How to- replace parking brake pad / shoe | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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How to- replace parking brake pad / shoe

Joined
February 6, 2007
Messages
10
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0
City, State
Little Rock, Arkansas
Year, Model & Trim Level
97 Sport
Shop wants $200 to replace the parking brake pad(s). Moved to a house with a steep driveway and am tired of using chock blocks to take strain off tranny. Tranny has 190,000 on it. It needs the help. I don't know diddly about the parking brakes, except that I have to use vice grips o release the parking brake, or at least I used to. Now, the P brake doesn't grab much at all. Is there a separate pad for the P brake? Is it a pain in the ass to replace and then adjust? Level of difficulty for a guy that has the tools but not so much the experience? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 



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Shop wants $200 to replace the parking brake pad(s). Moved to a house with a steep driveway and am tired of using chock blocks to take strain off tranny. Tranny has 190,000 on it. It needs the help. I don't know diddly about the parking brakes, except that I have to use vice grips o release the parking brake, or at least I used to. Now, the P brake doesn't grab much at all. Is there a separate pad for the P brake? Is it a pain in the ass to replace and then adjust? Level of difficulty for a guy that has the tools but not so much the experience? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Yup, you have brake discs on the back and drum type shoes on the inside of that disc...that is the parking brake assembly. If you haven't used the parking brake much chances are that all of the hardware in there is rusted and stuck together. You'll need to free it all up , clean it, and lube it before you put it back together or just buy all new hardware. They can be a ***** to get apart. Do a search here and you'll find a lot of info on tricks to remove them. Good luck.
 






i need to replace the parking brake shoes on a 1997 mountaineer the e brake pedal goes to the floor truck still moves
 






The thing is, the shoes don't really wear if everything is working properly- unless someone left the parking brake engaged and drove around (I've actually done that and there is still plenty of material left). My guess is that those with parking brake problems don't have a problem with the shoes but instead it's the cable.
 






The thing is, the shoes don't really wear if everything is working properly- unless someone left the parking brake engaged and drove around (I've actually done that and there is still plenty of material left). My guess is that those with parking brake problems don't have a problem with the shoes but instead it's the cable.

Unfortunately, the friction material on the shoes disinegrates over time. I rarely use the parking brakes on my '97EB, and live in a no-rust zone, and the friction material is completely gone on the shoes. I got the old parts out w/o removing the axles, but getting it back together looks like a PITA. May just leave it out.
 






Unfortunately, the friction material on the shoes disinegrates over time. I rarely use the parking brakes on my '97EB, and live in a no-rust zone, and the friction material is completely gone on the shoes. I got the old parts out w/o removing the axles, but getting it back together looks like a PITA. May just leave it out.

What happened is that the time you did use it, the rarely used cables and mechanism partially retracted the shoes and the linings wore down.

When you overhaul the parking brakes make sure the cables move very freely! Check all of them.

The crazy inspectors here expect trucks to hold at 1500RPM so the parking brake has to work well.
 






The parking brake is one of the problems I got on my 96 explorer. I haven't checked it yet, I'm reading all the posts and tutorials about it, and then I'll try to fix it myself, or if I can't I'll ask to the garage.
Anyway, the pedal runs all the way but if the gear is on N the explorer moves completely free.
I guess rust did its job during the years...
 






hi can someone explain how i put the springs back on the parking brake shoes i took it all apart now i cant figure out how to get it back together i know i should have taken a picture but i didnt thanks chris
 












i have done my parking brake shoes many times .its a pain ,gotta be the worst parking brake system ever .
my p-brake light wasnt working right and i drove with it on quite a few times .so i have replaced them a couple times now .i have fixed the light now finally .

still a flawed system in my eyes .
 












How do I get the spring off behind the pads to remove them
 






for what its worth when I did it I took the axles out. Then its just like a regular drum brake replacement procedure. Pull that front spring off, then spread the bottom to get the adjuster out. then you can pull the pads off with the back spring still on. Its great fun.
 






I did mine with the axles in. It can be done (barely) but if I ever do it again I'll pull the axles first. Those parking brake shoes are the worst job I've ever done on my truck, not because it's a difficult job technically, but because there's no room to work behind the axle flange.
 






I need to do the parking shoes on my 2000 AWD. How difficult is it to pull the axles?
 






I need to do the parking shoes on my 2000 AWD. How difficult is it to pull the axles?

you have to remove the rear cover, remove a retaining bolt and a large pin. then there are some spring clips to release so that you can remove a "C" clip which is what holds the axle in. then they just slide out.

BTW: before removing the diff cover, make sure you can get the fill-plug out. this is a good opportunity to replace your axle seals and diff fluid. use 75W140 full synthetic gear oil (and add Ford friction modifier if LSD). you don't need a gasket to put the cover back on (Ford used black RTV) but the gaskets are available if you prefer.
 






I replaced the parking brake shoes. But when I press the foot peddle the parking brakes still don't work??? In the process of adjusting them the abs light has come on. Did I adjust them to much will that make the light come on. And they still don't work.
 






Did you make sure the PB cables aren't seized?
 



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