hey there, i need to do some maintenance on the rear brake drum, specifically the pass side squeaks in rotation with the wheel, but only occasional. it seems to leak some fluid too, so i thought i would take it apart and see what it needs. anyone have any tips on this? i took the wheel off, but cant seem to get the drum cover off, do i need to remove the whole assembly from the rear, to just get the cover off and replace the brake shoes? the service manual is not much help, it says to remove the whole assembly in the axle removal section...

Make sure the emergency brake is off!

I've never had an Isuzu with drum brakes, but I have had a large number of other vehicles with drums.

There "should" be a rubber plug on the back of the mounting plate that will probably be an oblong shape. If you take out the plug, you can use a brake spoon to back off the brake adjuster all the way.

You can then take a rubber hammer and hit the drum all around. That should break loose the brake (pun intended).

thanks, ill see if i can see a rubber plug on the back of it that will allow me access to the inside. the service manual is totally useless in this catagory.

Hi, I'm Pitt, a Professional Tech. This is my very first post, so I fig I might as well make it a helpful one. The drums are getting pressure applied to them by the brake shoes/pads being pushed against the drum surface, and eventually making a groove which the shoes run in. its like a ditch almost. so first, know how they apply the pressure. There are a series of arms and wedges that push the shoe more and more as it ages, they dont retract when you let off the pedal. So in order to get them to release, the post above is correct. You need to go through a view hole in the back or front of the drum, using a small flashlight at firs. You will notice a spring going through a metal arm, pulling at arm down, causing the shoe to hold pressure. You then need to use an awl, ice pick or strong screw driver, to stick into the hole where the spring is attached to the arm. push the pick/awl, the opposite direction that the spring is pulling in and therefore, retracting the brake shoes. Once they release, a light tap with a hammer, or no tap at all, will allow the drum to come off.
At this point, let me give you the BEST advice ever.. TAKE A PICTURE! it looks simple, but replacing these arms and springs properly, gets confusing. the trick is to have a good pic of where it all belongs.
PM me if you need a hand
Pitt

thanks for everyones helpful suggestions, i took it into a local shop, and he put it up on the lift, and hit em with a bigger hammer than what i had. they came right off! note to self, use a bigger hammer next time. which will be soon, cause i need to replace the wheel cylinders next...