Drum Brake Woes

[NTL1991]

So I decided to bleed the brakes on my 97 S10 4x4 and it turns out that a simple job turned into a multi-day project...

First of all, I put the rear end on jack stands and took off the drums and found decent shoe condition, so I moved onto getting the bleeder valves open. The rear passenger was all rounded off and rusted, I wasn't able to even get a bit on it with anything. The driver's rear was the same way too. All rusted and cruddy. The front passenger valve needed some PB blaster, but eventually opened, and the drivers front (the only one with the rubber cap on) opened up very quickly. Well, I proceeded to try and bleed the system, and when I hit the brake, the piston of driver's rear brake cylinder popped out and fell to the floor leaking brake fluid all over. After seeing this, I ran to the local parts store and bought a new one for $11. I then tried to remove the brake line which didn't budge at all, so I was forced to unscrew the fitting at the T on the middle of the rear axle. It came off with the cylinder and I had to run back to the parts store to get a new brake line. SO, I have everything bolted on and connected up and I decided to bleed the furthest operable bleeder valve, the driver's rear, and with one press of the brake pedal shot the piston out again, but this time, I could reinsert it every time just to have the same thing happen again and again.

What I noticed was that the brake shoe wasn't aligning correctly with the cylinder's piston, and it would pop out under the pressure. But, also, that the rear shoe wasn't moving at all... Only the leading shoe was actually moving when the brake was applied, the rear shoe was just sitting there. No wonder why the rear shoe was in almost perfect condition. But, the strange thing was that the same thing was happening to the passenger's side drum brake. Only the forward-facing shoe was moving... Is this normal???

So, well after the parts store closed, I came to the conclusion that the only probable cause for the piston popping on the drivers rear was the spring set... So, tomorrow at 8 I will be back at the parts store to purchase a set of Brake Hardware Kits and try them out... If the driver's side works after that, I will also purchase a new brake cylinder for the passenger's side (and also a new brake line if I have to...) and then install the spring set...

I do have some pictures of the brakes if they could be of any assistance, but I would just like some input to see if I have overlooked anything or if my conclusion is wrong.




Nick

[NTL1991]

OK, So I figures out what the problem was. There's a thin piece of metal with 2 tines on each end with a spring over one side. Well, my problem was that the spring was on the wrong side of the metal. It's directly below the wheel cylinder and connects the 2 brake shoes.

Nick