How to replace brake shoes?

Brake shoes are consumables and will gradually wear out in use. When they reach their limit, they must be replaced, otherwise, they will reduce the effectiveness of braking and even cause safety accidents. To replace brake shoes, you will need a jack, socket spanner, plum spanner, screwdriver, sandpaper, grease, etc. Also, there is no way to replace them yourself on some luxury cars, as their tire bolts have to be unscrewed with special tools. I would recommend buying the right brake shoes yourself and getting them replaced by a professional repair shop, for a small price and to save yourself some effort. Here is a quick overview of the brake shoe replacement process.

Here is the content list:

l Remove the tire bolts

l Lifting the vehicle to remove the tires

l Removing the brake distributor pump

l Sanding the brake shoes

l Apply grease

l Putting on the brake shoes

Remove the tire bolts

Before the vehicle is lifted, loosen all the wheel fastening bolts by half a turn, there is no need to unscrew them completely. This is to use the friction between the tires and the ground to loosen the wheel bolts more easily.

Lifting the vehicle to remove the tires

Use a jack to jack up the side of the vehicle in the lifting position, which is usually a raised rubber pad, usually located behind the front wheels and on the "beam" of the bodywork in front of the rear wheels. Raise the vehicle until the wheels are slightly off the ground. Then unscrew all the wheel bolts and remove the wheels. Note that it is best to place the removed wheel against the underside of the brake disc to prevent the jack from releasing pressure and causing injury or death.

Removing the brake distributor pump

The brake distributor pump for disc brakes on domestic vehicles is fastened to the distributor pump bracket by two bolts. To replace the brake shoes, we only need to remove the two bolts holding the brake distributor pump in place. Once the two bolts have been loosened, we can remove the brake distributor pump. As the brake distributor pump has a soft hydraulic line on it, hitch it to the front axle suspension next to it.

Sanding the brake shoes

Use sandpaper to chamfer the edges of the brake shoes on the contact side of the brake discs, which can cause brake rattles if the shoes are not polished. This is because old brake discs usually have grooves on them due to the friction of the brake shoes, and new flat brake skins will create a rattle because the friction surface is too small. If you are replacing the brake shoes and discs at the same time, there is no need to polish the brake shoes, just install them directly.

Apply grease

Apply a little grease to the raised areas on both sides of the new brake shoes to prevent the new brake shoes from rattling against the distributor bracket.

Putting on the brake shoes

Place the brake shoes onto the distributor bracket, taking care not to interchange the inner and outer brake shoes. We can then snap the brake distributor pump onto the distributor pump bracket. Screw on the brake distributor pump bolts and tighten them with a torque spanner.

The rest of the process is easy, it's mainly about fitting the tires and remembering to tighten the wheel bolts once the tires are in place.

Overall, the whole process of replacing the brake shoes is not too difficult to understand, and the brake shoes manufactured by Guangzhou IFK Auto Parts CO., LTD are durable and offer higher braking power, reduced rotor wear, and low dust, making them the perfect choice for upgrading from conventional brake shoes.