Added: 1 year ago
From: EricTheCarGuy
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  • I busted a hole in a drum wacking it with a hammer once. I might have hit it to hard. LOL. I eventually got into a habit of putting antiseize on the hubs whenever I did brakes.

  • Make sure you back off the adjustment to the brake shoes incase there is a lip on the inside of the drum itself. Also, let the hand brake off if its the back drums you are tackling.

  • Would this method work on a 2000 Ford Explorer? I've been trying to get it off so I can replace my hub bearing

  • YOU ARE A FUCKING CHAMPION!! thank you thank you thank you!

  • you are awesome , now come up to Canada and work on my car...lol

  • Cool tip, but what if the drum doesn't have those holes

  • great tip!

  • THANK YOU & BLESS YOU for telling us the size- 8 x 1.25....... I knew it had to friggin be metric

  • oops. I meant to say shoes not pads.

  • This does not always work. Other idea, use a muffler gun with flat anvil on the surface of the drum to break the corrosion free.

    Also, you did fail to mention of drum ridges left behind by the pads. This is a tip to any smart mechanic, if you expect to see this truck again in the future, cut down the ridge, then measure the distance from the drum edge to the inside edge. Machine the drum, then machine 20 thousands or so on the outside of the drum. No more edge hang when taking off the drum

  • Why not borrow a brake drum puller?

  • hello eric,how can u remove axle nut12PT staked of Toyota camery? and what size of socket.?? and how to remove ball joint pressed from nissan MAX if u dont have pressing tools??

  • Thanks for the tip.

  • very cool thanks

  • and just what is the drum? the braking disk, or the braking plates?

  • Back in the day, I would screw the nuts back on the studs just a few threads to protect the ends of the studs when whacking the drum. Your tip is better.

  • so what do you do if the drum doesn't have threaded holes??

  • thank for advice

  • Just used that trick on sons car, first brake job ive ever done, that made it even easier, thanx eric

  • this vid helped me out a lot. THANKS!!!

  • Did that and it is anything on the other side just a metal plate from the rotor, I didn't have those bolts so I use my hammer a a piece of 2x4 , it shoul come loose easy, because it's not attach by any means ....

  • Is there any danger in driving the screw onto something that could cause damage inside? i.e. I don't think you would want the screw in the 12 o'clock position for fear of pushing onto the wheel cylinder. Is there any "safe" position?

  • eric the car guy rocks , knows his stuff for sure . have a 1990 toyota corolla with this problem. seems someone had already tried this on the drivers side where I found a broken bolt end in one of the drum wholes. so I will have the see if this will actually work for me .

  • are all drums and rotors 8x125 bolts?

  • @TeNaCiOuSLeGeNd Pretty much the Asian makes are in my experience but to be honest that's mostly what I work on.

  • @EricTheCarGuy okay thanks

  • i discovered this on my Nissan. at first I thought they where to thread bolts in and then use a puller or a pliers and pull on them to get the drum off! then I figured out that by screwing them in the drum pops right off

  • @Vacmasterthegreat Well done, thanks for the comment.

  • @EricTheCarGuy i wish the 03 dodge 3500 i just finished had them threaded holes to pull the front rotor off. but in my case just pop the wheel bearing and all off ( since it was getting new wheel bearings anyways) then put it in the press and do some hammering between the studs.yea it was stuck that bad

  • Is the screw size universal for most drums?

  • @bhott44 For Asian makes I've found it to be that way but it's hard to say if it will work on ALL makes.

  • good advice but didnt help lol

  • @therush2049 Sorry to hear that. Just hit it with a hammer between the studs then till it breaks loose. Don't forget to back off the adjuster if it's loose and just hanging up on the shoes.

  • ive seen guys do this at my dealership on older rav4's, the rotors are like welded on there and they run for bolts but run them all the way down and you put a hairline fracture in the rotor that is a big oops. For front rotors, if there really stuck on there. turn the steering wheel all the way to lock and take a pretty big prypar and keep tension on that rotor. get a hammer and hit the rotor. It *should* come off!

