One of the emerg brake shoe hold down springs let go on my 05 xfire. Made a horrible noise. I put it back but I ended up ordering new shoes and springs. This job is a nightmare! You have to work behing the axle. So after much swearing and sweat, here is my version of getting these things back on. 1) Take a picture to make sure you dont get the spring orientation wrong when re-installing. Note which way the adjuster sits.
2) Back off the adjuster, remove hold down springs. I used a small socket that just fit over the spring-push and turn til they unclip.
3) Wrestle the shoes off the best you can. Set adjuster aside, lubricate.
4) Loosen and lubricate BOTH pivots of the emerg cable actuator till they flop around easily. Note where the shoes fit into the slots.
5) Attach small upper spring to shoes.
6) Rotate shoes so that upper spring is on the bottom, open the shoes and fit aroung axle.
Yes at this point the shoes are on upside down.
7) Wrap shoes around till they come close at the top and attach bottom spring.
8) ROTATE shoes with both springs attatched, and fit bottom most shoe into actuator mechanism slot.
9) This part is difficult.........Grab pliers or vice grips, get a good hold of the upper shoe edge and wrestle over the top part of the actuator. Make sure it sits in the slot properly. (see #5)
10) Install adjuster at top of shoes. Set one end into the shoe, pry the other shoe away until you can mate it.
11) I marked my hold down springs with a dab of red nail polish so i could see if I did a 1/4 turn. This is a little fussy so you should note the orientation of the slots on the backplate, they match the shoe. I stuck a small screwdriver in through the shoe to kind of align the shoe with the hole. Use the small socket and wriggle them in.
12) Centre the shoes, install the brake rotor, turn it to make sure it goes runs free.
Work the emerg brake up and down a few times to seat the shoes.


After finishing the other side, I found I did not need to make an adjustment of the shoes. It held the care fine, I will adjust it when the shoes wear in a bit. PS. Pay attention to that emerg brake light, these linings are super thin and wont last long driving with them on. On a sour note, this style of emerg brake is outdated and mickey mouse in my opinion.