Rear drum brakes 2001

The rear shoes on my '01 will have to be replaced in about 10-12K miles (van has 65K). While I have experience in disc brakes (auto and motorcycle), I have never done drums before. So, how difficult will this task be? I have the Ford CD service manual, along with the Haynes and Chiltons manuals. I have replaced the front brakes on the van twice, which means I have flushed the fluid twice and hosed down the rear brake components with cleaner twice (so they haven't been completely neglected). Any tips and tricks will be appreciated! Thanks.

I did the rear brakes on my '96 this past summer.
I replaced the drums, but did not really have to.
I DO STRONGLY suggest that you buy a "Drum Brake Hardware Kit" that will include all new springs and clips. They are cheap, and it would be a shame to do all the work and end up with a problem due to a weak spring.
I also recommend you buy some Disk Brake Caliper Lube to lubricate the several places that will need lubrication.....I show the places to add a little bit of lubrication in my pictures. Don't over do the lube as you do NOT want it to get onto the drum or shoe surface.
Look for any signs of brake fluid leakage, as this would be a sign of a cylinder in need of replacement or rebuild.
It is possible that you could have a small rust ridge at the edge of the drum friction surface....on the inside edge. This can make drum removal a pain.
It sounds like you have had them off, so you should not have a problem with this, but if it seems like the drum moves just a small bit......and hangs up.....that is most likely the cause.
Check what the frequency of rear bearing repack is for your year.
The bearing is not disturbed during the brake job, but if you need to repack it and replace the seals, this would be a good time to do it.
I took pictures throughout the process, and posted them in my pictures at

http://community.webshots.com/album/201931518cScpNK

for the 2001 ( probably 1999+) you cannot repack the bearings because it
is a seal hub so you don't have to remove that hub for the brake job. In addition of what has been mentionned, take a close look to the brake cylinder, because one of mine, was not working at all ( I have a 2001) because jammed in rust. I have replace both side, in addition to the other
hardware stuff ( holdown and return springs) Also a good idea to clean the adjuster bolts and lubricate the inside with the same grease mentionned to the previous post. Just take care to re-install these ajuster bolts on the proper side ( right and left different).

Nice photos and instructions wiswind :cheers: ! That'll make the job much easier. I already have a tube of Ford caliper grease (used for 6 brake jobs now and will probably last 20 more). Catvents- how did you determine that one of the wheel cylinders wasn't working, besides being jammed in rust? Uneven shoe wear?

Yes,uneven shoe wear on one of the the 2 brake lining, so I suspect the cylinder. When I try to push a little bit on one side of this wheel cylinder
the piston was not moving at all and was seized.

I don't know if anyone else mentioned this...I didn't see it though. Even if they did it bears repeating. DO ONLY ONE SIDE AT A TIME. Sorry to yell, but I wanted you to see it. What I mean, here, is to only disassemble one side at a time. I've known a lot of people who just pull both sides off and then get into a mess of trouble trying to remember how they go back together. By disassembling one side at a time you can use the still-assembled side for reference...and believe me...you will need it for reference. Let us know how it goes. MM

Good point mtmaurer8ooo. I always do the fronts that way (is there any other way???). It'll be a few weeks before I tackle the job and I'll have the digital camera ready too. I'll post the results when I'm done. Thanks for the tips folks!

Good point mtmaurer8ooo. I always do the fronts that way (is there any other way???). It'll be a few weeks before I tackle the job and I'll have the digital camera ready too. I'll post the results when I'm done. Thanks for the tips folks!

Hello

One of the differences with the rear is that it uses brake shoes. When you go and buy your new ones they will charge you a core. You get that money back when you bring back the old shoes.

Now....everyone is thinking ....where is this guy going with this?....

I'm one of those guys that take both sides off and bring the old shoes in so I don't get charged a core... This would be one example of having both sides off at the same time.

Be very observant on what goes in/on/ by what when working on replacing your shoes.

Regards

Dan

The places I've looked at for parts haven't said a thing about a core for shoes.