  • @StratusCams Yes damage can result in 'severe' situations but to be honest at that point you should probably replace them anyway and if they are a know problem I would machine them on the car to avoid having to deal with that until they didn't have enough meat and needed to be replaced. Thanks for the comment.

  • Thank you Erick, Going to the store to buy those 8x1.25 screws, i wonder if that fits my corolla 93.

  • @tonymynd I think it will.

  • MINE DONT HAVE HOLES IS THERE ANOTHER WAY

  • @guerod59 Have you tried using a slide hammer?

  • @lewisjamesfegan1994 i cant because my drum goes over the lugs so my drum has 6 holes that slide on the lugs 

  • Hello! I have a 94 corolla base and i was gonna service my brakes. I got the rear wheels off, but i cant take the cover of the drum brake off. I dont have an impact, there is only one hole on the drum. Can i still use the same method to pop the cover out? Thanks!

  • Thanks!

  • @Mecha You're welcome!

  • thanks that helped, 

  • @johnnyboya13 You're welcome.

  • i have a 91 dodge aclaim and the drums willll not come off and i don't have the, holes what do i do?

  • @ROBERTTHETHUNERPUP There is actually a tool for this, a brake drum puller, that you can rent or buy to do this.  I also often just hit the drum between the studs and many times that's all I need to do to get them loose. Good luck.

  • @EricTheCarGuy thanx for your help ^.^

  • Thanks Eric!

    

  • Great video ( As always stay dirty ) .....

  • Very hot tip! I'll be sure to pass it on to the guy who works on my car!

    Well done video as well.

    Thanks! : )

  • @tanalee09 Sweet. tell him I said 'hi'.

  • @SKYUPTIMBER I'm happy to have you, thanks for your comment and your viewership.

  • Brilliant!!

    Nice vid

  • @BlueSpook1 Glad you liked it, thanks for the comment.

  • @BlueSpook1 Would this work on 1995 Saturn SL1 rear drums ?

  • @SKYUPTIMBER yeah i am a beast i got them off with my fingers

  • Breakin rusted or siezed hubs are usually not the issue. Its the shoes catching on the lip on the hubs inside that keeps them on and then you'll need to back the adjuster down from the rear of the hub on the backing plate..

  • @SUPERBWON Excellent point, thanks for your input.

  • The exact answer i was looking for. 8X1.25 thanks

  • so if i dont have a impact gun, what do i use?

  • @supersanchez1991 You can just use a regular ratchet it just takes longer.

  • precisely the answer i was looking for :) the job ! thanks

  • @aodhfinn Glad the video helped, thanks for the comment.

  • hey bro i have a 2004 corolla s the rotors have no holes to screw in or out like you did there what would i do?

  • @rubenstarq14 I usually hit them with a hammer between the studs till they break loose.

  • Hey Eric, I have a 91 Lebaron I can't get the drums off. I backed the star wheel all the way off, the drum is loose on the studs and hub and spins freely, but the drum is still hung up on the shoes which I think made a ridge on the drum (very worn) Any suggestions? I thought about cutting it off!

  • @MrInternet69 When I run into that I often cut the heads off of the hold down pins on the back of the backing plate, this will allow the shoes to pivot outward to allow you to get the drum off. You get new pins in a hardware kit.

  • Hey Eric, just wanted to apologize, since seeing this video I have borrowed your "sucking sound" line a few times in day-to-day life. Hope you don't mind, lol.

  • @KNTRIDER Feel free to use it as much as you like just remember where you got it. :) Thanks for the comment.

  • I have pics I can email them to you.

  • @libertyshot1 It will take some time before I get to that as I got a LOT of email. Your better off posting your question at the ETCG forum or using the search function on my website.

