Changing Rear Brake Shoes.

[WankelsRevenge]

I'm gonna be helping a friend out with a bunch of work on his 08 sedan here in the next week or so. One of the things Im wondering about is the rear brake shoes as Ive only done major brake work on cars with all discs. Id there anything major I need to know about doing this or is it pretty simple? Also what kinda tools will I need for the job, Ive heard I need some sort of special spring removal tool, but can get by with a decent screwdriver.
Ryan

[markitect]

I've done several drum brake jobs (but not on the yaris).

The special tool is to remove some springs(the cups more specifically). This can also be done with a pair of pliers, so it isn't really needed. The other thing you will want (other the the usual tools) will be a small flathead screwdriver for adjusting the star wheel. There are also special tools for grabbing the hooks on regular springs, but a normal screwdriver has always worked fine for me.

The big thing with drums is to track where and how everything goes together. It has a bunch of springs, and other small parts, make sure to track what goes where and in what direction.

Other tips:
If you do a search you should fine that you can get bolts to help remove the drum, it can be a real pain.
It will be very dusty in there, you should clean everything, and apply brake quiet where metal parts meet.
Adjust the adjuster(star wheel) to be short while you have it off the car, and then follow the drum brake adjustment procedure you can find with a search.
You can get a drum/hardware kit, this includes all the little things that might be damaged over time. As this is the first time to do the brakes nothing is likely to be warn out, but some people prefer to do it just in case. If you decide to don't get the cheap auto-whatever store set, trust me.

[WankelsRevenge]

Ha, he's paying me, and quite well, to help him out so I won't mind having to rip it all apart again 6months down the road if needd to do it again. My biggest thing is I've never done drum brakes so I'm kinda cluseless as to the procedure, but I imagine once I do them this first time having to repeat the process shouldnt be a big deal, plus it'll be good practice for when I do em on my girlfriends car.
Ryan

[The Limo]

Also do one wheel at at time and use the other wheel as a template to make sure you get all the parts back in the right place.
Roy

[rick996]

Originally Posted by The Limo

Also do one wheel at at time and use the other wheel as a template to make sure you get all the parts back in the right place.
Roy

This is the best piece of advice. I've had to rely on the unthouched wheel more than once.