95 Rear Brake Job....what to look for

[Putts255]

Well I questioned why the shoe closer to the front of the vehicle was thinner than the one in the back and the parts guy said it was probably the cylinder that was gone.

I took the drum off and pumped the brake and the front part of the cylinder was the only one that worked. Naturally I bought all new parts, shoes, springs, drums, cylinders....

It was only after I was putting everything back together when I realized that the new pads had a thinner one on the front than the back and compared them to the old pads. The old ones were not much thinner then the new ones. I figure there is no sense in returning anything I bought as I have already opened the packages and half the springs are used.

On the passenger side I decided to test the cylinder. Ironically the same thing happened when my daughter pressed the brake, only the front cylinder moved. I braced both shoes in my hands and asked her to do it again. This time both sides moved.

The point I am trying to get across is the front shoes are in fact thinner than the back. When you test the cylinder for proper actuation, make sure you have someone depressed the brake pedal and hold both shoes in your hands. This will tell you if the cylinder is in fact damaged or not. I think I just wasted my afternoon and a nice chunk of change changing the brakes when in fact they would have lasted me a good 2 or 3 more years....

[jonmark1985]

Yeah, its all about the "leading" and trailing shoes. You may also notice that one shoe will be longer than the other at the lining.