Hi,

My car has been running great recently, which is nice for an typically unreliable VW ! But my rear right drum brake has now decided to squeak every-time I take my foot off the brake, which can be a bit embarrassing in traffic etc! I'm dam sure it just needs a blow and a good oiling (don't we all) with some brake lube. The problem is, I've never taken a drum apart before and although fairly handy, I don't want to be doing something detrimental to my brakes of all things!

Do you guys think this is tackle-able or shall I just take it to the garage? I would just rather not pay for such a small job, there's nothing actually wrong with the function, it's just the noise!

If anybody has a guide or advice on how to take drums apart and put them back together again that would be ace! By the way its a lowly 9N.

Shouldn't be too difficult.

Just put it back the way you took it apart =D works for most things :p

Have you got a Haynes manual?

copper grease the shoe pivots and the handbrake arm linkage,any moving parts but not the wedge key,just wire brush any crap of that,i greased one once it it caused it to stick

i know nowt about 9ns if I'm honest but guarantee its just a case of removing the split pin,then centre nut and washers,with outer bearing,just like any drummed dub

then for removing the drum,if its tight then look for a grommet at the rear of the backplate,you can lever the wedge key up to back the shoes off from the drum,the drums develop a lip after a while so need a tap with a mallet to clear

I've done mk4s but I'm sure it should be a similar setup

Ok thanks for the advice, I will get it jacked up and have a poke around!

The setup on old polos are as described above but thats an old design. Although in principle they are all the same, so yours may be different. Have a go its fairly simple to get the drum of, try not to get any greese or foreign objects on the shoe pads or on the inside of the drum.

The most difficulty you will have is getting the drum of if a lip of rust has formed, you will have to use two or even three screwdrivers and abit of force to get the drum of.

Tommy.