Drum brake job - 1993 Ford E-350

[Vagabound]

Hi and Happy 4th of July,

On my box truck, I have disc brakes on the front and drum brakes on the rear. It is time to do a brake job on the rear of the truck. Although I'm not the most experienced at this, I have done a few brake jobs on other vehicles in the distant past, and I'm hoping to tackle this myself.

I will talk to the people in the auto parts store and spend time in YouTube looking around for information. I'm posting in here in case anyone can offer tips, tricks, tools, cautions about things to watch out for. If anyone has experience with this specific type and could be generally available to answer a question or two that would be icing on the cake.

Thanks,

Tom

P.S. - John, no, I still didn't join that E-350 specific forum. It's a great idea, and I'll get around to it. People here have been so helpful that it hasn't been necessary yet.

 

[Ballenxj]

Just like any other brake job on drums, but bigger.

 

[GEAUX- PRIUS Cowboy]

Take pictures of the job as you remove each part and try and put them in order so you don't make a mistake putting them back? It is not incredibly difficult I have done it before but it has been a long time. Prius rarely need brakes and I usually get service tec to do that now that I don't bend near as well. I wish you the best check that rear end while you down there.

 

[johnny b]

And bigger means heavier...don't drop the drums!
Do it right and replace all the hardware...springs, retainers, adjusters, clips, etc.
Replace the wheel cylinders...they're cheap insurance.
If the drum surface is scored, have them measured and turned (resurfaced) if possible. Replace if past safe spec.
Lastly...don't forget to add fluid and bleed (new cylinders).

Tip 1: Pull both drums, then do them one at a time...if you're unsure of how something fits, just look at the other side.
Tip 2: Get a brake spring tool.
Trying to pull a return spring on or off the post with pliers can lead to a long string of profanity followed by a search for the paper towels and duct tape to stop the bleeding.

 

[Gary68]

get the spring tool or those spring expanding plier things

 

[eDJ_]

Just a heads up FYI,  OK

Since you are on the rear of the vehicle there will be a parking brake or emergency brake function there. These parts will be above the axle and below the wheel cylinder.

Notice on the second and third parts from the left that there notches on those "Y" shaped parts.  Make sure
that you take notice of which face the outward direction towards you.   Mark them before you dismantle those parts would be a good idea. 

I'm not sure the vintage of this vehicle,  but if it has drums on the back and it's over 10 years old....you may really want to replace all of those springs with new springs & mounting kits.    I've seen people driving older vehicles and when they hit a pothole a rear brake will lock up.   Because the spring has weakened and cant retract the shoe fast enough to keep the shoe from locking to the drum. (thus the wheel locks up dragging the tire)

As a tip........before trying to replace the wheel cylinders soak the bolts  holding the cylinder to the backing plate & the hydraulic line nut holding the line into the cylinder with a lube like PB Blaster.  (just use a little brake fluid if you can't find anything else).

Lets say you go to a parts site like "Rock Auto Parts" shopping for Wheel Cylinders.  You may find them for around $5 each.  I doubt you could purchase a wheel cylinder hone and cylinder kits and rebuild them yourself any cheaper.   So consider replacing the wheel cylinders while you have it torn down. 

Do it well the first time and you won't have worries later.  Then you can enjoy your travels and be happy.

 

[LoupGarou]

E350 you say.

You may have to pull the axels, if their full floating.

 

[jonsun]

drums get stuck on often. usually, not always though, there is one or more threaded holes on the face of it. you can run a screw in there to break them loose.

 

[Vagabound]

Thanks to all for the great responses so far.

eDJ_: Thanks for the great info and tips. The photo helps. As to vintage, it's a 1993. At the moment I'm ignorant about what a wheel cylinder is. Not a part I've heard of before. Need to read up on that.

LoupGarou: Yeah, apparently the differences in types can be a big deal. I heard the same thing from a mechanic in Phoenix, but he never took a close look. As it turns out, I don't have the type that requires part of the the axle to be removed. I meant to say that in my original post, but forgot about it. I know because when I was at a tire shop recently, and I had one of those back tires off, the tech just removed one of the brake drums and showed me the shoe.

bardo: You hit the nail on the head there. The drum on the left side just slides off. The drum on the right side seems stuck on. The tech I mentioned above couldn't get it off, but he said if he was doing a brake job on the truck he would just bang it with a hammer. I didn't like the sound of that too much, so your idea about the screw through the hole sounds better. I guess it depends on how much banging would be required.

======

Questions:
1. Rather then being complicated or requiring special skill, I'm getting the feeling that this type of job just requires being careful, methodical, and taking your time. Is that right?

