2004 Matrix

can't imagine anything special, just do one side at a time, if in doubt for reassembly, refer to the other side. good luck.

Google is you friend!

Drum brakes are a little more complicated than disc brakes. :-(

You can use the guide from an older Corolla at Autozone.com for directions on replacing drum brake shoes.

I have googled and wound up here...

Ray O. gets the prize, there's enough on the Autozone site to get mine done.. thanks..

jonroq wrote in news:iygKi.102920$GO6.55023 @newsfe21.lga:

Pull the oval rubber plug at the back of the drums and inspect the linings there. No need to remove the drums.

If there is no plug, then you do need to remove the drums.

Tegger wrote in news:Xns99B74851F37FCtegger@207.14.116.130:

And I DON'T mean the adjuster's plug! I mean the plug meant specifically for shoe inspection.

Yes, thanks... I just saw that on the schematic..

jonroq wrote in news:b5AKi.91764$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe19.lga:

You have an inspection plug or you do not?

Haven't looked yet. Will be under it tomorrow.. thx

I pull the drums once a year on every vehicle I own regardless of how many miles they have been driven. I learned my lesson the hard way about letting the drums rust into place over a 6 year period before I needed shoes. After all the pounding, prying and eventually heating them I said "Never Again!"

There's a threaded hole on the drums that accepts a bolt (10mm IIRC) which allows you to gradually push the drums out from the stud plate. Just don't let the drum get so corroded that your bolt snaps off in the hole before the drum releases!

Sean Elkins wrote in news:sean snipped-for-privacy@iglou.read.readnews.com:

You must be referring to the rust ridge that forms on the friction surface just inboard of the shoes. This used to be a problem, but Toyota's latest drum designs are far less prone to this than they used to be.

In any case, backing the shoes off all the way normally allows the shoes to bypass that ridge.

The only time I've ever encountered a drum that was impossible to take off was a neighbor who let the shoes run down to the steel. The shoe backing wore into the drum so as to create its own ridge. There was no adjuster hole in the backing plate. I had to Dremel off the shoe hold-down pins. This allowed me to lever the drums away from the backing plate far enough to get at the adjuster.

Looked and found the plug, pulled the plug and found good brakes. About 3/16" liining yet/

rjohnsto wrote in news:4702388a$0$26390$88260bb3 @free.teranews.com:

What I figured you'd find.

Rear drum brakes on a FWD Toyota last close to 80K miles. Maybe even more.

At least now you know how to check them. What you're seeing is the lower edge of the leading shoe, which is where they wear most.