  • Same as supercellman I don't have those to holes on my 1991 Hyundai excel, I don't know what's wrong with my left rear brake, but when I hit them I get a terrible response. The brake pedal almost pulses and like a metal to metal burning smell. So right now my brake drum is holding me back from figuring out what's wrong. Help please!

  • @libertyshot1 As I told him the most common method is to hit the drum between the studs with a hammer till it breaks loose. They also make a special tool that will remove drums that you might be able to rent or borrow from the auto parts store. Good luck.

  • Thanks sir but unfortunately you forgot to mention, not every model much like mine both 2005 and 2002 Taurus do have those two holes to put the screws in to help push the drum off with. Back to the drawing board, or to find another method on here that works. Perhaps its just the emergency brakes resisting but that i still have to figure out how to remedy.

  • @supercellman It's not that I forgot to mention it as you obviously wont' be able to do this without those holes. No worries though because the most common method is to hit the drum between the studs till it comes loose. There is also a special tool called a drum puller that you might be able to borrow from the auto parts store.

  • Very nice and helpful video man, had hard time to take them then give up and searched, your video will make it easy job now. thanks a lot

  • @wely911 I'm happy to help, thanks for the comment.

  • Great job Eric

  • hahahahahah oh god! i always wondered wut those holes were for thanks a lot

  • @viiciious420 Your welcome, thanks for the comment.

  • Will I be able to change my lug nut stud once i remove the drum? I have a stud that needs to be replaced.

  • @wben1493 Not sure, it depends on your make and model and the space you have to remove and replace the stud.

  • Great video man! I was kinda worried about fixing the drum brakes on my Gt, but now I'm ready. Thanks.

  • @machine843 Good luck and thanks for the comment.

  • Hey Eric, my 2004 VW Passat v6 has squeaky wheels when I’m parking the car and i don’t know what the cause is. I know that really low speed while turning triggers the squeaking but I’m not Shure. What are few of the things that could be causing the problem? Could it have something to do with having a low amount of braking fluid? can this worsen to a critical problem?

  • @TheSovietBears oh crap lol forgot it also could be the wheels not the breaks

  • @TheSovietBears You might start by checking your brakes, sometimes when they get low they make noise.

  • @EricTheCarGuy ok thanks

  • You should have mentioned adjusting the starwheel for the rear brake shoes. In some cases, a ridge forms, holding the pads in place. If you force the drum off with your "helper bolts" you will most likely destroy the retaining springs. If the drum does not come off relatively easily, or it seems to want to come off sort of cocked to one side, DO NOT FORCE IT OFF. THERE IS A REASON. Most likely that ridge i mentioned earlier is holding shoes, thus the drum in place.

  • @Dcarlsonn I mention that in the brake shoe replacement videos, this video was to show an 'alternative' method of getting the drums to come loose. Thanks for your input and for your comment.

  • Thanks for the tip. Worked like a charm.

    That helped me replace two stripped rear wheel studs in under an hour.

    (Note to self: don't forget to take off the parking brake to get the drum off next time. D'oh!)

  • @CrandMackerel Yea that's a good plan, thanks for the comment.

  • Thanks for the tip. Worked like a charm.

    That helped me replace two stripped rear wheel studs in under an hour.

    (Note to self: don't forget to take off the parking brake to get the drum off next time. D'oh!)

  • @CrandMackerel Yea that is a good tip. Thanks for the comment.

  • Thats for the demo! I've heard out the trick but never used it.

    1 Question though. So on my car ('79 vw bus) these holes are actually used to hold the drum on with 2 m6 bolts. I think that if I use that trick i'll just thread into the thing behind the drum......and tighten it down even more?

    opinion?

  • @vwtraveller They actually make a 'drum puller' for applications that don't have these threaded holes.

  • My auto tech teacher in high school actually taught me this. Glad you're getting it out there.

  • You are badass. thanks for taking the time to show us how its done.

  • @mrLETHALDOMESTICS I'm glad you like my work, thanks for the comment.

  • Hi Eric, good vid.

