drums these days, it's not worth it and they don't always come out correct.