Here's a way to possibly save yourself some time during your next auto brake pad replacement......
Recently, when replacing the rear brake pads on my girlfriend's car, I removed the front pads with out a hitch. But the rear rotors wouldn't budge. It took forever to get the rotors off the wheel. For HOURS I was banging on both rear wheel drums with a rubber mallet before finally managing to pull them off. Inside the drums I see a couple of drum-type pads (this is a disc-brake system) that were pushing on the inside of the rotors from inside the drum -- this was the cuplrit, but I'd never changed pads on such a system. I assumed this was some sort of belt-and-suspenders approach to the braking system.. At long last I get the pads off, take them to O'Reilly and ask for the replacements. The clerk gives me the brake pads, but no interior drum-looking pads. I asked where were the other pads. He said, "Oh, you're thinking of the parking brake, those pads don't usually get changed."
DOH!
I went home, released the parking brake, and the "drum" shoes instantly relaxed, allowing me to slip the rotors back on with no problem. If I had released the parking brake in the first place, the job would have taken fraction of the time it actually took me......
I felt pretty dumb, but I'm no pro, just a DIY'er trying to save some cash and destined to learn all lessons the hard way.
I can't follow your story. the car either has disk brakes in the back -or- drum brakes - not both! drum brakes use "brake shoes" not pads. disk brakes use pads, not shoes.
Nope, actually he's right.
My Dodge Dakota has the same setup.
It has disk rear brakes but has a drum setup that is used for the parking brake only.
The drum brakes extend and grab the inside hub of the brake rotor when setting the parking brake.
Yep. Same issue on my wife's Dodge Neon. Four wheel disc. Rear disc has a small drum turned in it to accept the (mini) parking brake shoes. Was quite surprised at this.
I can't follow your story. the car either has disk brakes in the back -or- drum brakes - not both! drum brakes use "brake shoes" not pads. disk brakes use pads, not shoes.
yeah, that was my understanding as well, which is why I kept banging on the wheel rotors. But as you can see from the feedback, Dodge does indeed use a drum-type parking brake, whether you call em pads or shoes,..... it's a crucial piece of info if you're changing those rear brakes.
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