For those that have been following my post on the rear brake failure (wheel cylinder).

I found the self-adjusting cable at napa for $9 bucks. The truck is on jackstands now and the ******* drum will not come off. I have adjusted the "star screw" both up and down. which way do i turn it to loosen the brake shoes?? I read that turning it down will loosen it, but when i did that the drum locked up. When i turn it "up" the drum moves freely, even though, from what i read, turning it up actually tightens the shoes. I'm pissed off and covered with grease and this drum will not comes off. I also sparyed it on the conact points with wd-40 and whacked it with a sledge and it does not move . Any tricks to getting this stubborn piece of metal to move???


Oh ya almost forgot...I made it home and everything was peachy. I looked under my truck this morning and found brake fluid leaking...again! from the same passenger side wheel. WTF $350 down the drain and so much for "ASE certified mechanics"

 

BFH. keep adjusting that screw. if it feels like its loosening, you are turning it the right way.

 

Thing is I've turned it both ways and the freeking drum wont come off. When i turn the star screw down, the screw itself feel like its loosening, but the drum locks up when I turn it down. Can you tell me which way will loosen the shoes so i can yank this drum off. I'm ready to start throwing punches at my poor truck.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9nh884_Km8 check it out. off my ranger. did what you have done. this is how i got it off. idk.

 

https://www.ranger-forums.com/engine-drivetrain-122/how-servicing-rear-drum-brakes-81906/

says to rotate the star UP to loosen shoes....

 

and for what its worth, one of my drums came off easily, and the other was stuck. I was pulling my axle shafts anyways, so i pulled it off with the drum still stuck on. Then i just stood ontop of the drum and it popped right off the axle! lulululul

 

Thanks for the replies dudes. I'll try the claw hammer trick like you posted. Heres a link to the explorer site, the last post down says to go up on the star wheel to tighten the shoes...so idk. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/...ad.php?t=30042

back to work...

 

Wirelessly posted

BFH. BANG THAT ***** FROM THE BACK SIDE. USE A PIPE OR LONG SHAFT AND POUND IT. SHOULD COME OFF

 

Alright,got them off. Used a little of the hammer trick. And one sharp bang at about 5 o clock and they both broke free. Its really wierd that they were such a pain, I just had them off at the shop like 3 days ago. SO whoever reads this in the future, try to whack it between 4 and 6 oclock on the edge of the lip and it should pop off. Now all i have to do is route that self-adjuster cable and it should be good. Also, I can seem to find a leak. They replaced the wheel cylinder and it doesn't look like its leaking now that i have them apart. Could it be the brake cleaner they used to clean off the fluid is now just making its way out? I found some little drops forming on the outside of the drum this morning. IDK where else it could be coming from besides the WC or excess brake cleaner.


Edit: Confirmation, Turn the star wheels up to retract shoes

 

Ok hopefully this is my last post in the brake saga. I got everything together,cable is in and brakes are working good. What is the trick to adjusting these shoes? If i loosen the star wheel to much, it makes this clicking sound everytime I put on the brakes or ebrake. If I tighten it though, it emits a high pitch squeal. Are these my two choices, clicking or squealing? lol Wheres the happy middle ground?

 

My understanding is that you adjust the brakes/shoes out until the drums just barely rub when you turn the wheels - you should just barely hear a "rasping" sound.

From there, the shoes will self adjust as you brake every time you reverse.

 

The leak is not brake cleaner that drys up in seconds....

Also i just did this adjuster cable with new adjusters... i didnt have to mess with it at all just hooked it up and pumped brake pedal and it auto adjusted.

 

Ya I thought the brake cleaner dried in seconds. I just thought maybe they used a ton of it. The fluid in the reservoir is still full, and the inside of the drum is dry as a bone, even the wheel cylinder is completely dry. Idk, I'm stumped. I cranked the brake line connector 1/4 turn to see if that tightened it up, I did this tonight, so hopefully tomorrow morning it will be all good. Any other ideas of where to look? It is definitely coming from the rear passenger side drum. Very small leak, maybe like one, or two drops a day.

 

Wirelessly posted

U check the axle seals?

 

Could your bleeder screw be a tad loose?

 

I guess the shop I took it too could have somehow messed with the axle seal, I take it you mean the seal next to the wheel bearing and not the differential cover. It would just be kinda weird that the passenger side wheel cylinder failed,and then the axle seal went within days of eachother. I'll check if the bleeder screw is a bit loose as well. The bleeder screw is the thing under the little rubber "nipple" next to the brake line, correct??

 

yes the bleeder is attatched to the cylinder it will be right above where the brake line screws in. Since there is pressure there it is unlikely that it would be too loose because when you hit your pedal it would squirt and you would end up getting airbubbles in your system. But i guess it might be just a hair loose and have a slow drip but its just a guess and takes 1 min to check and tighten.

 

Brett,

I think you were right about the bleeder. I took the rubber cap off and it was filled with fluid. In contrast, it took the drivers side cap off and there was no fluid in it. Wiped everything off, and tightened it just a hair. Those bastards at the shop rounded the thing off, and it was kind of a pia. So i'll keep an eye on it, and see if it still leaking tomorrow. Thanks for the help!