1989 Mazda 626. Tried to get the rear drums off, they wouldn't budge! The
>manual said to pull the rubber plug and insert a screwdriver to put the
>spring retainer out of the way...there wasn't one.
>
>Then I remembered when I did a brake inspection a few years ago the
>retainer is on the OUTSIDE, but no joy. The drums are stuck. On Toyotas
>there is a rubber plug you can remove to loosen the adjuster, but not so >on this car.
I feel your pain, as they say. I think the critical joint is where the inside rim of the drum rides against the side of the hub.
What worked for me ('99 Cavalier) was
- heating the drum right around the hub. I used a fair amount of heat, but just propane. While heating, I kept rotating the drum.
- Between heatings, I ...
- Pulled (hard) on the back rim of the drum (gloves help) and ...
- Rapped the hub with a heavy hammer while pulling. Taking care not to whack the studs.
Before that, I had done a lot rapping on the back rim of the drum, through a wooden block. That isn't what freed it, but who can say if it helped. Same with soaking the hub/drum joint with PB Blaster.
Plus, using my 'power words'. Ears were burning in Chevy-land.
G