[shorod]

With the rear of the car raised so the wheels are not touching the ground and the car safely supported on jackstands, remove the rear wheels. Next, remove the rear brake drums (assuming you have drum brakes. Do not inhale at the exact moment you remove the drums as there is likely to be a lot of brake dust in the drum. Inspect the condition of the brake drum and brake shoes, as well as the brake springs, etc. Check for signs of extreme heat on the braking surfaces (usually indicated by a discoloration). Also, make sure there is no grease-like substance in there. That might indicate a leaking wheel cylinder.

With the drum still removed from the hub, rotate the hub by hand and pay attention for any roughness in rotation. This might indicate worn wheel bearings.

If your Taurus has rear disc brakes, then you will want to remove the rear pads, caliper mounting braket, and rotor. Inspect everything along the way. Rotate the hub in the same way checking for roughness.

-Rod