How Remove the Brake Drums on a Toyota Camry

The brake drums are located with the rear wheels on the Toyota Camry and many other vehicles. These drums conceal the brake shoe assemblies, which work primarily with the parking brake. You will need to remove the brake drums in order to work on or change the brake shoes. It is likely that you need to remove both drums together, as if one set of shoes needs changing, the others will also.

Instructions

1

Raise the rear end of the car and support it on jack stands. Loosening the lug nuts on the wheels before you raise the car is a good idea.

2

Block the car's front wheels with wheel chocks or blocks large and heavy enough to impede movement, then release the car's parking brake.

3

Remove the lug nuts and the rear wheel using the lug wrench. Use the "five-star" pattern to remove the nuts, moving to the one as closely opposite the nut you previously removed.

4

Mark the relationship of the brake drum to the wheel hub using, chalk or paint. Use these marks when reconnecting the drum to make sure you don't alter the dynamic balance of the hub and brake assembly.

5

Clip off any pressed washers that are on the studs and holding the drum in place on the hub. Use cutting pliers. You don't need to replace these washers when you reconnect the drum.

6

Pull the brake drum off. If it is stuck, remove the plug in the back of the assembly, insert a screwdriver into the hole and turn the adjuster screw star wheel to adjust the brake shoes so the drum will come off.