The rear brake drums on your 1997 Nissan Altima fit tighter than many of the brake drums you may have worked with in the past. These drums do not just slide off the hub, in fact pressing them off the hub is the only way they will come loose. You do not need any fancy tools or equipment to accomplish this, just two 10-millimeter bolts and a wrench. Once off the car, inspect the rear drums and resurface or replace them as needed before reassembly.
Instructions
- 1
Loosen the lug nuts on the rear wheels of your Altima. A lug wrench or a breaker bar with a socket attached works best for this. Do not take the lug nuts off the studs until the weight is off the wheels.
2Jack up the back of the car until it is high enough to get the tires off the car. One or two inches gap between the bottom of the tire and ground is enough. Slide a set of jack stands under the frame or rear suspension to support the car.
3Remove the lug nuts completely then pull the wheel off the rear hub and set it aside. The rear drum on the Altima has two threaded holes in the face of it. The drums will not slide off this car like they will on some.
4Insert a 10-millimeter bolt (about 4 inches long) into each of the two threaded holes and turn them clockwise with a wrench, alternating between bolts ever couple turns. Continue working back and forth between the bolts until the drum comes loose. Slide the drum the rest of the way off by hand.
5Repeat the process for the second brake drum on the opposite side of the car.
