AUTOHELP THREAD

I need to compress the spring circled in the pic. Every video i watch the spring compressed easily but mine barely budges, is there an easier way to do it that doesnt take 3 hands?


I fuckin hate drum brakes

Heres another picture with everything off, i just need to slip it into this notch so i can finish putting the drum together then im done with this project.

A pair of small pliers or clippers, put them where the spring ends, press lightly, push as hard as you can towards the other end so the spring compresses and the cable is exposed, press very hard with the pliers/clippers to lock it in place, secure the cable, let go and congratulate with yourself.

Fucking handbrake cables man, I hate them with a passion as everything drum-related

Fuck man, ive been trying that for a little over 2 hour and just got beat up hands. Its the best way i think but im getting frustrated. Once i get this the rest is easy and i can go to sleep.
Whats the worst that happens if i just cut the ebrake line?

You needing a new line

Try putting the handbrake on with full strength before using a small hammer to beat on the stuck parts

...

Its 2am here, i need my car for work tomorrow otherwise id be asleep.

So youre saying put the ebrake on and then try to put it on? Only thing thats the problem is i cant compress the spring enough. Id be fuckin easy if i had another hand.

Oh, so its the parking brake stuck unengaged, not stuck & locking the wheel?

>hack car back together
>sleep
>work
>buy proper tool and never have this situation again

I think what he means is that the handbrakes isn't stuck, it's just the spring that is very hard do compress and this makes it quite difficult to put the cable where it was.
I think he disengaged the cable to work on the drums and now just needs to put it back on

Do as says but also use a couple of zip ties running through the whole spring to help squeezing it

Thanks for the help guys, i eventually got it on. I finished putting the shoes on but i cant fit the drum over them now, i got halfway and it wont budge.

I could probably tapit on with a hammer but wouldnt forcing it lock up the wheel?

Is your adjuster all the way in? You may also need to hit the brakes once or twice or engage/disengage the parking brake a couple of times from what I remember. I think you normally do that once the drum is actually on though, before you mess with the adjuster to set the drag level.

IIRC, hitting the brakes with the drum on will re-center the pads, and with the adjuster all the way in, the drum should spin freely afterwards.

Yeah theres no threads showing on the adjuster, i double checked the top to make sure they were seated right also.

Even though the drum isnt on all the way should i still try hitting the brakes/setting and relasing the ebrake?


Pic related is how far i could get the drum on before it gets stuck

Might as well give it a shot. Just don't hit the brakes very hard or shit might go flying.

Looks like you're re-using the old drums on there? If so, could be a small ridge of rust/crud has formed on the edge of the drum, and that's what's hanging it up.

spray that shit down with lube, look rusty and dry as fuck.

Yeah, didnt have the money for new drums and they looked like theyre in decent shape, no gouges or scores in them.


Il try hitting the brakes and if it doesnt work hit that lip of crud with brake cleaner and a screwdriver i guess

Sounds like u got it, but here is how I do it.

Take a pair of medium sized vice grips and clamp them onto the tip of the cable, then take a pair of side cutters and sneak them between the end of the spring and the tip of the cable and use the vise grips as leverage to compress the spring. Once you have the spring compressed enough to hook onto the shoe, gently pinch the side cutters onto the newly exposed cable and release the vice grips. Once the cable is attached to the shoe, remove the side cutters. Done.

Try to remove the drum and use some sandpaper to smoothen the edge.

Also remember to apply a tiny amount of grease on every contact patch between the structure of the shoes and the plate behind them, makes it easier for them to move and reduces the chance of them getting stuck over time (and maybe it will help them centering themselves better when you put the drum back on)

bro pull the shoe retention pins out of the backing plate, pull the shoes apart a bit, remove the adjuster at the bottom and the spring will come right off. only do one side at a time so you can reference the other for re-assembly. I have to do these fuckers too.

did you rotate the adjuster so it was fully collapsed? are the shoes fully seated in the wheel cylinder and pivot?

I appreciate the help guys, i managed to put it together wicked early this morning. That e brake spring was the biggest pain in the ass ive ever dealt with working on cars. I havent been that frustrated in years.

I dont know what the deal with the drum was, i took it off and hit it with some brake cleaner, scrubbed the fuck out of it, then it fit just find.