Wheel cylinders and rear brake shoes

[Jimmy9190]

This is about my 2001 Dodge Dakota. It's an extended cab, 3.9 liter V6, manual 5-speed transmission, 146,600 miles on it now. I have put 2 sets of front brakes (pads and rotors) on it since I bought it with 41,000 miles on the clock. I check the rear brake shoes and wheel cylinders pretty often, when I rotate my tires every 5,000 miles, and I check them any other time I have the rear wheels off the truck.

Question is, do wheel cylinders have a life expectancy or a given useable service life? The rear shoes are original Mopar shoes and they still have a bit of serviceable friction material left. I admit I do not know very much about drum brakes but I do know it is getting close to time for new shoes.

How often do you guys change brake shoes? How long do wheel cylinders really last? For as little as they cost, I will just replace the wheel cylinders anyway when I do the brake shoes. I will put on new brake drums too. I will be proactive on the rear brakes because this is a job I do not want to do again for a long time.

I can do a very good job on front brakes, I have already replaced my front pads, shoes, rotors twice and I have replaced my calipers too. The rear shoes will be a new experience for me but I am 100% confident I can do it and do it correctly.

Thanks for any info on this.

 

[artificialist]

Wheel cylinders are often the first thing to fail in a rear drum brake system. That is why I recommend replacing them every time a brake shoe gets replaced. The only thing that makes them last longer is frequent fluid flushes.

When replacing rear brake shoes, only do one side at a time. You will need to refer to the other side to see what all the springs and hardware go.

I also recommend new brake shoe hardware and springs every second time the job is done, or if the car is exposed to road salt, replace hardware every single time.

 

[FL_Rob]

1+

 

[Jimmy9190]

Thanks. I had a BG brake fluid power flush done when I replaced my calipers about 18 months ago. I will get a new hardware kit too, and get this job done before I have problems. Right now my brakes are fine, truck will stop on a dime. I do know it is getting close to time for new rear brakes though and would much rather do it all at once than part of it now and part of it later. Thanks for the info.

 

[doitmyself]

I just did the rear drums on my '05 Caravan and daughter's '02 Taurus the past few months. Both had one wheel cylinder leaking.

At your mileage and age, if you are replacing drums and pads, I would replace everything. You don't want a cylinder to leak onto your new pads a few months later, ruin them, and eat any initial savings up by diying.

If you like what Advanced Auto offers, the 40% off coupon codes are simply unbelievable. All of my daughters new Taurus rear parts came to about $110, and that's with the expensive Wagner Thermoquiet pads AND new adjusters and hardware kit.

The tricky part for me is the initial adjustment. Take a picture to keep track of parts replacement and to avoid "now which way did this spring go?".

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: artificialist

When replacing rear brake shoes, only do one side at a time. You will need to refer to the other side to see what all the springs and hardware go.


I totally agree with this.

There are often a lot of little springs and bits of hardware that can be difficult to reassemble in the right order.

 

[Jimmy9190]

The little springs and small parts are OK with me. I have a lot of patience and I actually enjoy that kind of work. I seem to have a knack for being able to do tedious, intricate work and using fine motor skills. I will definitely do only one side at a time though, keeping the other side intact for reference. Plus I have a good digital camera, my Haynes Book has good rear brake instructions with a lot of pictures for each step in the process and I have a Dodge Factory Service Manual for my truck too. I also own some of the special tools needed for drum brake work. I bought some of the basic tools for the job a few years ago, just have not had the opportunity to use them until now. I am certain I can get this job done. Drum brakes have been around for nearly 100 years. If all the other guys out there that have replaced their brake shoes can do it then I can do it too.

I just did some shopping on the AAP web site. Total price for all the parts I will need came to $175.62. That's a set of new Wagner Premium shoes, 2 new Wearever drums, new brake hardware and spring kit, 2 new adjuster screw kits and 2 new Wagner Premium wheel cylinders. The best deal I could finagle on the site was to split the purchase into 2 transactions: The brake drums and adjuster screw kits on one transaction for $87.36, everything else on the other transaction for $88.26. Then I used the BIG35 discount code ($35.00 off an $85.00 purchase) on each transaction and saved a total of $70.00 off the price of the parts, which comes to $105.62. There is also a $15.00 rebate on the Wagner brake shoes so the final price for the parts is $90.62. Not too bad of a deal, if you ask me.

Thanks for the info here. I do appreciate it.

 

[doitmyself]

You did awesome. Hope you threw in a bottle of brake fluid and maybe a can of brake cleaner!

 

[Jimmy9190]

Thanks. The AAP online discount codes have saved me a lot of money. I know I have one full can and one partially full can of brake cleaner, I got those not too long ago at Auto Zone on a BOGO deal. I am pretty sure I also have an unopened, sealed container of brake fluid too. If I need any more, those are cheap and AAP is just up the street from my house.