Worked with my son yesteday to try and remove a rear drum on a '94 Beretta. No luck. Used a little WD-40 and a small amount of heat around the flange. Proceeded to hammer, but nothing. Next step is to try to rent a rear drum puller. How do the Techs at the Dealers get these drums off?
Thanks,
John

Make sure that the drum is a separate piece from the hub before you go and try to pull it off, otherwise you need to remove the grease cap and then remove the cotter pin and nut to get it off as it's liabe to be a one piece drum/hub....

I have no idea what they are like on the 94 cars, but pay attention to Harlieghguy in case he's right about that.

If it's the old way of doing things, the shoes would sometimes get worn down to where the rivets dug into the drums. This would make getting the drums off pretty hard since the rivet was riding in the groove.

Also, if the brakes are just a little too tight they will put pressure against the drum and make it hard to get off.

Try adjusting the brake shoes in if there's an adjustment access hole on the inner section of the brake housing, usually right under the axle going into the brake housing.

Also, make sure the emergency brake is off if they set the emergency brake up to go to the rear wheels ;)

Steve

Originally posted by harleighguy:
Make sure that the drum is a separate piece from the hub before you go and try to pull it off, otherwise you need to remove the grease cap and then remove the cotter pin and nut to get it off as it's liabe to be a one piece drum/hub.... I'll second that. Most FWD cars I have worked on, this is the case. You take the drums off like you would take front rotors off of a RWD car.

Jeff

I cant recall right now if the drums have a hub assenbly you need to remove the bearing cap off.

However you may also have some rust built up in the hub area if the drum hasnt been removed for a while. Which may make it harder to get the drum off. Might also want to back off the adjuster.

Chris.

I don't know about that car but a lot of the GM's have a seperate sealed bearing hub assembly like on the front, but without the hole for the axle shaft.

When you tried the hammer were you hitting it between the wheel studs? I've always had good luck with a stuck drum by just pounding the crap out of them between the studs all the way around. Works for a rotor too. Nothing gentle will work here. A puller will probably bend the drum.

Peter

Yes, we tried to hammer between the studs. Used a regular hammer. Maybe try a larger hammer and be more aggressive. Always a Dealer, if all else fails.

Where is it sticking? Where the hub comes through the drum? If so beat the crap out of it as suggested, and PB Blaster around the hub. 94? Had a 92 Berreta and wailed on it for days. If your lucky it's binding on the shoes. As they wear into the drum you get a ridge along the outer edge which is smaller diameter then the shoes, adjust the shoes in.

Originally posted by JohnM:
Worked with my son yesteday to try and remove a rear drum on a '94 Beretta. No luck. Used a little WD-40 and a small amount of heat around the flange. Proceeded to hammer, but nothing. Next step is to try to rent a rear drum puller. How do the Techs at the Dealers get these drums off?
Thanks,
John You don,t need a puller to remove these drums,you're already going about it the right way.Use a lot of WD40 and a bigger hammer.One other way,get a 10 inch or so screwdriver between the drum and the backing plate and pry out slightly. At the same time smack the center hub with a soft faced hammer, (brass faced works best for this) This should release the drum from the hub,which is a sealed bearing so DON,T BEAT on it.
If it still won,t release you can chisel the knockout on the face of the drum to access the starwheel and de-adjust the shoes.

It came back to me now. 92 Beretta, drum was locked onto hub at the center. Did what 71350ss suggested, pried between backing plate and drum while smacking the hub. Make sure you use something soft or you'll flair the hub and never get it off.