OEM 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Brake Drum

2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Brake Drum Parts and Q&A

• Q: How to Remove and Reinstall a Brake Drum on 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser?

  A: For starters, raise the car, remove the rear wheel assembly and undo the tire. If your brake drum has retaining clips, remove them after that. Slide the brake drum past the mounted wheel studs that are attached to the hub. When the drum will not move, pull out the rubber plug above the support plate, loosen the brake adjuster nut and increase the space between the caliper and rotor. Form a pawl release tool with a coat hanger or heavy mechanics wire, remove the plug from above the wheel cylinder and pull out the whole thing. Use the access hole in the support plate to pass the fabricated tool through and under the adjuster to the lever pawl. Position it just so that you get a good contact against the leading shoe in front of the carriage. To lift off the pawl with the tool, first rotate the star-wheel with a small screwdriver or brake adjuster tool. You should be able to pull the drum off once you've loosened the adjuster screw enough. Prior to installing the drum, examine the brake shoe linings to see if they are worn, aligned and clean and remove or fix them as required. Should rust or foreign things appear on the hub, drum or wheel surfaces, clean them with a wet wire brush prior to assembly. Scrape away any material around the drum's braking edge and then adjust your brake shoes to fit over the edge using a brake shoe gauge. Place the brake drum onto the hub and bearing, then the tire and wheel assembly and tighten the wheel mounting nuts to 135 Nm (100 ft. lbs.) torque. Next, park the vehicle and do a road test, stopping in both forward and reverse using the brakes, because the automatic adjuster will still adjust them during the test.