Over time, a vehicles brake shoes will wear down from the excessive pressure that is applied to the inside of the brake drums. The excessive pressure of the brake shoes being applied to the surface of the brake drums causes friction. The friction causes the brake drum to stop turning and in return causes the rear wheels to stop turning.
Replace the brake shoes before the wear indicator that is built into each shoe wears into the brake drums. Once the wear indicator wears into the drums, it will excessively groove the drums and require the drums to be turned or replaced. Always make a habit of replacing the brake shoes before the shoe thickness on the shoe plate reaches less than one-eighth of an inch. If the shoe thickness reaches any less than one-eighth of an inch, the wear indicator will begin to protrude through the shoes.
Below is the complete tool list that will be needed to complete the brake shoe replacement process. Ensure that all of the necessary tools are readily available before starting the replacement process.
- Wheel chocks
- Lug wrench
- Jack
- Jack stands
- Rubber mallet
- Brake shoe spring removal tool
- Brake shoe retainer removal tool
- Brake shoe adjustment tool
The brake shoe adjustment tool in the tool list above can be substituted with a large flathead screwdriver if necessary. The remaining tools in the list will be required to replace the brake shoes on most all vehicles no matter what the make and model of the vehicle is.
The exact general brake shoe replacement process for most all vehicles is listed below. Use this guide exactly as instructed to begin and finish the entire process.
How to Remove the Old Brake Shoes
Ensure that the new brake shoe kit is already purchased and on standby to compare the old brake shoes to. Inspect all of the new brake shoes and brake shoe accessories before removing the old brake shoes to ensure that the shoes and the accessories are an exact match.
- Park the vehicle on a flat surface and turn the engine off.
- Place the wheel chocks in the front of both front wheels and behind both front wheels.
- Loosen the lug nuts from both rear wheels with a lug wrench.
- Jack up the rear of the vehicle and place a jack stand under each designated jacking point on both rear sides of the vehicle. Lower the jack until the vehicle is resting securely on top of the jack stands. Leave the jack in place.
- Finish unscrewing the lug nuts from both rear wheels. Pull the rear wheels off and place them near each work area.
- Move to the driver side rear brake drum and pull the drum off of the brake shoes with your hands. If the drum is stuck, use a rubber mallet to tap the drum off of the brake shoes. Lay the drum on the ground near the work area.
- Remove the top two brake shoe anchor springs from the anchor on the top of the backing plate with the brake spring removal tool.
- Pull the two lower springs off of each brake shoe retainer that is located in the middle of each brake shoe with the spring removal tool.
- Remove the retainer from the middle of each brake shoe with the brake shoe retainer removal tool.
- Grab the top of each brake shoe and pull them apart. Once the brake shoes are separated, pull both of the shoes off of the backing plate and place them to the side of the work area.
Before beginning the brake shoe installation process, inspect the brake shoe backing plate and the spindle for wear or damage. Repair or replace if necessary.
How to Install the New Brake Shoes
The brake shoe installation process is done in the exact reverse order as the removal process. This means that the new brake shoes and accessories are to be installed in the reverse order of the brake shoe removal process.
- Inspect the new brake shoes to ensure that the retainer pins are already installed into each shoe. If not, use the brake spring retainer tool to install the retainer into each brake shoe.
- Place both brake shoes onto the backing place. Position the top of the brake shoes against the top brake shoe anchor and the bottom of the brake shoes against each side of the brake shoe adjuster.
- Install the two lower springs to each brake shoe retainer with the brake spring removal tool. Install the top two anchor springs to the brake shoe anchor with the brake spring removal tool also.
- Inspect the inside of the brake drum for excessive wear. If the grooving or wear inside of the brake drum is excessive, replace the drum before moving to the next step.
- Attempt to slide the brake drum over the new brake shoes. Chances are that the drum will not slide over the new brake shoes and the shoes will need adjusting. Adjust the brake shoe adjuster star wheel to compress the shoes together by turning the gears of the star wheel clockwise with the brake shoe adjustment tool or the large flathead screwdriver. Continue adjusting the shoes until the brake drum has enough room to slide over the brake shoes.
- Slide the drum completely over over the new brake shoes. Readjust the brake shoes to the surface of the brake drum by turning the brake shoe adjuster from the rear of the backing plate. Insert the adjustment tool or the screwdriver through the access hole on the rear of the backing plate and onto the star gears of the adjuster. Turn the start gears counter-clockwise until the brake shoes are fully compressed to surface of the brake drum. Once the brake shoes are fully against the surface of the drum, the adjuster will stop turning. Turn the star gear clockwise 2 to 3 times to set the shoes to the proper distance away from the surface of the drums. The shoes should only be about one-eighth of an inch away from the surface of the drums.
- Slide the wheel onto the brake drum and screw the lug nuts on tightly. Move to the passenger side rear brake shoes are repeat the same brake shoe replacement process as outlined in the steps above. Once the brake shoes on both rear wheels have been replaced and the rear wheels have been re-installed, jack the rear end back up and remove the jack stands.
- Lower the vehicle to the ground and remove the jack. Finish tightening the lug nuts down tight on both rear wheels with the lug wrench. This completes the brake shoe replacement process.
Tips and Warnings:
- Use caution when working under or near any vehicle that is jacked up and sitting on jack stands.
- New brake shoes and brake drums can be found at most all major auto parts stores.
References and Resources:
- Ford Pick-ups, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator Haynes Repair Manual covering 2WD and 4WD gasoline models for F-150 (1997 thru 2003), F-150 Heritage (2004), F-250 (1997 thru 1999), Expedition (1997 thru 2009), and Lincoln Navigator (1998 thru 2009);" John Haynes; 2010
- 2CarPros: How to Replace rear Brake Shoes
- 2CarPros: Free Repair and Service Information
- Autozone: Free Online Automotive Repair Guides
Kevin Mclain - I Thoroughly research each topic so that my content is 100% accurate. I take pride in providing factual content that relates to the ...
