Rear Brake Replacement Observations

[EasyRhino]

Yesterday got around to the rear brakes @103K miles.

Last did partial brake job at 73K miles consisting of turning old crummy rotors and installing new pads at all four corners - at that time parking brake shoes seemed okay.

However, the brake rotors were warping so I redid all four corners with Raybestos "Advanced Techology" rotors and Wagner brake pads. The rotors seemed of very good quality and are painted on the non-contact surfaces to mitigate that rust buildup of the OEM ones.

Anyway, the rear rotors looked lke crap and oddly enough did not have a clean sweep contact pad to rotor wear path.

The parking shoes seemed intact but while replacing them one of the pads literally fell off of the backing plate - even though it had been in place since new.

The job is easier than it seems and took little time. The brakes are as grippy and tight as new, and the parking brake actually seems to hold the truck for a change.

I never noticed this before but the parking brake pad star adjuster wheel is not automatic. That is, it does not automatically take up slack as the parking brake pads wear over time - it is only good for setting the brake shoe distance to the drum at installation.

I'm expecting these brakes to go no less than 70K miles based on the OEMs length of service.

 

[eXcali]

You are correct in that you have to periodically adjust your parking brake manually. If you're having uneven wear on the rear pads I'd check the slide bolts and the caliper. Rear brakes are only about 25% of your stopping force, but that shouldn't effect it to cause uneven wear on a single pad.

Since the job is already done, I'd check it a couple times over the next few months and monitor for continued uneven wear. If your pads have a lifetime waranty most shops will exchange if they do wear unevenly again.

 

[EasyRhino]

You are correct in that you have to periodically adjust your parking brake manually. If you're having uneven wear on the rear pads I'd check the slide bolts and the caliper. Rear brakes are only about 25% of your stopping force, but that shouldn't effect it to cause uneven wear on a single pad.

Since the job is already done, I'd check it a couple times over the next few months and monitor for continued uneven wear. If your pads have a lifetime waranty most shops will exchange if they do wear unevenly again.

The rear brake pads were very evenly worn (I keep running measurements of pad thickness coincident to tire rotations which are every 5K miles, and the stainless steel slides are always lubed).

As far as the parking brake goes, I'll probably ignore it until the next time it seems to not be holding strongly, which would most likely indicate worn shoes requiring adjustment or replacement, or even the unbonded pads some have reported here.

 

[1tufgt]

How do you adjust your parking break?

 

[EasyRhino]

How do you adjust your parking break?

I'm taking a look up on this one.

With new pads and the star wheel adjusted to just shy of contact between the rotor (drum side) and the brake material on the shoes, my parking brake pedal is high and hard. Prior to this change at 102K miles with never having touched the parking brakes, the pedal was low and soft.

Since there is no automatic shoe adjusting mechanism as in old style drum brakes:

1 - there is with no adjustment available, or

2 - one is supposed to remove the rotor/drum and adjust the star wheel over time (but this is not in any manual I have seen), or

3 - there is an automatic adjuster in the pedal mechanism (I don't think so), or

4 - you can take up slack cable at the underbody turnbuckle (about under the driver's seat outboard the frame rail)(again, not in the manuals I have seen).

I'll post back when I find the answer (when I can do some more research), or maybe some smart person will log in and de-mystify this.

 

[EasyRhino]

Following up on on how to adjust the parking brake:

According to my cheap OTC manual, the only adjustment is the star wheel adjuster on the lower side of the parking brake shoes. Further my manual says that to access the shoes that you remove a rubber plug seal from the brake backing plate.

However, on my Ex, there is no rubber access plug seal on the backing plate that is coincident to the star wheel. There is a stamped metal boss where one could be but that metal disc is intact, rather like the metal discs on metal case electrical boxes that you punch out.

So I suppose one could punch that metal disc out and obtain access to the star wheel parking brake adjuster, and find a rubber seal to re-install in the hole when done, but I'm not sure I'm going to go to that much effort here.

No other parking brake adjustment is mentioned in the manual.

 

[jlrapp8]

that is correct. you have to punch the metal peace out so you can adjust brakes than get a rubber plug to cover it after your done. the stupid manuals dont bother to ever tell you this. but if that metal punch out has never been punched out than you have to do that first. making sure the rotor is off so you can get that metal peace back out and not leave it in your brakes. once you punch that metal peace out its really easy to adjust from now on. just remove the rubber plug and adjust and put rubber plug back when your done.

 

[jrford]

now what size or where did you get the rubber plug?

As a tip i found it was esier to adjust the star wheel with the tire/rim on, you can apply more force that way. I also adjusted till the tire 'locked up' and then backed it off one notch. Tested the parking brake and it held, and you have to do it on both sides. . .it would have been a lot easier with two set of hands.

One side came right off in like 5 minutes, the other side was like 45min, BFH, bigger BFH, and eventually it came off with half the parking shoe.

 

[jlrapp8]

i never found a rubber plug. use told you can get one at a place like autozone or hardware store. i would just take the metal punch out peace with you so you know what size. might be able to get one from ford. not sure though. i just had my parking brake adjusted when it was in the shop. but they showed me where and how to do it. they showed me where they punched out the metal peace and they found a rubber plug for it.

 

[xlt03]

If you buy the emergency brake shoes from Ford, it'll come with new hardware and the rubber plugs. Not sure that's the case if you buy from Napa, Autozone, or Advanced. Maybe others that bought from non Ford can chime in on this. BTW removing the metal plug required a long metal rod so you can swing the hammer. Rubber plug can be gotten individually but it's $15-17. I'd buy the shoes instead and have extra spare parts if all you need is the rubber plug.