rear drum brakes, what a PITA

91stranger · Jan 16, 2019

So I just replaced the front pads about 1-2 weeks ago and low and behold the rear brakes start grinding. Should have seen this coming since its 20 years old and 117k so it more than likely had original factory pads from 1999. So I knew it was going to be bad so I got new shoes and a new hardware kit. Took lunch at 2:15pm yesterday to start the rear drums. Jacked up the rear and took off the driver side drum with little resistance so that was good. As soon as the drum came off, parts fell out. So that's not good. Everything was so rusty and old I'm glad I got the hardware kit. The passenger side drum did not want to come off. I had to get my pry bar in there and wiggle it out and eventually got it off. This side also had parts that fell out with the drum. So I have no good reference since both sides are broken. So my boss tried printing some pics and they ended up being really dark and about 3" big so that was no help. I eventually got the driver side put together after about an hour and 35 minutes. Got the other side done in half that time since I have a good reference now. I literally got it done and wheels back on at 4:55 (5 minutes till closing). So no more grinding, rear brakes are done, so no more brake issues for a long time now. So here are some pics of what I was dealing with yesterday.

adsm08 · Jan 16, 2019

I spent $1600 on my Explorer rear axle swap. That's axle, weld work, and all new brake parts, including calipers.

I tell people I did it for the stronger axle and stronger disc brakes. I really did it to get rid of drums.

Worth every penny.

91stranger · Jan 16, 2019

Yeah I can see that. This was my first crack at drum brakes. I've done plenty of front brakes but never drums because all my vehicles have never needed rear drum brakes lol. I'm definitely glad its done and over with.

Dirtman · Jan 16, 2019

By the looks of the shoes it doesn't seem like those brakes have been working in years lol. That and obviously the self adjusters were non-existent. Everyone complains about drum brakes but they work great if you keep them serviced. Everytime you do fronts you should inspect, clean, lube, and adjust the rears. If you work on them once every 20 years of course they aren't going to work. With a good pair of drum brake pliers and spring holders you should be able to change everything in less than an hour. I can actually do my drums faster than the discs since my discs require servicing the wheel bearings.

19Walt93 · Jan 16, 2019

I prefer rear drums over discs. I had an 04 Ranger with rear drums form April 04 until August 11 and all I did to the rear brakes was pull off the drums in May for inspection, dump out the dust and put it back together. I think I lubed the slide points once or twice. My 2011 has rear discs and I've had to tear them apart, grind the rust off the slides and edges of the rotors, lube everything and reassemble them every year. If you're braking hard enough to get any benefit from rear disc brakes all the weight is thrown onto the front wheels anyway. Disc brakes tolerate heat better and recover quicker after running through deep water. The pads also ride in light contact all the time. Yes, I'm an old guy.

adsm08 · Jan 16, 2019

19Walt93 said:
I prefer rear drums over discs. I had an 04 Ranger with rear drums form April 04 until August 11 and all I did to the rear brakes was pull off the drums in May for inspection, dump out the dust and put it back together. I think I lubed the slide points once or twice. My 2011 has rear discs and I've had to tear them apart, grind the rust off the slides and edges of the rotors, lube everything and reassemble them every year. If you're braking hard enough to get any benefit from rear disc brakes all the weight is thrown onto the front wheels anyway. Disc brakes tolerate heat better and recover quicker after running through deep water. The pads also ride in light contact all the time. Yes, I'm an old guy.

Not so much anymore now that my life situation has changed a bit, but at the time or my swap I was frequently running the truck well over weight, with most of it over or behind the rear axle.

gw33gp · Jan 16, 2019

I replaced the rear shoes on my Ranger at around 50K miles. I did it because I was upgrading the fiction material on all four corners. I thought at the time it was such a hassle that it would be worth switching to disc brakes in the rear. I am now at 240K miles and the only thing I have done to the rear brakes since replacing them is inspect them once a year or so. They may be a hassle to change but they sure do last a long time. I tow a lot so they do get plenty of abuse.

Uncle Gump · Jan 16, 2019

To me... it doesn't look like you're done just yet.

It appears that you have the self adjuster cable eyelet in between the return springs on the anchor pin. That eyelet should go up against the anchor pin shoe plate... then the return springs go on. I could be wrong here... but did you use pliers and a screw driver to install the return springs? Because you have the hooks on those brand new springs pretty bent up. At a minimum I would take a pair of pliers and bend those spring hooks closed some.

