Rear Brakes Seized Up!

[madbrown]

I checked to hose it is not collapsed.

 

[madbrown]

Looked at calipers on Rockauto. There were tons of choices. Saw some that were loaded, but were rebuilts for about $60 a piece.

 

[madbrown]

Think I'm going to buy a new caliper. I discovered that the rear passenger caliper is not seized, as I initially thought both of the rears were. However, I guessing I should probably replace both? Also after feeling the back side of the rear driver rotor it's slightly warped. Probably should replace both rotors as well? Anyways, does anyone have a good recommendation on where I should order from? I'm going to try the replacement myself, so I will take you up on "the way through". Again, thank you everyone so much!

 

[madbrown]

Well after some thinking I'm back to square one. I took the caliper off and put the tranny in neutral and still I'm unable to spin the rotor. The other side spins (with some resistance). I've checked the parking park the lever moves when engaged and diengaged on the back of the brake plate. I've tried to pull the rotor off, but won't budge. ??????

 

[my pos mounty]

On the back side of the backing plate, you should see a little black rubber plug. Remove it using a regular screwdriver and look inside. You will see what looks like a little gear wheel (its called a star wheel adjuster). You need to move this wheel in one direction a couple of full turns, then try rotating the rotor. If it got more difficult to turn, move the star wheel the opposite direction as far as you can go.
I would directly post a pic here, but for some unknown reason they don't show up all the time.
Heres a link to a pic in my folder that shows where the rubber plug is located.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=294&pictureid=3422

 

[madbrown]

Found it! How much should I loosen it? Enough so that rotor doesn't spin with resistance? Also it looks like the driver side only has a star. Wonder how this happened, and if anything needs replaced? Thanks.

 

[my pos mounty]

You are trying to remove the rotor, correct?
Back off as much as you can if you are trying to get the rotor off the truck.
Your e-brake shoes are probably junk since the rotor has that much drag on it. Plan on changing the parking brake shoes and all the associated hardware.
Buy what is called a "hardware kit" that includes the springs, keepers and the adjuster.
As with any brake job, do both sides.
Also get new brake pads and rotors and the "hardware kit" for the calipers as well. They are the slide pins and rubber boots. Replacing these will help prevent your caliper from hanging up on the old set of pins.

PLEASE, do your self a favor and resist the temptation to run off to one of those "autopart supermarket" type stores. (Pepboys, autozone and the likes). If you open the door and smell the oil in the air, thats the place to go.

 

[madbrown]

I've loosened the star wheel and relieved the pressure on the rotors. I initially thought my brake calipers were shot, but after closer inspection of the pads, rotors, & calipers coupled by what appears to be that the e-brake shoes were causing "seizing", I don't they need replaced. Is it possible that the e-brake tightened over time? As I said, I've loosened the e-pads just enough that I can turn the rotors with one hand using some force, and I've tested the e-brake by engaging, which it stops the rotor. Then I disengage the brake, and the rotors spin again. Again wondering if it just self tightened over time, and might be alright now. If this is the case, how freely should the rotors rotate?

 

[jremington59]

If you're spinning the wheel with one hand then she's loose enough. What I can't understand is how the parking brake tightened up like it did. Had you used the ebrake recently?

 

[madbrown]

I have used the ebrake lately, as we have a unpaved steep driveway with limited parking. So depending on where I have to park it's engaged. Also I've been pulling a trailer w/ a boat a lot lately. So usually engaging it to be safe.

 

[madbrown]

I don't know. It just seems that maybe the ebrake is still good. Because since it's been loosened, it will still engage and disengage.

 

[bluestream1]

You need to take off both rotors and check the ebrake, These e-brakes are a poor design, and will seized up after a few years. If you use them weekly, they will last a bit longer. Once the rotors are off, have someone apply the ebrake and watch if the shoes move in and out. If you have to, you can unhook the cables until you have time to do the job proper. The little actuator lever that goes through the rubber boot and has the cable attached to it (works like a scissors) often will rust solid

Also, the old rotors are likely rusted on the inside where the ebrake grabs. If so, new rotors are needed

 

[madbrown]

I'll give it a look. Where exactly is the actuator lever located? Also I was thinking should the rotors be able to spin when the vehicle is in "park"? Because since I've loosened the star adjustment the rotors move freely even when the tranny is in "park". Thanks again.

 

[jremington59]

Your back tires should not be spinning in park.

 

[bluestream1]

I'll give it a look. Where exactly is the actuator lever located? Also I was thinking should the rotors be able to spin when the vehicle is in "park"? Because since I've loosened the star adjustment the rotors move freely even when the tranny is in "park". Thanks again.

Your parking brake cables are hooked around one of the levers of the actuator are. Follow the cable to its end and you will find the actuator

 

[madbrown]

Well the ebrake pads are toast. Pieces of them came over when I pulled the rotors. Also I'm still able to rotate the back axle even though it's in "park"?

 

[madbrown]

Not really certain how to take off what's left off the pads. Am I able to get the front plate w/the bolts off? As it really is in the way. The rotors are rusty, but there is a clean track around the rotor on both sides where the pads engaged.

 

[my pos mounty]

If you're spinning the wheel with one hand then she's loose enough. What I can't understand is how the parking brake tightened up like it did. Had you used the ebrake recently?

The e-brake uses the same principal as the drum brakes of old. Putting on the e-brake, leaving it on and backing the vehicle up will tighten up the shoe to drum clearance. I am guessing that he may have unintentionally had his e-brake on and backed up a few times. The result of doing this repeatedly is what happened.
The e-brake system on these trucks is a real piece of crap. The shoes always fall apart, the rotors always seem to be stuck on and the hardware needs to be replaced every time you replace the shoes.


To remove the e-brake shoes, with the rotor out of the way, look at about the 4 o'clock position on the brake shoe. You will see what looks sort of like the head of a small screwdriver poking thru a hole of a clip. You will have to remove that by holding the brake shoe steady, pushing inwards on that clip around what appears to be the head of a screwdriver, and turning that head to pass thru the slot on the clip, it will pull out of the back side of the backing plate (the black piece of metal bolted to the rear axle assembly). There is also another one of those pieces that hold the other brake shoe in place.
Once those pieces are out of the way, you will need to remove the springs that pull the shoes inward when the parking brake is released.
Suggest taking pictures, lots of them, covering every angle, if this is your first time taking them apart. Especially note how the adjuster goes in, how the shoes are oriented (which shoe has more braking material) where the springs go, etc etc etc.
There has to be a thread somewhere on this site that can walk you thru this, step-by-step. Try using the search function to find it.
Get the hardware kits for any brakes you are going to replace (e-brake or otherwise). They are not expensive and are worth every penny.

 

[firepop5]

Check out this thread: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147823&highlight=parking+brakes

 

[madbrown]

What a royal pain! But I got the shoes and hardware completely removed on both sides. Definitely not looking forward to installing the new kit and shoes. Especially the back springs! Anyways, I'm still puzzled as to why I'm able to spin the back axle while it's in "park". Should I replace rotors and calipers while I'm at it? Rotors rusty, but have clean metal where pads engage. Calipers rusty as well, and was never able to determine if they were part of the problem as well. Because when I completely took the calipers off the rotors they still locked up.