Whether you're replacing the rear brake shoes on your PT Cruiser or you just want to clean and adjust the rear drum brakes, you'll need to remove them. The PT Cruiser uses a sealed drum which covers the backing plate trapping brake dust inside. The brake dust can often get caught in between the contact surface of the shoes and drum and produce a pronounced squeal when applying the brake pedal. Removing the drum and shoes will temporarily alleviate the problem until more dust builds up.
Remove the rear hub caps and loosen the lug nuts of both rear tires with the lug wrench.
Place a wheel chock in front of one of the front tires and raise the rear of the PT cruiser in a safe and secure manner. Support the PT Cruiser onto the jack stands.
Locate and remove the rubber plug covering the adjustment porthole on the back side of the backing plate. Using the brake adjustment spoon, engage the teeth of the adjuster wheel and turn it in a forward motion to back off the shoe adjustment and allow the drum to be removed easily. Remove the drum and discard the brake dust appropriately.
Remove the automatic adjusting spring using the drum brake pliers. Disconnect the spring from the lever.
Apply pressure to pin of the hold-down clips using the needle nosed pliers with a finger on the rear of the backing plate. Turn the clip until the hole in the clip matches the flat end of the pin to release the clip.
Use needle nose pliers to remove the parking brake cable from the actuating lever.
Use the drum brake pliers or the needle nose pliers to remove the upper shoe spring.
Tip one of the shoes downward to relieve tension on the lower show spring and remove the spring by hand. Clean the rear brakes as desired and to replace, reverse the procedure and adjust the shoes to the drum.