    I have a question do you know if this method will work on a rotor 2005 325I BMW? Im stuck with my front left rotor.

    Please let me know

    Thank you

  • @afngelby7 It probably will if it has threaded holes in the rotors.

  • HAHAHA that sucking comment had me crackin' up. I'm gonna have to use that sometime...you didn't copyright it!! haha

  • @jamisgood21 It's all yours enjoy it.

  • Great tip, Eric. Thanks! I've been doing brakes for years and never knew that.

  • @davegto67 Glad I could offer the tip, thanks for the comment.

  • I have a rusted brake drum stuck the same in the video but it dose not have those threaded holes and modle if it is importent is 2004 forde focus please respond

  • @massefect942 They actually make a special tool to pull off stubborn drums, you might want to see if you can rent one from your auto parts store.

  • Hey Eric,

    Do the 8X1.25 bolts work for all car models?? I have a 2008 honda civic. I need to replace the wheel bearing/hub assembly and I need to get the drum off in order to do it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Keep up the good work. You rock dude!!

  • @connerbobby Yes those will work on that car. That bearing is pretty easy so you won't have too much to deal with once you get the drum off, just remove the cap on the hub and then the nut underneath and your good to go. Good luck.

  • Eric,

    that was PURE genius! It worked like a charm! And I only used a socket set (no air impact wrench available). Once I got it off it was soo easy to get the hub assembly off. Thanks for everything and the quick reply. I feel like we should be paying you for this great advice! I love working on my car but sometimes I get stuck on certain things. Thanks again! 

  • thx

    

  • OMFG THANK YOU,MAN......I hit that damn thing with a hammer I don't know how many times.....used a small but heavy car jack to whack it...and it still wouldn't come off....but I didn't have any of those screws that fit in the smaller holes...so I put some wd-40 thinking it would loosen it off...let it sit....still wouldn't loosen up...time to go get those screws....and of course....this info was not in the repair book for my car....thank you Thank You......THANK YOU

  • @kurojin97 I love it when I'm able to help someone like this. Thanks for the comment.

  • Yeah, I don't understand why they don't deem this critical information in your average repair book. They skip right over the whole ordeal of removing a drum. Thanks.

  • @TiMthisIS Your most welcome, I try to pick up where the manual leaves off. Thanks for the comment.

  • So what do I do if the bolt holes stripped out and the hammer wont work?

  • @Zada1432 I get a bigger hammer but there is actually a tool for this that you might be able to rent from your parts store to pull the drum off.

  • One guy got different size bolts.

    

  • Yo. Thanks Eric. Saved me a lot of swearing, dinged threads and a divorce. :)

  • @fotoshoppe Well that makes for a very good day for me, thanks.

  • Thanks man, I needed to know what size those threads were! Got them and it popped right off, thanks!

  • @DynamicUnreality I love it when a plan comes together.

  • I've always wondered what size those bolt holes are!! Cool!!

  • @HardKnocks60 To the hardware store!

  • Quick, informative and to the point. Just the way it should be.

  • @CA746264 I agree, thanks for the comment.

  • all be damned, its that simple. Thanks eric!!

  • @subtrol I like simple, thanks for the comment.

  • greeting you the blessing man ..

    thank you for your sharing differences technic...

    may God richly bless you good health, safety,wealthy ,success forever .

    Thailand .

  • @boonthip100 Thank you so much for that comment I really appreciated it.

  • Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

  • @daddydojang Thank YOU for the comment.

  • wow! very cool, thanks for the tip car guy!

  • @jareds1007 Your welcome, thanks for the comment.

  • the one issue that would prevent this from working, or why people cant get drums off period is a lip on the inside of the drum which is snagging the shoes. If you try and force the drum off, you may rip the friction material off of what were once perfectly good shoes. If you are like me, i dont like having to pay more money then i had too, OR telling the service advisor they gotta now replace shoes too. lastly, i have always hated replacing drum brake shoes and always will lol

  • @310stanger You can always back off the adjuster or cut the nail heads off the pins to help with that problem in the future but I understand your frustration. Thanks for your input and comment.

