1995 Toyota Tercel Rear Drums Stuck

TOYOTA TERCEL
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TWEEKSTOMPER
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  • 2 POSTS
A '95 Tercel with about 160,000 on it. It sounds like the beginning of metal to metal in the rear brakes. After buying all the necessary shoes and wheel cylinders to do the job, I wasn't able to get the drums off. I was told to look for retainer screws or to use penetrating oil and a five pound mallet, but none of these seemed to work. Am I missing something here? What is up with these drums? T'Stomper.
Aug 25, 2006 at 9:07 PM
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KASEKENNY
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Drum brakes can get stuck on there and sometimes take a little more aggression to get them off. So here is a video on some ways to remove this:

https://youtu.be/UV0kfP17Co0

However, we just want to make sure we are on the same page because front wheel drive vehicles with rear drum brakes have a spindle that goes through the drum and has a nut that has to be removed.

Here is a guide that will help with this:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-replace-rear-brake-shoes-and-drums

I am attaching the entire process below from the manual.

Please run through this and let us know what you are dealing with.

Thanks
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Mar 14, 2022 at 8:47 AM
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TWEEKSTOMPER
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Problem solved. After all the sweating and swearing, something this simple reminded me of why I don't like doing drum brakes in the first place. It was the axle nut and bearing that needed to come out.

Anyway, thanks for the input and maybe someday I can return the favor. Until next time. T'Stomper
Mar 14, 2022 at 8:47 AM
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Suggested Repair

On this front-wheel-drive Tercel, remove the rear axle/spindle nut and bearing so the drum can come off, then replace the shoes and wheel cylinders. Penetrating oil and light hammering alone will not free a drum retained by the axle nut.

Conversation Summary

The owner of a 1995 Toyota Tercel with about 160,000 miles heard early metal-to-metal noise from the rear brakes and bought shoes and wheel cylinders, but could not remove the drums with retainer screws, penetrating oil, or a mallet. The expert explained that front-wheel-drive cars with rear drums have a spindle and nut that must be removed, and shared a video and replacement guide. The owner confirmed the axle nut and bearing had to come out and the problem was solved.

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