Ensuring a top-notch brake drum is essential for the superior performance of the brake system. Like any other brake parts, drum brakes sustain wear and tear as well. So, with the passing of time, you may come up with a stuck brake drum. A stuck brake drum is an eye-popping problem that every car owner might need to face.
Usually, you head for a garage or a professional mechanic to get rid of the stuck brake drum problem. In that case, you need to spend a significant amount of money. But you can easily withstand the problem on your own if you follow some practical methods. Luckily you got us. We have come to lend you a hand. Take a look at the following instructions.
To remove the brake drum, you need to take some precautions for your safety. First, you need to switch off your vehicle and park it in an off-road place. Then, remove the cover of the wheels and loose free the lug nuts, then take a jack to lift the vehicle, and follow any of the following methods to do the removing. Before pulling off the process, it is wise to put on protective eyewear because brake shoes release dusty and harmful materials into the air.
How To Remove Stuck Brake Drum Easily
Method-1
You need to go for the rear of the drum assembly and look for a rubber grommet, remove it to get access to adjust the automatic adjuster. Now you need two screwdrivers to complement the process.
Put the first screwdriver into the hole and try to push back the lock. Now take the other screwdriver in order to rotate or spring the star wheel. In this way, you can remove the stuck drum.
Method-2
To remove the stuck brake drum, you need to get a ball-peen hammer. With the apparatus, you need to hit the drum in-between the wheel studs and the hub face. Careful not to hit any of the studs because by doing this you can accidentally damage any of the threads.
But if you don’t want to take any risk, then it is better to place a rubber hose over the top of the studs to cover it from unwanted hitting. Don’t try to hit outside the hub area because it can result in spoiling the drum’s casting indeed. You can apply heat using a torch set to the mounting surface.
Method-3
To start tugging on the stuck drum, using a quality drum puller is a great option you can consider. To do the removing, you need to place the puller’s center bolt on the depressed area of the center hub.
After that, you need to clip the jaws on the outer edge of the drum and make tight the center bolt as long as the brake drum doesn’t get free. Drum pullers are like a three-prolonged claw and you can have it from any auto parts store.
Method-4
To identify whether the drum is stuck or not, you need to operate the lever inside your vehicle. Then you should feel loose travel before the tension is applied. You can also determine whether your parking brake is out of adjustment or not by feeling loose travel.
Then the cable needs to be replaced. Try to adjust the cable but if the adjustment cannot be done, then cut it off directly behind the drum brake assembly as soon as possible. The parking brake lever inside the drum assembly will release and allow the shoes to retract.
Method-5
The last method is that if you fail to disengage the shoes from the drum, then you need to look for a complete disassembly to remove the drum from being stuck. To disassemble, clip the hold down pins on the backside of the drum. It will allow you to fold the shoes within the drum.
Then try to pull back the stuck drum with the help of a puller. If it doesn’t work, then try to remove the wheel cylinder from where the fasteners can get access from the backside of the backing plate. While removing the wheel cylinder, disconnect the brake line because you don’t want to add any pressure on it.
Final Words
In the end, the brake drum gets stuck or damaged mostly due to rust and corrosion. When it happens, you get in trouble that needs to be fixed as early as possible. Therefore, we take the pain to come up with five different procedures to help you get off the jammed drum yourself.
You can get your stuck brake drum removed by using any of the aforementioned methods. We go deeper to enlighten you with the instructions as simple as possible. But if you somehow fail to keep pace with the instructions, then it will be better not to remove the drum by yourself. We advise you to bring your vehicle to a garage or a professional hand.
