Hi, all. Thanks for having me here. I do not own a Ranger at the moment, but my son just bought a 2002, and I expect to inherit it when he moves on to something else. He is on a cross-country trip and is having recurring brake issues, and I thought I'd throw them out here to see if anyone has a clue about next steps for him.

He bought the truck a month ago from a fireman who had owned it for a long time and who seemed solid. 2002, 4WD, AUTO TRANS. After driving it for three weeks he thought the brakes were getting a little spongy, so he took it to his local shop, who inspected everything, and put on new shoes. The same mechanic inspected the whole vehicle and did some other minor stuff to prep the truck for a cross-country trip. Everything worked fine at that point.

Five hours into the trip the brakes went out. My kid found a mechanic in Bakersfield, who found that the drums needed turning or replaced and that the shoes and hardware were fried to a crisp. He replaced at least one cylinder, shoes, hardware and maybe a line or two. (Meanwhile, the AC had started to blow not as cold.) Everything worked fine for 1200 miles. Then after leaving the truck sit overnight (2nd night since it was last fixed), he felt spongy brakes again.

I'm not familiar with these trucks, but I have worked on my own imports, new and old, so I know most of the basics. I assume these mechanics checked the master cylinder and lines for leaks, but it sounds like some kind of hydraulic issue that maybe caused the brakes to drag. Anyone have any experience with this issue and have any suggestions? He's stuck in Denver (after being stuck in Bakersfield for 3 days). Any comments appreciated!

 

Welcome to the forum.

The drum brakes on the rears of these trucks are nothing fancy. Assuming the mechanics are competent and installed the shoes correctly and properly adjusted them and at least cleaned up if not replaced the hardware, there is likely an issue someplace else. If something is causing the brakes to remain engaged, it could be a brake line along the way that is holding pressure and not releasing it properly. Unfortunately, it sounds like not a lot of diagnosis went on in Bakersfield and they just replaced the worn parts without really investigating the reason. Did they replace the drums? You note that they said they needed to turn/replace them. Brake fluid is hydroscopic, so if it hasn't been changed/flushed since 2002, it could be heating up on the long drives through the mountains and "boiling" due to water content.

You mention that the previous owner was a fireman. So am I and I use my personal vehicles to respond to scenes (I am in the fire police with my local company) and I as well as the "smoke eaters" do a lot of stop/go/hard stop/etc. which can take its toll as well.

I wish your son good luck getting going again.

 

Thanks for the info. The brake fluid was last flushed 4 weeks ago and had been flushed by the previous owner at least twice over the years, according to the history of receipts he provided. The guy in Bakersfield was initially going to turn the drums decided to replace them after seeing how hot they got, as evidenced by the degradation of related parts. New seals and hardware as well. New pads up front. They did not replace any lines or the mc. But I think you’re right that there wasn’t much diagnosis. A shop in Denver will look at it tomorrow. Having seen the history they are already on board that the issue won’t be resolved with the approach the last two guys took 😆 I’ll report back when I get more info.

 

Mechanic said ebrake cable was adjusted incorrectly and had seized, causing the rear brakes to drag. To replace the cable, turn the drums, and replace the master cylinder: $967

front wheel bearing is shot: 378
front ball joint is out of hub and needs to be replaced: 342
driveshaft needs to be resealed: 265
axle boots need to be replaced 630 (assuming an axle swap, not just the boots)

Also, he can't get the parts until next week.

Interesting that none of the other two mechanics noticed any of this stuff.

Do these costs seem in line? Some, like the ball joint and brakes seem high...

 

Well it feels high to me because I'd do every one of those services in my driveway.

You're paying for their labor and the parts markup. I don't begrudge average shops their time and parts markup in general. They have to make money. Looking at the estimates of time, though, let's see

Parking Brake Adjust - .4 hours
Rear Brakes/Drums - R&R (both sides) - .9 hours
Front Axle Shafts - R&R (both sides) - 1.4 hours (add .2 hours each for axle seals)
Lower Ball Joint R&R 1.5 hours
Hub and Bearing Assembly R&R - 1.1 hours
On the drive shaft seal - I assume you meant Transfer case output shaft seal. There would be two on this truck. Depending on which one is leaking, it's more time.
Front - 3.4 hours
Rear - 1.2 hours
Master Cylinder R&R - 2.0 hours

So all added up, you have almost 9 hours of labor "by the book" at a minimum (10 if you are doing the front seal instead of the rear). Certainly there are crossovers in the labor time. To do the hub bearing, you have to remove the axle shaft and ball joint, for example. Anyway, I'm not sure what your shop rate is there, but you're probably a grand or more total in labor alone for all of that. He can probably get the brakes fixed and the wheel bearing and ball joint as well and leave the rest until he gets home and you two can tackle them in the driveway. Just my opinion and no warranty is expressed or implied. For entertainment purposes only :)

All of these estimates were from MOTOR Selectline and just an estimate.

 

Many thanks, eddieq! Very helpful. You anticipated my next question, which was can some of the stuff wait. I assume the axles can, because they can't be that bad. I'm concerned that the drive shaft could be spitting diff fluid on the rear brakes, but it would have to be a hell of a leaky seal for that to happen. He's 1400 miles from a place where he can fix the other stuff himself. Thanks again.

 

Following up: The shop finished late Friday. They replaced the master cylinder, ebrake cables, brake hardware, hub assembly and bearing (front), and lower ball joint. The axles and front drive shaft seal will wait. Thanks again for your thoughts and advice--your help was significant!