LoL rolsmojave3, you and I have the exact same truck.

I looked at your sig and your avatar and yeah... Exact same

Anyway, yeah I'm going to be away for several months starting late March. The Ranger will be in storage so there won't be any work getting done to it for awhile. I do appreciate all of your suggestions and I will keep them in mind for when I return.

 

Post some pictures when you get it out!!

 

Ihad the same problem i solved it by backing the self adjusters back a little.

 

4 wheel disc brakes will solve the problem.

No more moisture on shoes, no wheel cylinders to lock up, no springs to rust and lock up.

Problem solved.

 

there is a way to swap to rear discs without doing an expo axel swap. i will be trying it this weekend myself for this exact same issue.

one thing i have found is on a humid night, ill have this issue(after the truck sits for a period of a few hours) first thing in the morning.

i believe moister is to blame. i have tried cleaning and adjusting even after a complete overhaul and still no luck. i doubt changing the fluid will help any due to that is what the manufacturer calls for.

im 99.9% sure the disc brake conversion i am about to try will fix the problem for good and for $150 i feel its worth a shot. ill be sure to let you know more after the work is complete.

 

my ranger 4x4 did a few times but I found out my drums and shoes were bad.

 

This is what I was going to say. I saw there was a TSB. What does the TSB say to do? I have changed shoes and one cylinder and it made no difference, even on that side.

 

The TSB says to replace the shoes and apply silicon to various areas on the backing plate that are letting moisture in. It has a clear diagram of where to put it but its been months since I did it so I dont remember really. Included in the TSB is just standard drum brake maintenance stuff.

 

If you have the 31-spline 8.8 (02 FX4 or 03+ FX4 Level II) then disc brakes are a direct bolt on affair. If you have a 7.5 or a 28-spline 8.8 (based on your sig info that's what you have) you need to mustang disc brake swap. That requires some modification of brackets. There is a how-to in the how-to section on that swap.

 

Thanks, I'll have a look when it is not so cold and wet. In other words, when the brakes are not locking up. LOL