Also... something just doesn't look right down by the self adjuster. Can't really see it well in the picture though. I believe there is a self adjuster lever return spring that goes on the lever post with a short arm and long arm. The short arm rests on the shoe and the long arm hooks on the lever to keep the lever down. Maybe it's there and I just can't see it.

Did you take the self adjusters apart... clean and lube them? They need to move nice and easy.

And Lastly... Tell me you replaced the drums or had them measured and turned. Because as Dirtman said... those things haven't worked in a long time.

sgtsandman · Jan 16, 2019

19Walt93 said:
I prefer rear drums over discs. I had an 04 Ranger with rear drums form April 04 until August 11 and all I did to the rear brakes was pull off the drums in May for inspection, dump out the dust and put it back together. I think I lubed the slide points once or twice. My 2011 has rear discs and I've had to tear them apart, grind the rust off the slides and edges of the rotors, lube everything and reassemble them every year. If you're braking hard enough to get any benefit from rear disc brakes all the weight is thrown onto the front wheels anyway. Disc brakes tolerate heat better and recover quicker after running through deep water. The pads also ride in light contact all the time. Yes, I'm an old guy.

I'm with you. Sure drums are a PITA to work on when it's time to change out the shoes but if you keep up on them, they last FOREVER. The rear discs on any vehicle I've worked on had to be religiously maintained and much more labor intensive and expensive. I've already had to replace the rotors and pads because of all the crap the front wheels throw at them on my 2011. And that was with me cleaning, inspecting, and lubing every spring and fall with tire rotations. I'll take rear drums any time over rear discs.

91stranger · Jan 18, 2019

Here is a better pic of the lower half of the drum. If something is in the wrong spot then that doesn't surprise me. This was my first hack at drums. Definitely didn't help that both sides had broken pieces so there's not a good reference to look at. The rear brakes actually were working. I can feel the passenger rear grab when I first go to brake after backing up (like if you back out of parking spot and go to stop at the end of parking lot then the rear brakes grab harder than normal). And yes the spring are bent because I took them off a few times when I realized something wasn't right and had to be redone. Thank god for brake spring pliers. And yes I lubed everything including the backing plates and the star wheel assembly. As for the drums, no I did not replace them. I was going to see if I could have them turned at work but they couldn't do it in time. Like I said, I finished this 5 minutes before our shop closed so I had to throw the old drums back on and go. There's no grinding or anything unusual coming from the rear so I would say the drums are ok for the time being. I do plan on getting new ones just not right now. If someone sees something I did wrong please tell me so I can fix it.

Denisefwd93 · Jan 18, 2019

I think your 91 in my 94 would be about the same I've had this in my photo gallery for a while.

Uncle Gump · Jan 18, 2019

Looks to me like you have it right...

With that said... just see if the adjuster cable spring is touching the return spring that runs between the shoes. If it is... take the cable spring off the lever and spin the cable 180... then hook it back up on the front side of the lever. That should give you enough clearance... sometimes springs touching in the drum will give you brake noise.

Other then that... tighten up those return springs on top by squeezing them closed.

91stranger · Jan 18, 2019

Denisefwd93 said:
I think your 91 in my 94 would be about the same I've had this in my photo gallery for a while.

This was on my 1999 ranger. I don't have the 91 ranger anymore. I've had this login name for 8-10 years or so. Sure wish I still had that truck. It was a beast. Thanks to all who have looked at the pics and gave me some info. Uncle Gump- I don't think the cable spring is touching the other spring. I remember trying to position that cable spring a few different ways and this way looked the best. Just glad its over with. Definitely got some more info to put in the mental filing cabinet for next time.

Denisefwd93 · Jan 18, 2019

Then there would be a difference my gump good got you covered.. disc brakes... drum brakes... power brakes sauteed shrimp. oops... emergency brake... hydraulic brake.. fried brakes...

91stranger · Jan 18, 2019

Denisefwd93 said:
Then there would be a difference my gump good got you covered.. disc brakes... drum brakes... power brakes sauteed shrimp. oops... emergency brake... hydraulic brake.. fried brakes...

That is probably still one of the top 10 best movies ever. If you don't like Forest Gump then you're crazy. Ever read the stuff that they don't share in the movie? Like what Forest says when the guy unplugs the microphone? Or that a few other a-list actors turned down the part. I bet they are still pissed about that. But then again, Forest Gump would be the same if it had Woody Harrelson instead of Tom Hanks? Speaking of Tom Hanks. This cracks me up every time.

rear drum brakes, what a PITA

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