Drum Brake Service Video

Drum brakes still handle rear braking on many trucks, vans, and older sedans, and they wear differently than disc brakes. This video shows a drum assembly with the drum pulled and where the shoes contact the friction surface. It also compares worn springs and hardware with fresh components.

When you press the pedal, a wheel cylinder pushes two curved shoes against the inside of the spinning drum. Return springs pull them back, and a self-adjuster takes up slack as the lining wears. Since front pads usually wear faster, many drivers pair a rear drum job with [brake pad replacement](/services/brake-pad-replacement) up front.

Grinding from the rear under braking is the clearest warning, and a parking brake that slips on a slope is another. That noise usually means the lining is gone and the metal shoe is cutting into the drum. Gravel-dusted county roads around Moses Lake push grit into the assembly, scoring the drum and wearing the shoes unevenly.

Affordable Automotive Services pulls both rear drums and measures each one against the manufacturer's discard specification. We also check the wheel cylinders for seepage before quoting any work. Drum brake repair is part of our brake repair and safety inspection services.

If the drums are within specification and the shoes have usable lining, we tell you so. When parts are needed, we replace the hardware kit with the shoes because tired springs can wear out a new set early. The work is backed by our 5-year / 50,000-mile parts and labor warranty.

Drums are resurfaced only when enough metal remains to stay above the discard limit. A drum that is too thin, cracked, or heat-spotted gets replaced instead. A thin drum runs hotter and fades sooner on long downhill stops.

Trucks and vans that tow or haul heavy loads work their rear brakes harder than a commuter sedan. Those vehicles benefit from a drum inspection at every tire rotation since rear lining can wear faster than expected.

Call Affordable Automotive Services at (509) 764-0000 to schedule drum brake repair. We’re a short drive from Ephrata, Quincy, and Warden for auto repair in Moses Lake. Plenty of local trucks and work vans already come to us for rear-brake work.