Regarding wheel cylinders: If you gently press "in" on each end of the wheel cylinder, it should move (and push the opposing side "out", which is the reason I said "gently"). You should feel some movement on each side.

Reason I mention this: I had one end of a single wheel cylinder in my Windstar lock up; the brakes still worked, but not as well as they should have; shoe wear was uneven.

If a wheel cylinder is at all suspicious looking, I'd replace it. They're cheap and fairly easy to do, plus it forces you to bleed the brakes; fresh brake fluid is a good thing.

My pictures show the adjusters disassembled....and show the "R" and "L" markings for Right side and Left side. I also show where to put some of the caliper lube so that they will be moving freely. As mentioned, you want to make sure that the adjusters are in good order, as, if they do not work....then your brakes will not adjust as the linings wear.

Also, a core charge will be charged for relined shoes (as in rebuilt). New shoes do not have a core charge.

Also, the 1996 model year used "organic" linings for the rear drum brakes.
This is why I used organic for the replacement shoes.
I bought Bendix brand at Advance Auto parts.

Ok- I pulled the rear drums off last night and measured the shoe thickness. According to the Ford Service CD, I'm supposed to measure the shoe above the backing plate or rivets. The backing plate is about .075", I measured .248" leaving about .173" of material left (this was the trailing shoe on the left side, and the thinnest measurement I took from all four shoes). The manual shows a wear limit of .154". Do you guys think I should replace the shoes now or wait a while? The van has around 65K on it. Also, is it necessary to have one those drum calipers when installing the drum over the new shoes?

From what I see of your numbers, you are .021" inch from the limit......which is not a serious problem short term.....but I would replace them soon.
Translate.....you have time to wait for payday and a nice day....


You can look at the amount of lining that is on the new shoes in my pictures.
When you install new shoes, you will need to adjust the self adjust screw to draw the shoes in.....as they are adjusted out for the old shoes......and now the drum will not go back on over the new shoes with the thicker linings.

I do not know what a drum caliper is.....so, I would guess that one does not need one to get the drum back on.

This is the tool I'm talking about (scroll 2/3 down, called brake adjustment gauge):

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1d/3e/81/0900823d801d3e81.jsp

I take it once I get the new shoes on and pulled in enough to get the drum on, the adjusters should take out the slack once I push on the brake pedal, correct? Or do i need to manually turn the adjusters (called star wheel in some manuals) to spread the shoes out until they just slightly drag on the drum?

Wiswind- I just noticed that you also hang out on the BITOG forums too :bigthumb:.

This is the tool I'm talking about (scroll 2/3 down, called brake adjustment gauge):

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1d/3e/81/0900823d801d3e81.jsp

I take it once I get the new shoes on and pulled in enough to get the drum on, the adjusters should take out the slack once I push on the brake pedal, correct? Or do i need to manually turn the adjusters (called star wheel in some manuals) to spread the shoes out until they just slightly drag on the drum?

Wiswind- I just noticed that you also hang out on the BITOG forums too :bigthumb:.


Hello

No you don't need the tool to measure the spreed of the shoes. I've thought about buying one several times....

I would adjust the shoes out until the drum just slides on. Then with a couple of lug nuts flipped over to hold the drum inplace, turn the adjuster out until there is a slight drag felt on the drum.

You will know if you didn't get them adjusted correctly, there will be a lot of pedal travel in the brake pedel. Also, the parking brake will not work very well. Also, if the rear brakes aren't doing their job, the front will have to work harder and possible cause the rotors warp.

A note on wheel cylinders. I found my wheel cylinders started leaking when I pushed the piston back in. Of course, this was on a 95 with just about 180,000 on it. I had to replace a brand new set of shoes because they got brake fluid on them.

Regards

Dan

I want to thank everyone for their help- I put the new shoes and hardware on last night. It was pretty easy, just seemed like a lot of parts. The wheel cylinders weren't leaking and moved smoothly. Thanks again for the advice ( and the photos wiswind :) ).