THANKS TO JIM!

Hear, Hear!! I am new to the group, since we recently bought a second, older (96) Explorer. I echo your sentiments, and add my thanks. John

Not wanting to sound like a dick... I wish you folks would stop with these spontanious head swellers..... What I would love is to hear how a repair worked out.... did I help? Did I send you on a wild goose chase? Tell me what I did right and tell me what I did wrong..... the learning curve never stops........

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING JIM.

Everybody's loving you Jim, and while I have your attention do you have any tips for changing the emergency brakes on a 97. I prefer to not have to pull the axle. I've heard it's a real bi*** of a job and am not really looking forward to it.

Thanks Sid

spontanious head swellers..... What I would love is to hear how a repair worked out.... did I help? Did I send you on a wild goose chase? Tell me what I did right and tell me what I did wrong..... the learning curve never stops........

WHO READ THIS FORUM DAILY WOULD KNOW THAT JIM IS A HUGE HELP TO EVERY QUESTION WE EVER ASK... AND HE SEEMS TO ALWAYS BE RIGHT!

I've never been able to get a good grip on the return springs with the axle flange in the way. I just bite the bullet and pull the axles. This was does a lot to relieve the frustration factor.

Good time to change out axle seals and gear oil, too.

Thanks Jim, I guess once the axles are out it's a breeze.

Sid

I've replaced them myself on my '96, and while the procedure is pretty similar to any other drum type brake shoe replacement, Jim is right that it is definitely a very frustrating exercise. I did it without pulling the axle, mostly because I never thought of doing that and would probably have been too intimidated to try, seeing as how I've never done anything like that before (but had done drum brakes before). Thinking back, I remember wondering at the time (after I'd already taken everything apart and was trying to put it back together) if I was going to have to have it towed in so a "real mechanic" could put it all back together. Finally did get it all back together, but I remember it being a long and frustrating afternoon - and a real incentive to never again forget to check the emer brake before driving off... I don't normally use it in the garage, but the wife had driven the car and out of habit put the brake on, not very tightly, when she parked it. I was a couple of miles down the road before I noticed the brake light on, and by that time they'd heated up pretty good and the linings were cracked (they might even have cracks normally, but I wasn't sure so I replaced them). If I had it to do again, I'd definitely be looking into the axle pulling option, cause the springs were real buggers to get back on.

Steve

Hi Steve, the general consensus is that it's a real bear of a job. I've decided if I'm going to do it I'll pull the axles. I've been told that you need special tools to pull the seals and it's really looking like I should just bite the bullet and pay the piper.. LOL

Sid

You can use a gooseneck crowbar to pull the seals if you work carefully.... I've seen techs and DIYers use the axle (shudder) to pop the seal but this introduces stress to the C-clip groove that were not intended in the original design. I have seen this area of the axle break off at the most inopportune time allowing the axle to walk out. On drum brake rears, this could be disasterous to your health... on disc break rears this can be disasterous to your wallet.

Choose a bar that has little flex.... position it as far under the inner lip of the seal as possible. Move the bar so as to contact the far side of the axle tube firmly (you don't want to "hammer" against the tube) and give two or three sharp thrusts.... This should release the old seal. There will be some sealnt left in the seal bore... be sure to remove this ( a utility knife works well) to avoid having it contaminate the bearing. I like to squeeze a little wheel bearing grease into the axle bearing after I inspect it.

While the axle is out, inspect the seal and bearing surfaces carefully. There are "axle saver" bearing kits available... Federal Mogul markets one that I have used in the past. I am not completely satisfied with these... their lifespan is short when compared to the stock arrangement and I'm not satisfied that their isn't the chance for housing damage. If my customer is in a delicate financial situation, I will gamble but I try to be sure that I explain my experience and my fears clearly. I have seen one where reverting to factory style installation has given me a seal that isn't as tight as it could be.

When removing the axles... the lock bolt for the spider pin can be difficult... use a good quality 6 point wrench... apply force in the "off" direction (lefty loosey, righty tighty) and deliver a couple of sharp blows from the heal of your hand... this is probably gonna tingle but at least now you know a bit of what I go through. On installation, clean the thread with brake cleaner and apply a dab of blue lok-tite. Be sure the bolt is adequately torqued. I have seen these bolts back out - a loose spider pin can have you eating Kraft dinner for a long, long time.

Having said that, the whole operation is about a 3 or 4 on a 5 scale.

afternoon -

Thanks for such a concise and clear explanation, I have come to the conclusion that if I must remove axles it falls outside of my DIY mechanical skills. I am however going to attempt to repair the e-brakes according to the instructions culled from the Ford technical CD.

Thanks Jim Sid

Very easy job, a little tight but with right tools no need to remove the axles at all to fix the e-brakes..

Sid

Glad it worked out for you Sid. Did you end up purchasing any special tools to do it? I have the standard drum brake pliers type multi tool dealie, but couldn't seem to find a way to get it help put the springs back on.

Just had to use a smaller and larger set of needlenose pliers, and of course a second set of helpful hands for taking the clips off.

Sid