  • Hey! Eric you're the man. Thanks again

  • Too bad I found your video AFTER i spent 2 hours beating on my drum with a little pussy hammer (because people borrow things and dont return them) But now i know for next time!! Thanks. Now I just need to change the locks on my garage! haha

    

  • @TaylorClint Yea I don't like to loan out tools either for that very reason.  Thanks for the comment.

  • LOL... The sucking sound.... haha

  • I've got an old ford1966 looks like something else is holding the drum on the spindle

  • @billybb17 Some drums have the bearing assembly contained within them, for those see the 'Tapered Roller Bearing' video that I did.

  • Awesome, that was a great tip and you made that look incredibly simple :)

  • @hughheckler I hope it works the same for you too. Thanks for the comment.

  • Wow..just when I think I know about everything..along comes a tip like this..fuckin cool ..great vids dude!!!

  • @trunk516 Happens to me all the time, I love to learn new tricks. Thanks for the comment.

  • I tried using both methods on my 98 excel rear drum breaks and it still wont come off :/ I heard two 'pop' sounds and two small locking pins dropped out the back of the plate (held something on inside?) even with the hand break fully off, lubicated pads, drum struck with a hammer and both nuts wound all the way in neither side wants to give in, seems like the pads are pritty much seized inside the drum :(

  • @AxelTiger Many times the shoes get hung up on a ridge of rust on the inside of the drum so you need to back off the adjuster before removing the drum or the shoes will catch on the drum and make it difficult to remove.

  • youuuuu the mannnnnnnnn!

  • great. thank you so much...

  • Nice !! Awsome, I can now relax while I'm changing drums. the banging with the hammer was getting on my nerves !!! thanks again for this quick tip

  • @tepot5 Your most welcome, thanks for the comment.

  • AHH HAAA! Very helpfully well I'm off to remove the brake drums off the 240z.Thanks

  • @METALGEARZETTO First car I ever worked on as a professional mechanic was a 72 240, that was a cool car but kind of a pain to work on sometimes, good luck.

  • Thanks Eric I never really knew what those darned holes were for ahhh the magic of engineering.

  • @billybb17 The simplest solutions are often the best. Thanks for the comment.

  • Never knew what those threaded holes were for. On my way to the parts store for two 8x1.25 bolts. Thanks. This was a big help!!!

  • @3RNGR75 I'm glad I was able to offer some help, thanks for the comment.

  • Awesome vid. Now do all drums come with those two little holes? Thanks in advance

  • @Fox1991 No they don't unfortunately but there are tools that are made to remove drums if the holes are not available.

  • Great practical advice. Thanx man:)

  • @xxxfeature Anytime, thanks for the comment.

  • this worked great for one side. but the other side the drum was about half way off and both bolt holes striped out at the same time and the drum sucked it self back in all at once. Ive been giving it all I got with a 3lb hammer for a hour. no luck :-(

  • @thepopeis1 You might want to see if you can back off the adjuster as the shoes may be getting caught on a rust ridge on the inside of the drum. If you can't get to it or it won't work then I would cute the 'nail heads' off of the hold downs on the back of the backing plate to allow the shoes to pivot out when you remove the drum, you get new pins with a hardware kit.

  • @EricTheCarGuy Thank you Eric I will give it another go

  • @thepopeis1 You might want to see if you can back off the adjuster as the shoes may be getting caught on a rust ridge on the inside of the drum. If you can't get to it or it won't work then I would cute the 'nail heads' off of the hold downs on the back of the backing plate to allow the shoes to pivot out when you remove the drum, you get new pins with a hardware kit.

  • Man oh Man u got the knowledge and you are spreading it....Mad and I mean Mad thanks from Toronto, Canada

  • @aliomema Your most welcome. Hello Toronto!