Rear brakes somewhat fu- but not quite yet -bar

[19Walt93]

I did the Mustang rear disk brake upgrade to my 2002 4WD Ranger XLT. So glad I did. What ever you may dislike about rear disk brakes they are way better than non-functional rear drum brakes!

Move to a heavy road salt state for a year and reply back.

 

[rubydist]

There are multiple reasons I moved away from a heavy road salt state, and have no intentions of looking back...

 

[James Morse]

Is this correct: jack point for rear is the differential? Then jack stands near the ends of the, uh, axle I guess you call it. Sorry for stupid question. Trying to start taking a look at the brakes.

 

[superj]

that is how i do it. jack form the diff and stands inside of hte shock mounts.

 

[Ranger850]

the, uh, axle I guess you call it.

Are you sure you should be doing brakes ?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Everyone starts with no knowledge.
Shake the truck after putting on jack stands and before getting under.
Take pics as you go. Do one side at a time so you can refer to the other side.

 

[superj]

and chock the front wheels. it sucks when you get crushed from the vehicle you are working on. i just had x-rays done, again, from when the jeep got me on president's day.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

and chock the front wheels. it sucks when you get crushed from the vehicle you are working on. i just had x-rays done, again, from when the jeep got me on president's day.

Ouch!

 

[James Morse]

I said axle because I assume the actual rotating part is inside that? Guess I might be wrong there, don't worry, I'll look it up out of curiosity.
I only ever worked on disc brakes cuz all I ever had was Saabs and they always had only discs plus they were all front wheel drive.
Fluid was about 1/2" down from max (about 1-2 oz low) and it was full in Sep. so that is losing fluid and I think it's on that side.... will be able to see better once wheel is off.
Yeah I know how to block and etc I done fair amount of work on stuff just not this kind of brakes. Have my old NAPA jack stands from the 70's / 80's whatever and two floor jacks. I'm old.
Have nice shop here with level floor. Old days used to lie on the snow and ice so seems like a luxury. THANKS.

 

[Bgunner]

I had this issue with my right rear when I first got it about 5 years ago. I had both wheel cylinders leaking so I replaced the the cylinders which helped but it would still lock up if I didn't drive it for a while. I had a out of round drum on that side which caused my issues. A replacement of the drums, new shoes and hardware fixed the issue for me.

Causes of rear wheel locking up are:

Contaminated brake shoes - wheel cylinders leaking, axle seals leaking or moisture
Out of round drums - Turn the wheel and if it is hard to turn in one spot of the rotation but easy to turn in the rest it is out of round. There should be a consistent drag through the whole rotation.
Rust build up from moisture
Over tightened adjustment for the brake shoes: adjust them so that they just start to drag on the drum.

 

[19Walt93]

I said axle because I assume the actual rotating part is inside that? Guess I might be wrong there, don't worry, I'll look it up out of curiosity.
I only ever worked on disc brakes cuz all I ever had was Saabs and they always had only discs plus they were all front wheel drive.
Fluid was about 1/2" down from max (about 1-2 oz low) and it was full in Sep. so that is losing fluid and I think it's on that side.... will be able to see better once wheel is off.
Yeah I know how to block and etc I done fair amount of work on stuff just not this kind of brakes. Have my old NAPA jack stands from the 70's / 80's whatever and two floor jacks. I'm old.
Have nice shop here with level floor. Old days used to lie on the snow and ice so seems like a luxury. THANKS.

Keep in mind that the truck needs to be level to check the axle level- did you jack up the front, too?
What you're seeing are the axle tubes, you are correct that the axles re inside them. I jack under the rear end and put my stands under the axle tubes, too. And I always use stands, you get extra points for doing it. I'm sure getting crushed would piss me off.

 

[James Morse]

I have to look at cutaway or parts diagram. You guys are super helpful as always.
Will I need any special tools? Like, for calipers sometimes you need to buy or make a special tool to turn the pistons back in when changing pads (fronts), but some you could just push in. So I don't want to get it halfway apart then find out I'm missing a tool.
I assume anything I need for parts would be readily available at parts place, I'll do some checking on the things you mention. Don't want to get it apart then be stuck waiting for something...
Glad you didn't get totally crushed superj because that's often not survivable.
I hope one day to have actual lift but it aint happening this week.
Many thanks to all and I'll update after I know more.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Those front calipers just push in... I have a 6 inch C clamp I've used for I guess about 40 years now. Lord I'm getting old.

There is nothing really hard about doing rear brakes... I see some think brake tools are optional... they really aren't. Invest a few dollars in a couple drum brakes tools. They're money well spent. It can be done with a screw driver and a pair of pliers but it distorts the springs/hardware... mares the painted finish and the proper tools will save you a bunch of time and cuss words.

 

[19Walt93]

A set of brake spring pliers and a retainer tool will make it easier. I bought cheap KD brand tools out of a pile displayed at Napa in about 1972 and worked as a mechanic until 1982 and they still work fine. Snap On makes really nice ones if you have money burning a hole in your pocket. The ones below are $13.99 at Harbor Freight.

 

[Bill]

and chock the front wheels. it sucks when you get crushed from the vehicle you are working on. i just had x-rays done, again, from when the jeep got me on president's day.

I'm paranoid about that. I put the truck on jack stands, and use the floor jack as backup for the side I'm working on. I have some steel drive-on ramps that I place under the frame if I'm doing both sides at the same time.