Honda 92 civic drum brake problem-pls help!

[Bob]

HELP! I was using the two 8mm bolts to force off a stubborn rear drum brake in order to change the pads. I had tried the hammer & came across your suggestion/trick. However one of the bolt heads twisted off. Now I cant get the drum off & I cant get the bolt out. What should I do?

Topic

[dave]

the textbook answer:
use a ‘spoon’ to go through the backing plate and move the star wheel adjuster in. this method gets a bad rap, mainly because it takes awhile to do but it’s actually a good skill to learn.

the real life solution:
you should cut the hold-down pins that go through the backing plate that hold the shoes down. they look like the head of a nail. since you’ll be destroying stuff, you’ll need to buy a hardware kit with this method which is a good idea anyway and they are not that expensive. then you can pull the drum off and use some pliers to get that broken screw out.

[Bob]

I saw your message & am confused by it. Perhaps I didnt explain my predicament. I trying to do my open the drums rear brakes on my 92 Civic. I tried hammering which didnt remove the drum. Them I saw ETCG’s suggestion to use the 8MM bolt to push open the drum. I tried using the bolts & twisted the head off one of the bolts. What do I do now? Your reply suggesting the “spoon” to undo the star wheel was over my head. Also your real world suggestion to cut off the back of the pads confused me also.

I now have a 2 problems. I cannot “open” the drum & I now have a broken 8MM stud that’s preventing me from putting the wheel on the car & taking my kid to school tomorrow. I imagine I could use a visegrips & try to turn it out but the bolt is really wedged in there or I could cut it off flush & give up on the whole affair.

Can you please explain more?

Thanks!

[dave]

Very simplified version:

1. cut these:

2. remove drum

I imagine I could use a visegrips & try to turn it out but the bolt is really wedged in there

3. torch the drum. (get it really hot around the bolt; don’t heat the bolt itself)

4. use pliers to remove broken bolt.

5. enjoy.

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• pincut.jpg

[david macias]

Wrench turner it is nice of you to add the diagram.
To the op: when you cut the hold down pins behind the drum backing plate you should be able to remove the drum. The brake shoes will be stuck inside the drum. If you are still having problems then the drum is rusted to the hub. Use penetrating spray around the center and studs. Then hammer around the face of the drum careful to avoid the studs. You can also heat the same area.

[Bob]

Thanks Gents. I appreciate it. The car, 92 Civic DX, has 79K miles & these are the original brakes. I just changed the front disc pads & thought I would take a look at the rear drums. I think the drum is rusted on. I wanted to open the drum to see how far gone they were but couldnt get them off. That’s when I twisted the head off the 8mm bolt. I have tapped w/a hammer repeatedly to no avail. I broke it off (the 8mmm bolt that had the head twist off) a w/vise grips to put wheel back on to use the car tomorrow. I have to order the drum parts to perform the maintenance. The front pads was kind of a pain-rusted on in clips-but got em off & new ones in.

A side bar. I wanted to bleed the rear brakes to change the fluid-also original. The front was easy, a 10mm bleeder worked fine, but the back wasnt a 10mm or an 8mm, it appeared smaller than 8mm. Very strange it seemed smaller & I’m the original owner & never had brake work done. I have to find a 7mm or 6mm to see if that fits but the specs indicate that it w/b 10mm, similar to the front. Any thoughts? Thanks.

[twiggy]

Make sure you don’t have the parking brake engaged. I only mention this because its something I have overlooked before.

[david macias]

I hope when you say tapping you mean hitting it hard with a three pound sledge hammer. Heat and penetrating oil are your friend.

[college man]

clean around the hub.

[dave]

Heat and penetrating oil are your friend.

that’s what she said.

[MARK FELDSTEIN]

Understand that your 8mm bolts didn’t inset into any hole on the inside of the brake They are meant to provide leverage essentially to pop the hub loose. The alternative way is to leave the 8mm fastener for the time being, alone and get a 5 or even 10 pound persuader sledge and carefully give some hard wacks to the hub assembly. Be very careful not to hit the wheel studs. Keep your feet out from under the hub btw so when it pops loose it doesn’t land on your tootsies.

THEN once it’s off, spray the broken bolt front and back with penetrating oil or get some stuff called KROIL at the parts store. It’s super penetrating oil but keep it away from plastic. Grab the part that went through the hub and turn it out with a pair of vise grips.
OR plan #3, failing those measures, again once the hub is off the car, take it to a machine shop or even a parts store and either have them drill it out with a broken bolt remover of appropriate size OR let them twist out the offending stud.

Next time, try to avoid using 8mm bolts made of Chinese steel. 😉
Oh yeah, if you have auto club membership, call in for road service and tell them you’ve got a brake problem. They might just send a guy out with a boatload of tools including large sledge hammers to break it loose.

[Bob]

Thanks everyone. I thought the problem was just that I stupidly left the parking brake on but, even after taking off the brake & repeatedly hitting the drum,it wont come off. These are the original brake shoes. I take it I should get a BFH & pound the drum? The wheel spins but that drum wont come off.

[Bob]

Thanks Wrench Turner for the diagram & suggestion to cut the holddown pins. How do I cut them? what tool do I use?

[MARK FELDSTEIN]

Yep/ BFH is probably what you need. Sometimes it helps to use some penetrating oil on the studs and a considerably bigger hammer (as shown here) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWsBECDwb_U

At this point, it’s ok to hit on the sides of the drum ajd not just the face of the drum. But remember to be careful not to whack the studs.

[Author]

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