Rear drum brake removal/replacement: An introduction

[Cobrajet]

So my buddy has a 2017 ES, purchased on my recommendation. He just hit 94,000 miles, and said he was about due for front brake pads again. I asked if the rotors had ever been done, and he said they were the originals. "Better do rotors, too." I then asked about the rear brakes, and he said they had not been touched. "Definitely time to look at the rears", I told him. Mine only lasted to 80k, so even with the larger rear brakes on the '17-up models I figured he was on borrowed time.

He brought the car over to my house on Thursday night and we pulled it into my garage to do the brakes at all four corners. I was expecting to find rear brakes that were essentially the same as the ones on the '14-'15 models, just with bigger drums. Turns out they are a completely different design. They are manually adjusted.





Yep, old-skool star adjusters on these! And here I was thinking the brakes on the earlier models with the automatic adjusters were crude. This is what his shoes looked like after 94k with no adjustments. Leading shoe is worn at the bottom, trailing shoe is nearly new top to bottom. Parking brake seemed to work fine.

I suspect Mitsubishi just unceremoniously lifted these rear brakes off of another model. They work, but keep them adjusted!

[Eggman]

Yep, old-skool star adjusters on these! And here I was thinking the brakes on the earlier models with the automatic adjusters were crude.

So you mean that star wheel adjuster mechanism with the lever doesn't do automatic adjustments? I thought that was what the lever did when backing up.

[Cobrajet]

I don't think so? It sure didn't seem to be working on his car, if that is the case.

[foama]

My 2014 came with the saw-toothed wheel adjuster. Once there is enough play between linings and drum, the lever will have to move more when braking, and hence the lever adjusts the starwheel.

On this car, at close to 100 000km the linings are almost new.

[Cobrajet]

My 2014 came with the saw-toothed wheel adjuster. Once there is enough play between linings and drum, the lever will have to move more when braking, and hence the lever adjusts the starwheel.

On this car, at close to 100 000km the linings are almost new.

Ah, I see how it is supposed to work now. I just assumed they were manually adjusted since at nearly 100,000 miles...160,000 km...the linings are nearly new. He has never touched the rear brakes. There was barely even any brake dust on them.

Are these supposed to adjust with the e-brake or when the car is backed up? Maybe it is just how he is driving it? Both sides looked nearly unused.

US cars (in 2015 at least) have this spring-loaded 'quadrant-type' brake adjuster, which seems to work fine.

[MetroMPG]

It should have self-adjusted via the lever, but obviously it didn't.

[Cobrajet]

It should have self-adjusted via the lever, but obviously it didn't.

Neither side did. Were it only one side with the problem I'd assume something was stuck or installed wrong.

[MetroMPG]

Maybe the stars were stuck? Or sticky? It seems pretty unlikely that the owner wouldn't have done whatever special brake application is needed to cause them to adjust.

[Cobrajet]

Maybe the stars were stuck? Or sticky? It seems pretty unlikely that the owner wouldn't have done whatever special brake application is needed to cause them to adjust.

The adjusters were loaded with nice, soft, clean grease inside them. The owner is a delivery driver. Believe me, over the course of nearly 100k there is no type of brake application he wouldn't have done. Repeatedly. His car isn't a freeway commuter.

Strange. I might expect to see rear brakes in this condition at around 30k. But 94k?? He and I have the same job, and at 84k my rear brakes were literally shredded. Could it be that the larger brakes front and rear on the '17+ really are that much better at stopping this light car, so less work is being done by the brakes, thus much less wear?

The only reason the brakes were changed is that people were complaining about pad life. Maybe Mitsubishi solved that problem rather decisively?

I haven't talked to him since I did the brakes on Thursday. I will shoot him a text today and ask him if the brakes feel any different than they did before. I know I have the rear brakes adjusted correctly now, and that they are working.

[MetroMPG]

there is no type of brake application he wouldn't have done. Repeatedly.

I figured. (Not like me, where the types of brake problems I usually have are related to lack of use, or lack of aggressive use.)

It's a mystery!