Q: Changing wheel cylinders

The wheel cylinders are fairly easy to service for a novice mechanic. You’ll have to remove the brake drum and remove the metal brake line on the back of the wheel cylinder using a 10mm line wrench. Then remove the two 10mm bolts that hold the wheel cylinder to the backing plate. Disconnect the brake shoes main top spring from one of the brake shoes using a brake spring pliers. From here, spread open the shoes with your hands and pull out the brake wheel cylinder. Once that’s done, install the new wheel cylinder and install two mounting bolts then connect the spring back on to the shoes. Adjust the brake shoes as necessary and reinstall the brake drum. Lastly, reconnect brake line and then bleed brakes of air. If you don’t feel comfortable with this repair, consider YourMechanic, as one of our mobile technicians can come to your home and replace your brake wheel cylinder at your own convenience.