rear brake drum on 99 taurus

[jbscott]

I am trying to change my rear brake shoes after hearing some noise coming from them. I can not get the drum's off. I read some other postss and looked at the Chilton book for ideas. I have tried hitting with a hammer to see if the shoes would spring back. I have removed the rubber grommet from the back and using a screw driver, turned the adjuster down. I get about a 1/4 inch move on the drum and nothing more. I have tried to persuade it a bit from the back with a hammer but nothing.
Any other ideas before I send it to the shop? this should be afairly easy thing to do but alas, nothing ever is.
thanks
jeff...

[Willyum]

Is it held on by the shoes or by rusting to the hub? If it is the hub, use some penetrating oil and keep working on it. If it is the shoes keep alternating it back and forth, the shoes will retract until you can get it off.

[jbscott]

Originally Posted by Willyum

Is it held on by the shoes or by rusting to the hub? If it is the hub, use some penetrating oil and keep working on it. If it is the shoes keep alternating it back and forth, the shoes will retract until you can get it off.

thank you for your reply. The hub is freely moving. I can feel where 2 opposite sides of the shoes are holding it. I just can not get it started enough to work it off. I will try some more.

thanks
jeff......

[TomV]

Questions I would be pondering:

Did I turn the star bolt in the proper direction and through enough turns to allow the shoes to pull in?

Has the wheel cylinder retracted or is it possibly in the 'brake' position, pushing the shoes out against the drums? If the cylinder is not retracting, then perhaps you need a screwdriver to move the shoes away from the drum. A busted spring might cause the same symptom by not pulling the shoes back in when the brake fluid pressure is released.

[jbscott]

Originally Posted by TomV

Questions I would be pondering:

Did I turn the star bolt in the proper direction and through enough turns to allow the shoes to pull in?

Has the wheel cylinder retracted or is it possibly in the 'brake' position, pushing the shoes out against the drums? If the cylinder is not retracting, then perhaps you need a screwdriver to move the shoes away from the drum. A busted spring might cause the same symptom by not pulling the shoes back in when the brake fluid pressure is released.

I did turn the adjuster the wrong way the first time (which was up) and then had to work it back the opposite way (turning down). I can not seem to get it to turn any more.

I will try and get a screwdriver in there to see if i can get to the shoes. There isn't much room with the limited movement of the drum. I know if I can just get it started I will get it off.

Removing the 2 bolts that hold the wheel cylinder in position is probably a bad idea.

[KimMG]

Is the parking brake off?

[shorod]

Originally Posted by jbscott

thank you for your reply. The hub is freely moving. I can feel where 2 opposite sides of the shoes are holding it. I just can not get it started enough to work it off. I will try some more.

thanks
jeff......

When you type that he hub is freely moving, do you mean you can spin the drum on the hub and it rotates freely? Is so, then your issue is probably not caused by the shoes making contact with the drum. Your issue in this case is probably that the drum is rusted to the hub.

Get some Blaster PB or Rust Eater and spray it in the holes around each of the wheel studs and around the hub center (where the bearings would be). You may want to rap the drum with a hammer a few times to help the penetrant's capillary action work. You may need to do this a few times, but eventually the rusted drum should break free from the hub.

If the drum rotates freely until you start to remove the drum, then you might have a rusty ridge at the edge of the drum braking surface. This ridge could reduce the drum diameter by as much as a quarter of an inch which will make it difficult to back the shoes off enough to allow the drum to easily pull off. If this is the case, rapping the outer flat surfaces of the drum alternately while pulling on the opposide side of the drum should allow you to eventually get the drum off.

Does the drum happen to have a couple of threaded holes near the inner diameter? If so, you should be able to thread a couple of bolts into them and tighten them alternately to pull the drum off the hub and shoes.

Of course, if you go either of these last two routes, you will want to replace the shoes as you will probably score them up pretty badly dragging the drum across them.

Ford didn't go back to having the drum and bearing assembly as all one piece for 99, did they? In 1998 the hub assembly and drum are separate. I cannot imagine that they would go back to that design.

-Rod

[jbscott]

Originally Posted by shorod

When you type that he hub is freely moving, do you mean you can spin the drum on the hub and it rotates freely? Is so, then your issue is probably not caused by the shoes making contact with the drum. Your issue in this case is probably that the drum is rusted to the hub.

Get some Blaster PB or Rust Eater and spray it in the holes around each of the wheel studs and around the hub center (where the bearings would be). You may want to rap the drum with a hammer a few times to help the penetrant's capillary action work. You may need to do this a few times, but eventually the rusted drum should break free from the hub.

If the drum rotates freely until you start to remove the drum, then you might have a rusty ridge at the edge of the drum braking surface. This ridge could reduce the drum diameter by as much as a quarter of an inch which will make it difficult to back the shoes off enough to allow the drum to easily pull off. If this is the case, rapping the outer flat surfaces of the drum alternately while pulling on the opposide side of the drum should allow you to eventually get the drum off.

Does the drum happen to have a couple of threaded holes near the inner diameter? If so, you should be able to thread a couple of bolts into them and tighten them alternately to pull the drum off the hub and shoes.

Of course, if you go either of these last two routes, you will want to replace the shoes as you will probably score them up pretty badly dragging the drum across them.

Ford didn't go back to having the drum and bearing assembly as all one piece for 99, did they? In 1998 the hub assembly and drum are separate. I cannot imagine that they would go back to that design.

-Rod

Rod,
I really appreciate all of the good information.
Turns out that the fact that there was a rusty lip at the edge of the braking surface, but also one of the shoes was actually staying with the drum and not releasing.So i was fighting the rusty edge (as expected) and the lower spring, emergency brake cable.

I was able to get them off with a little persuasion of a mallet. Needless to say the drums are now on their way to a landfill replaced by new ones.

Thanks again.
jeff....