New brake shoe pad, a tight fit

[James Sanders]

I’ve recently changed my rear parking brake (brake shoe) and in the process I notice when replacing the drum, it was tight on the new shoe pads. The adjuster was down to it minimum, the cable was a little slack and the shoe seat back to the metal. I ended up tapping the drum back on but when turning the wheel there is fiction. I was wondering if I’ve done the right think? Will driving the vehicle wear down the shoe pads to its acceptable level? Should I’ve file the pads down a little? BTW, I did check if I had the correct shoe by call the shop.

Topic

[Lorrin Barth]

Driving with tight shoes is not a good idea. The brake will get hot and the shoes will be ruined. They can be ground down but it will cost you. I’d get my money back and try elsewhere.

[Glenn]

I agree with barneyb if it don’t fit don’t force it. Go to plan [ B ] !!!

[Akshat Goel]

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[Joel]

I have just replaced the rear brake rotors and pads on a 1999 Subaru legacy outback and they are a tight fit right on the edge of the bracket and they do make a lot of noise while driving i was wondering if there is a way to find out if i just need to get different pads or new calipers it did have slight noise before I put the new pads and rotors on but its worse now.

[Lorrin Barth]

[quote=”Minetwisted” post=100429]I have just replaced the rear brake rotors and pads on a 1999 Subaru legacy outback and they are a tight fit right on the edge of the bracket and they do make a lot of noise while driving i was wondering if there is a way to find out if i just need to get different pads or new calipers it did have slight noise before I put the new pads and rotors on but its worse now.[/quote]

I’d suggest starting a new thread. Trying to figure out some owner’s problem when you are a thousand miles away is hard enough without mixing that problem with another owner’s problem even if related.

[EricTheCarGuy]

I’m with the group. If the brakes are too tight, they’ll overheat and cause issues. It’s either the wrong parts, or you need better parts.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[James Sanders]

I contacted six car shops and five out of those offer those brake shoe. One advised me to check the drums to make sure it genuine which it is. As these are parking brakes for Mitsubishi Pajero (Shogun) they don’t get replaced often therefore there isn’t much of a demand here in Western Australia.

Anyway, I did some work on it over the weekend (I remembered Eric tip 8×125 to get the drum off) and found the brake shoes were only a millimetre too thick. So I grinded away 2mm from the adjuster and all fits well. The drum moves freely and I’m happy with the result. There is still plenty of adjustment there.

I think I was restricted to parts availability in Western Australia and could have brought some on the internet, but I like to support local businesses. I have to say my local was very supportive about the brake shoe issue and tried to seek another manufacturer part. They offered several advice what I could do and I choose to trim the adjuster down a little.

[Bill]

I guess that sometimes you do what you have to do.

[EricTheCarGuy]

Sometimes you just have to ‘make it fit’. Sounds like you got it sorted which is the important thing. It is only the parking brake after all so you don’t need to worry about wear unless it gets left on at some point.

Thanks for the update and keep us posted if things change.

[Author]

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