98 Protege Brake hub nut size?

Roy,

The brake drums are held on by the four lug nuts. Once you remove the tire and loosen the brake shoes, the drum should pull off. If it doesn't (due to rust), there is a threaded hole provided. You screw in a bolt (I think it is an M8, but you should check)and torque it until the drum pops off.

Ken

Great! Thanks for the information. I will pull the wheel and get the drum off the next time.

Roy

Also another thing to look for is the adjuster slot in the drum. Usually there is a slot in the drum with a piece of rubber in it. You remove the rubber, and then shove a brake adjuster tool (ie. Screwdriver!) into the slot to turn the adjuster and bring the shoes in so they move away from the drum surface. The slot should be at the bottom (6 o'clock) position of the drum.

You'll know if you're turning it the wrong way...the drum won't turn at all!!

Roy,

What Hachiroku said is true for a lot of cars, but not your Protege. There is no "star wheel" to adjust. The only thing you might have to do is push the parking brake lever in the direction of less tension to release the pressure of the shoes against the drum. But you probably don't need to do this at all.

One other thing: the specified minimum lining thickness is 1mm. That's not a lot. If you look at new shoes, the lining is probably 3mm. If you measure this properly and you have a bunch of lining left, don't bother messing with replacement.

I measured the linings on my daughter's 98 Protoge recently and they were something like 1.9mm on one side and 1.7mm on the other. I put the drums back on and called it a day. I'll check them sometime next year. The car has 136K and these might be the original shoes.

I was wrong about how the drum is secured. I forgot to mention that there is a single flat head screw (with a Philips head) that needs to come out. It is very obvious; can't miss it.

Have fun.

Ken

Aw, yes, I remember now. It is a 'weird' set up compared to the other brakes I have seen.

But, the last time I saw one, the tech working on it had to use an impact driver to remove that screw! (and not tha air type, the one you hit with a hammer!)

Thanks for the infor! and, is this a similar setup to what I'll find on my '89 626?

I live in the SF Bay area where there rust/corrosion is less of a factor than a lot of other locations. The securing screws I have seen came out easily (matter of fact: one was loose; I could have removed it by hand). I suppose that it could be more difficult for others.

Sorry, I would not know. My guess is that it would be similar but I have no experience with an older 626.

Ken