How to Change the Rear Brake Drums & Shoes on a 2006-2011 Toyota Camry

Park on a level surface and chock your front wheels. Use a lug wrench or breaker bar and 21mm socket to loosen the lug nuts on the rear wheels. Use a jack and jack stands to lift and support the rear end of the vehicle. Remove the lug nuts and rear wheels.

Be sure that your emergency or parking brake is released, then pull straight out on the drum to remove it. If it won’t come off, remove the rubber plug from the brake drum and use a small flat blade screwdriver to turn the adjuster and retract the shoes.

Before you remove any springs or hardware, it’s a good idea to take a photo of the assembly so you can be sure about how to put it all back together.

Now you can use pliers or your brake spring tool to remove the retaining cup from the front brake shoe to release the hold-down spring and pin, then separate the parking brake shoe strut.

Remove the tension spring from the front brake shoe and remove that brake shoe.

Repeat these steps for the rear brake shoe. Remove the rear brake shoe, then remove the parking brake strut.

You can use a screwdriver to disconnect the parking brake cable from the anchor plate, then use pliers to disconnect the parking brake cable from the lever.

With the rear shoe taken off, remove the adjusting lever spring and the automatic adjusting lever. You’ll also need to use a screwdriver to remove the C-washer and the parking brake shoe lever.

Once both those bolts are snug, use your torque wrench and 14mm socket to tighten the top bolt to 38 foot-pounds. The 12mm bottom bolt will need to be torqued to 16 foot-pounds.

On your new brake shoes, install the parking brake shoe lever and the C-washer. Compress and secure the C-washer with pliers. Clean and grease the threads of the strut adjuster. Install the automatic adjuster lever.

Connect the parking brake cable to the parking brake shoe lever, then line up and install the parking brake shoe strut. Connect the shoe return spring to the rear shoe. Connect the parking brake cable to the anchor plate.

Slide the hold-down pin through the rear of the backing plate and position the shoe over the pin. Use your brake spring tool to install the hold-down spring and cup. Be sure the cup is turned 90 degrees and the flat end of the pin is fully seated in the cup.

Connect the tension spring to both the front and rear brake shoes. Slide the hold-down pin through the rear of the backing plate and position the shoe over the pin. Use your brake spring tool to install the hold-down spring and cup. Connect the shoe return spring to the front brake shoe.

Inspect your drum brake assembly and compare it to the picture you took earlier if necessary to ensure everything is properly assembled.

Use silicone grease on the hub to prevent corrosion behind the new drum. Install the brake drum over the brake shoes, and align the holes in the drum with the lug studs and the hole in the hub for the adjuster to slide it on fully.

Now that your brake drum is in place, you can use a small screwdriver to turn the adjuster through the port in the brake drum and hub to adjust the brake shoes. You want the shoes to make minimal contact with the drums, but once you’re fully adjusted, the drum should still be able to turn. Reinstall the rubber plug.

It’s always best to replace brake parts in pairs, so repeat these steps on the other side.

Reinstall the wheels, lower the back end, and remove the wheel chocks. Use your socket and a torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern to 76 foot-pounds.

The automatic adjusters in a drum braking system are designed to adjust the shoes outward to compensate for wear when the brakes are engaged in reverse. Once your brake job is complete, it’s a good idea to reverse and stop your Camry several times to ensure the brake shoes are adjusted.