just redid the wheel cylinders on my '91 Loyale. the shoes had never been changed i'm sure and there had been a slow leak in one cylinder for some time. the strut was so gunked up i couldnt get it to release the shoes. so the shoes were holding the drum on real tight. The only thing i could do was put a puller on the drum and hope i didn't ruin anything. only by luck, no broken springs and the clips where intact. got it all back together but man what a mess. i think everyone forgets about the back brakes. :s

Well here's a handy hint for the next time you do your drums. On 4wd EA82 models there is a rubber plug that you can take out to access the release mechinism for the automatic adjuster. Just pull the plug and stick a screwdriver in the right spot and you should be all freed up.

that was the first thing i tried but there was so much gunk on there it wouldn't budge. even when i got it apart i emptied a half a can of brake cleaner and had to persuade it with a screwdriver and a hammer(just a couple of lite taps)

I've been messing with the same problem all day. passenger-rear cylinder went out on Wednesday while driving home from work.

 

both shoes had un-seated themselves from the bottom and the wheel cylinder. the forward shoe was toast! rented a puller from autozone (I should just buy one) and the drum came off without any damage to anything on the inside.

 

tomorrow I will install the new cylinder and bleed the whole thing.

 

how do I adjust/bleed the e-brake?

 

how do I adjust/bleed the e-brake?

 

The e-brake is on the front calipers on the early Subarus so if they were working fine when you worked on your back brakes they should still be fine.

they weren't. front brakes work fine. e-brake had almost nothing.

they weren't. front brakes work fine. e-brake had almost nothing.

 

Theres 2 adjusting nuts under the center console for the e-brake.

I would suggest you take a look at the front brakes tho.

 

The best way to get rid of the rear brake cylinder problem is to replace them with disc brakes. The conversion is simple and easy. And pads are alot easier to change than shoes.

The best way to get rid of the rear brake cylinder problem is to replace them with disc brakes. The conversion is simple and easy. And pads are alot easier to change than shoes.

 

what would that take? I have a 91 loyale auto with 108,000.

It only depends if its 2wd or 4wd. Any Soob from 85 to 92(I think) that has disc brakes will work. Most of the Turbo Models had rear disc, and some GL-10''s did also. You will have to have the right running gear to match thats all.

All XTs had rear disks too

4wd. how do I find my running gear? or better yet, which is the best model for a swap like that?

Any 85 to 92 Turbo, GL-10 or XT model with 4wd will work.

right on! I will keep my eyes peeled.

 

are they hard to find? how much usually? what do I need to pull off the car at the junkyard?

The rotors, calipers and most important of all, the backing plate.