97 ranger locking up rear drums

[3ncrypt3d]

Been having this issue for a while. Basically anytime the roads are even slightly wet, my back tires will lock up really easily. Firstly, is there an easy way to see if I have ABS? I don’t see anything that obviously looks like an ABS system if I follow the lines from the master. Secondly, is there a way to restrict the pressure, or somehow adjust the rear drums? At this point, they lock up way too easily to even stop at a red light suddenly. I do have all new brake hardware(drums, pads, springs, and the whole nine yards) so I wouldn’t think that’s the issue.

 

[tomw]

If it did have ABS, I think that vintage would have had rear ABS only, not four wheel.

Read here:
https://www.therangerstation.com/resources/history_of_the_ford_ranger.shtml

Optional in 97.

If the inner surface of the drums have rust, the friction material on the shoes will grab tightly at the first application of the brakes, very possibly locking them up. Rust can form overnight, or longer depending on weather.
It might not hurt to apply the brakes a few times after parking for any length of time to dissipate the rust and get the brakes back to normal in that case.
If you have larger tires fitted, the pressure per unit area of the tread will be less, and thus more likely to skid when wet. What size do you have mounted and are they close to the factory installed size? Do you have knobby treaded tires? Large blocks of rubber will not move the water out of the way as well as siped tire treads or those with smaller tire tread blocks. I do not know the tech words, but the closer you are to offroad tires, going from street->snow->offroad, the worse the traction in the wet.
tom

 

[fastpakr]

My '94 was terrible about that. I kept meaning to go back and try backing off the adjusters a bit, but never got around to it. Back end would look up very easily if it was all wet. Even on dry roads, they'd lock long before the front end started to squeal.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

My '94 was terrible about that. I kept meaning to go back and try backing off the adjusters a bit, but never got around to it. Back end would look up very easily if it was all wet. Even on dry roads, they'd lock long before the front end started to squeal.

I loosened up the adjusters on my mothers 94 ex cab a million times. It would last about 2 or 3 hits of the brakes before it started doing it on wet roads again. Or in gravel on top of pavement. Always locking up that passenger rear...




GB

 

[cstarbard]

My 96 Ranger 4x4 has 4 wheel ABS. It is not super common, but does exist. Yours should have rear wheel ABS at the very least, I believe it was standard by 97. I have seen a 95 Ranger 4.0 4x4 with 4 wheel ABS as well.

How to tell if you have ABS:

On the rear axle: look on top of the differential. There will be a sensor bolted into the housing that reads a tone ring on the ring gear. You will see a wire loom coming from it.

On the front axle: Your front rotors would have tone rings (toothed cogs) pressed onto the back side of the rotors, concentric around where the inner wheel bearing sits. You would also have wheel speed sensors in your steering knuckle, which would have wires coming off them, that clip to your front brake hoses.

I have found varying causes for rear wheel lockup:

Bad or damaged sensor on top of the differential

Leaking or sticking wheel cylinders (they should ALWAYS be replaced with the rest of the drum brake hardware, in my opinion) - this has been the most common cause for me

Leaking wheel seals; it defies logic but in my experience if a wheel seal leaks enough, the gear oil on the pads causes lockup (im guessing due to swelling)

Cheap shoes: certain times of shoe pad material are super prone to swelling as a result of moisture in the air and will cause lockup. I have had this happen as well. I believe this is a common problem with cheap organic pads the worst

I'm assuming you changed adjusters? Though I have never had them specifically cause lockup for me because usually if they are badly rusted, they just won't move at all and then just cause uneven shoe wear

I know some of those things sound odd but they have 100% been problems on several Rangers and other vehicles I have, which identified through replacing parts I suspected to be the cause one at a time.

Also, is your ABS light on on the dash? If you have ABS and it recognizes a fault, that light will be on. Not saying this is a sure fire way of knowing if there is an ABS problem, just would indicate one if its on