How do you change the rear brake shoes on a 1995 Toyota Camry 4cyl?

Answer

Fisrt things first - I have done many a brake jobs for my own cars, Including on a Toyota Camry.

ASSUMING that you know how a rear drum brake system / brake shoes are replaced then there is ONLY one piece of advice - go bu the ORIGINAL part fROM TOYOTA, else you will never get it into the drum correctly or it will freeze and become useless. For some reason none of the NON-Toyota rear drum brake shoes seem to fit correctly - trust me - it will save you a lot of time and cussing!

Nice paragraph above, but not an answer.

A Toyota mechanic may have a smoother way, but this is how I did it. OBSERVE, CONCENTRATE, AND NOTE HOW THINGS ARE ASSEMBLED, SO YOU KNOW HOW TO REASSEMBLE! (Or don't even try it.) Go slow and, as you remove one shoe do not let top of the other shoe push far into the wheel cylinder, lest you pop the opposite piston out of the cylinder; then you'll have brake fluid all over and air into the brake lines.

So, yes, release the parking brake (block front wheels well first!) and use two bolts in the holes in the brake drum to pull the drum off. Next, unhook the hefty top spring between the two shoes (do this with a brake spring tool, or you can try it with strong long-handle monkey wrench/pliers). Remove the C-clip that holds the brake adjuster assembly onto the pin (top of the brake shoe with all of the parking brake mech.) Now, remove the brake shoe retainer spring and pin on the plain shoe (the one not covered by the parking brake stuff) and as the shoe falls free unhook it from the spring at bottom of the shoe. The brake adjuster assembly will now fall fee also and now you can see another C-clip further on the pin at top of the other brake shoe. Remove that C-clip too (it holds the parking brake mechanism). Now remove the retainer spring and pin of the other shoe.

Prior to reassembly, clean and vacuum all parts, backplate, drum, free of old brake dust and grease. Of course, brake drums should be smooth and even on inside (or they need to be turned). If you see signs of any leakage from brake cylinder or wheel bearing, you need to repair these. Screw the brake adjuster to the fully collapsed (shortest) position.

If you've gotten this far successfully, installation is generally the reverse of disassembly, except I installed the bottom spring (holds bottoms of shoes together) last. Bit of a struggle, but I pried them into place with only a screwdriver. Absolutely, don't get any grease on the new brake shoe surfaces.

After you assemble everything, pull the rubber cap out of the drum and thru the hole use a screwdriver or brake adjusting tool to ratchet the brake adjuster until the new brake shoes tighten onto the drum. Do it slow, little by little, until you can just turn the drum comfortably by hand. With both brake drums installed, pump the brake pedal couple of times to seat the new shoes, adjust again, as needed. Too much, the drum will lock, and your new shoes will rub and overheat the drum as you drive (bad!).

Go for it! Complete one wheel before disassembling the other. (And I disclaim any responsibility for your work, or your safety. Above is only a story of what I said to myself and how I did it.)

Answer

You need to put two 1 to 1.5 inch long bolts into the brake drum and turn them clockwise to drive the drums off. First you must loosen the star adjuster so that the brake shoes clear the ridge in the drum.

Note: I believe the bolts are 10mm hex.

Answer

this is such a hard thing to explain without pictures but a good rule of thumb is to work one wheel at a time and use the other assembled wheel as a guide. i would have to disagree with the above method for adjusting the brakes though. simply adjusting and rolling the drum is incorrect the wheel needs to be on and tourqed down. its also a good idea to know which brake shoe is the primary and which is the secondary before you do your installation. the shoes always look nearly identical but the primary shoe needs to be facing the front of the vehicle or they wont operate correctly

Answer

the last guy is right about needing pics, and being able to see the other side assembled while doing the other, however, on a camry the shoes are adjusted through a hole in the outside of the drum. you cant adjust them with the wheels on. there are 2 shoes in the kit with pins in them for the e-brake pivot. these both go on the rear of their respective sides. if you match them to the ones coming off you cant miss!

First answer by anonymous. Last edit by Toyota tech guy. Contributor trust: 694 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 111 [recommend question]