brewster340

hi all. can't get the right rear drum off my 92 explorer. backed off the star wheel all the way, i can turn the drum easy, but it just won't come off.
now what are these 3 retaining nuts mentioned in manuals???
there aint none! WHAT 3 NUTS???
CHEERS

way2old

The retaining nuts are the little push on lock nuts that the factory installs. The drums are more than likely rusted to the hub. Spray lubricant on the hub and hit on the hub area between the studs.

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brewster340

dear way2old. the drum is loose, i can get it halfway off, it is free around the hub. Where are these 3 nuts, i ask? on the back of the backing plate?
all i can see is the 4 axle bolts,and the 2 brakeshoe retainers that look like rivets.
tks

shorod

If you can get the drum halfway off, you don't need to worry about the "nuts." The retaining "nuts" are more like paper thin steel rings that are pushed over three of the wheel studs to keep the drum from falling off during the factory assembly process. They would ride between the wheel and the brake drum.

It sounds like your brake shoes are binding with the corrosion ridge on the drum. Are you sure you have the self adjuster backed off all the way? Can you see a bunch of horizontal scrape marks on the half of the shoes that is visible? You might consider making sure you can purchase a brake hardware kit and probably a set of wheel cylinders too, then cut off or drill out the shoe retainer pins from the backing plate. That way you can at least get the drum and shoe assembly away from the hub enough to start dismantling it. Fortunately I've never had to go that route though so I can't tell you what "gotchas" to look out for other than the wheel cylinder.

Maybe Way2Old will have some other suggestions before you get this far.

-Rod

brewster340

shorod, thanks for clearing it up about the 3 mysterious 'nuts'.
I have a new wheel cylinder (genuine ford) ready to install. the old one is leaking, that's why i need to get the drum off. as i mentioned, i can easily turn the drum with trans. in neutral,which means the shoes are not applied.
the shoe pads are not scored, but they are covered in brake fluid and almost worn down to the rivets.
think i'll just use some brute force to get it off.
thanks for your reply.

shorod

If the drum is not binding on the shoes, and you can get it half way off the shoes, there should be nothing preventing it from coming all the way off. Are you still able to spin the drum when you have it "half way off?"

Also, inspect the rear axle seals while you have everything apart. I'm not sure about the 1992, but on the newer Explorers it's not uncommon for the seals to leak.

-Rod

brewster340

shorod, interesting you ask. no, i can't turn the drum when it's halfway off.
as to the axle seal, that's something i wanted to look at too.
but the wheel cylinder is definitely leaking. lost all brake fluid from master cyl.and the rt. rear wheel and tire was covered with it.there are no other brake fluid leaks, quite sure.
so back to the 'why won't drum turn when halfway off?

shorod

Second paragraph of post #4 above.

-Rod

brewster340

that's a big 10-4 shorod. thanks again.