2. Other than normal tools like wrenches and sockets, will I need any other specialized tools besides those in my photo in my post below?

https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-Mystery-Tool-ID

Tom

 

[MrNoodly]

I'm glad my van has disc brakes on the rear. They're so much easier to service.

 

[Gary68]

thats the basic tool,they also have a pliers like spring expander

on the stuck drum,it can be stuck in 2 ways,if it moves but springs back it is catching on the brake shoes,if it doesnt move at all it is stuck on the hub

a wheel cylinder is the hydraulic cylinder that move the brake shoes,

if you look on the inside where the brake line goes in and see wet,it's the wheel cylinder leaking


have the brakes been inspected? sometimes rear drums dont adjust and thats all that need done

you will also need some axle grease in a couple places,the adjustment threads and where the shoes rubs against the back plate

the hardest part is getting the thing in the air,getting the tire off and getting the springs back on

take a pic before and do one side at a time for reference

 

[jonsun]

oh no a hammer is often necessary, a hammer and torch if it doesn't have the thread hole.

 

[Vagabound]

Spent a portion of the day in YouTube drum brake replacement school.  Shooting for about a week from now to get it done. Gathering info and stuff in the meantime.

Two questions:

1. Assuming there are threaded holes in my drums to help me detach the drums from the hubs, is there an easy way to tell what size that bolt-hole is so that I can go buy the right bolt for it?

2. I'm asking this question with the possibility in mind of turning the drums vs. replacing them. It seems that with disc brakes, the minimum rotor thickness is stamped on the edge of the rotor in millimeters. Maybe drums have something similar. If so, where is it? And whether it exists or not, if I want to find out from a different source, is there a place to look up minimum drum thickness based on vehicle make, model, and year?

Tom

 

[highdesertranger]

the minimum is cast into the drum somewhere you just need to find it. if you need new drums get ones made in USA first. if not available 2nd choice Canada. if those two are not available stay away from the Asian ones. Mexico, or South American would be my 3rd choice. if the mechanic took one of the drums off they don't need a bolt to remove them. they are either rusted to the hub or the drum has a ridge and the adjuster needs to be backed off. highdesertranger

 

[jonsun]

Spent a portion of the day in YouTube drum brake replacement school.  Shooting for about a week from now to get it done. Gathering info and stuff in the meantime.

Two questions:

1. Assuming there are threaded holes in my drums to help me detach the drums from the hubs, is there an easy way to tell what size that bolt-hole is so that I can go buy the right bolt for it?

2. I'm asking this question with the possibility in mind of turning the drums vs. replacing them. It seems that with disc brakes, the minimum rotor thickness is stamped on the edge of the rotor in millimeters. Maybe drums have something similar. If so, where is it? And whether it exists or not, if I want to find out from a different source, is there a place to look up minimum drum thickness based on vehicle make, model, and year?

Tom

with drums you know they need replaced if there's a lip or ridge on the outer edge cause the shoes dont touch the whole surface. No idea on the hole size if you have one.

here's what the holes look like

here's what the wear lip looks like

 

[Vagabound]

I'm still pondering it, but considering I'm doing the job myself, and the truck has an unknown maintenance history, and it's pretty old, and I'm going to keep it for a few years, I'm thinking about just putting new drums on it rather than turning the old drums. It's a difference of $100, but probably well spent.

Tom

 

[highdesertranger]

if you take good drums off and replace them with junk Asian drums it's a downgrade. BTW a ridge/lip doesn't automatically mean the drum is bad. highdesertranger

 

[Gary68]

if there is barely noticeable or no lip,hit it with some 220 sand paper and call it good

if there is lip and a place by you that will turn them for $40 do that

if you go new listen to what the ranger said,my new drum cost $100 and that's a deal

 

[Ballenxj]

if you take good drums off and replace them with junk Asian drums it's a downgrade.  BTW a ridge/lip doesn't automatically mean the drum is bad.  

^^ If this were true or false questionnaire, this would get a big TRUE on both counts from me. ^^

 

[Vagabound]

I appreciate the info about good versus bad drums. This is the way I see it at the moment. I don't think I'm going to be able to tell what kind of drums are on it currently. However, they will probably be older on an older vehicle, so it might be reasonable to assume they were installed pre-Chinese-drum availability. In that case, it seems like the decision boils down to who makes the new drums. If they're Chinese, then I get the old ones turned if possible. If they're better made, then I buy the new ones and put them on. The drums cost $66 a piece from O'Reilly's Auto Parts. Not sure if that's definitive.

Anyone see a better way to figure this out?

Tom