Drum Brake Pad Replacement DIY 1994 Chevy Caprice Wagon
May.14, 2010 in
DIY
Here is a condensed version on how to change the brake pads on a GM drummed braked car. This is on a 1994 Chevy Caprice Station Wagon with 11″ drums. I narrate the disassembly and talk about the parts, then speed up the reassembly process. I changed the pads because the ones that were on the car were sticky when damp (probably because they’re cheap). The drums did not need machining, but I did grind a rust lip off the edge so they would reassemble.
Tags: 1994, Brake, Caprice, Chevy, Drum, Replacement, Wagon
Search Term : drum btreak replacement DIY,
Search Term : drum btreak replacement DIY,
May 14th, 2010 at 12:29 am
They can be…here in Maine, rear disks tend to be problematic due to corrosion issues. Because drums are enclosed, tend to last longer. Work wise they are about the same. Rear brakes don’t do a lot of work anyways, so under heavy use disks would do better, but normal operation would be moot.
May 14th, 2010 at 12:56 am
Nice vid… My 94 caprice 9c1 has 4 wheel disc brakes. From my understanding, they’re simpler to work with?
May 14th, 2010 at 1:34 am
Excellent tutorial, never would of thought the parking brake adjusted anything. Thanks for the vid!
May 14th, 2010 at 2:28 am
k thanks cause i gotta do a all around brake replacement on an 89 dodge colt (mfd in japan though) disc in front drum in the back and i was wondering.
May 14th, 2010 at 3:00 am
Universal for general motors cars, pretty close otherwise.
May 14th, 2010 at 3:55 am
is all this pretty much universal for car to car with drum brakes?
May 14th, 2010 at 4:24 am
if you place your finger on the pin then you can keep it in place and it makes your life a whole lo simpler
May 14th, 2010 at 5:18 am
haha @ 2:30 excellent thought
May 14th, 2010 at 5:50 am
make sure you tighten them lugs and test it a bunch of times b4 u get on the interstate
May 14th, 2010 at 6:47 am
Thank you. Excellent info.
May 14th, 2010 at 6:47 am
Hey thanks man. It looks a lot simpler than i thought. I was going to take it in, but i reckon i can manage this one by myself.
May 14th, 2010 at 7:46 am
I did a set on a Dodge neon. The Brake material came unglued from its metal backing. Locked the wheel up in place. The adjuster screw was PITA to get it to release. I installed new shoes and springs on both wheels. Did all of this in the middle of winter outside while it was 10 degrees outside while sitting in the snow.. I made $40 that day.
Its right about the states that uses salt on the roads. It does seize the rear disk calipers. Done a few of those myself.
May 14th, 2010 at 8:31 am
And also only do one at a time…that way you always have the “assembled” unit as a reference. Lithium grease or most any anti-seize products just to keep things from freezing up…and use your parking brake, it keeps the system healthy.
May 14th, 2010 at 9:29 am
If you have not done this before , either make a drawing of the brake and spring set up before you start disassembling or if you have a digital camera…take several photos …could be an aggravation saver….I spray everything down with brake cleaner to remove the dirt and dust, i also use a excellent quality lithium grease on the star wheel and other metal to metal connections…everything looks cleaner and works better…
May 14th, 2010 at 10:05 am
Yeah…just watch me take them out. Youtube limits uploads to 10 minutes, had to pinch it to get it to fit in time.
May 14th, 2010 at 10:25 am
hey does last 3 minutes you forwarded sucked and i really wanted to see how you place all the springs inn
May 14th, 2010 at 10:51 am
Chipmonk mode is hillarious
May 14th, 2010 at 11:00 am
It’s really a dent puller. It’s hardened steel wire with a basic T-handle.
May 14th, 2010 at 11:32 am
Just curious.. You said that your Dad made that spring puller. It looks like a life saver and made the replacement soo much simpler.. Any thought of what he used to make it from?
May 14th, 2010 at 11:47 am
While technically right, their are issues with disk brakes in the back in the rust belt. Here salt exposure tends to seize the calipers, thus requiring the replacement of the entire assembly when not taken care of. Drums tend to provide protection to the brake equipment inside. Also, GM has had issues with rear disks on several 90′s cars…so it’s excellent and the terrible. My S-10 with 4 wheel disks stops quicker and harder then any other car I own. Thanks for the comment.
May 14th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Thank God both my vehicles have disc brakes all the way around! It’s soo much simpler to replace the pads.
Fantastic job on the drum shoes replacement. Gives someone an thought of what they’re up against in replacing them.
May 14th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
errrr… yeah I reckon I’ll just let my mechanic keep up his excellent work, only cause I trust him and I can only afford to do this once. Mad respect
May 14th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Just to let a begginer know these are brake shoes not break pads that he’s changing. Tip always only take apart one side so you can go back to see where the springs went and how things went back together by looking at other side that’s not taken apart.
May 14th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Excellent video, I despise that rust lip, what a pain.
May 14th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Awesome video, this reminds me of the one that Dave did, thanks for sharing
Peace