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Remove stuck brake drums
#1
There is lots of info on line about tapping stuck drums with hammers and poking around various holes with screwdrivers to back the brake shoes off but nothing worked for the drums on my 2010 plate Berlingo First 1.6HDI van.

The solution was to borrow a large three legged puller,  partly screw back in the four wheel bolts and rest a strong metal plate over them for the puller's central screw to rest on (you need to 'bridge' the central dust cover on the hub somehow as is is thin metal and simply crushes) then wind the puller in.  This broke the drums free from the hub but they remained stuck on the shoes.  As it turned out my drums were lipped as the van was on the original brake shoes which were nearly down to the metal with little friction material left.  The only way to get the drums off was by using force.  I tightened the puller in stages and used the aid of a small crow bar to lever the drums off the shoes,  messing around with big screwdrivers to prise the drums off was a complete waste of time!

Previously I had literally spent hours poking small screwdrivers through various holes and tapping with hammers as per the on line advice to no avail.  You simply cannot get enough grip on the drums to pull them outwards and off by hand.

First drum took four hours going through the careful "tapping with hammers and hole poking" routine until I borrowed the puller and did the above.  Once I knew the drums were badly lipped and what the problem was and that I had to use force the second was off in ten minutes.

In conclusion, no amount of hammering, no matter the size of the hammer or trying to back off the shoes through the wheel bolt holes in the drum would have made a jot of difference in my case.  I simply had to pull the drums outwards and off over the lip (3mm) with the three legged puller and use the small crow bar to pry it over the shoes.
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#2
Yes modern brake linings are very hard and its coming to the point where you replace shoes and drums at the same time. Yes you can grind the lip off but not really worth it now with the price of drums being quite reasonable.

Never had to use a puller though on little Berlingo Drums but what ever gets it done Wink
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#3
(28-09-2016, 05:48 AM)polar Wrote:  Yes modern brake linings are very hard and its coming to the point where you replace shoes and drums at the same time. Yes you can grind the lip off but not really worth it now with the price of drums being quite reasonable.

Never had to use a puller though on little Berlingo Drums but what ever gets it done Wink

I've never used a puller either. Years ago Vauxhall Cavalier shoes used to get hung up due to the groove running down the centre of the shoe, so you had 2 lips to deal with. Could still get them off without a puller.

Anyone considering trying this should be aware that you could rip the holes in the back plate where the shoe retaining clips fit, specially if back plates are a bit corroded or thin. You will then need to replace the back plates as well
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#4
Col those Cavalier ones were terrible and if i remember right it was the first car to start wearing the drums as fast as the shoes. Like you say there was a grove in the centre of the lining material it just caused a huge lip to form. ive heard stories of them having being cut off with an angle grinder!

Ive never had that kind of problem with a car although i did have to smash a drum off an ERF with a sledge hammer at the side of the road once   Big Grin
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#5
(28-09-2016, 08:59 AM)polar Wrote:  i did have to smash a drum off an ERF with a sledge hammer at the side of the road once   Big Grin

Good for stress relief!
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#6
A colleague of mine has a B59, and when he couldn'tget the drums off, and asked a neighbour that is a mechanic for help, he used a large sledge to smash the drums off.
If you can't get them off within an hour by usual means the wear is probably too serious for them to be usable anyways.

But one tip is to knock on the rim with a hefty hammer and see if you can knock off the edge as it can be encrusted rust and dirt.
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