rear brake problem
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rear brake problem
I maintain several econoline vans for our food coop. One of them, a 1997 E250, developed a squeal in the rear wheel which turned out to be the result of a missing hold-down pin. I got a replacement kit from Autozone and went through several pins as they fell out after a few weeks or months of use. I went to a Ford dealer and got factory pins which turned out to be shaped slightly differently. I'm not convinced this is the solution, however. I recently replaced the rear brakes on a 1994 E250. This time I compared each part with the existing ones, and as far as I could see they all matched. This time the pins fell out after only a few hours of driving. The rear brakes behaved normally before the redo, but now I don't know what's going on. The spring and pin stay connected when the shoes are shifted side to side (much more than is possible when the drum is in place). But there doesn't seem to be much (any?) tension on the spring. The shoes are not held against the backing plate as they are in the E150 design. Has anyone else encountered this situation?
Fleet Owner
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From: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Without seeing any of this in person I'd have to ask have you replaced all the brake hold-down hardware? Assuming the shoes are in good shape perhaps this could be remedied with new USA made hardware kit.
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I had this problem on my 97F250 and got the spring kit from Auto Zone and only replaced the broken part. It seems it was a little tricky replacing it as it was different from other brakes I have worked on(not a pro mechanic). That was a couple years ago and I haven't had any trouble out of it since then. The replacement part seemed very similar to the original although it was damaged from riding around in there loose for a few days.
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Hello,
In the 97 Ford I only replaced the hold-down hardware that fell out. I did use genuine Ford parts but that did not cure the problem. When I did the 94, I replaced everything. New shoes, new springs, new hydraulics, resurfaced drums. I haven't gone back to Ford yet, but I compared the replacement parts with the old ones and they looked identical. The first set of Autozone pins did look shorter and had a slightly milder bend to the hook end. The second set of Autozone pins looked just like the replacements I got from the Ford dealer. In the first case (97) it seemed as if there was too much tension on the hold-down spring, but in the second case (94) it seems there is not enough. Although the two parts hook together, there is clearance at the contact point. This does not seem correct. Have you ever seen or heard of this situation?
Tom C
In the 97 Ford I only replaced the hold-down hardware that fell out. I did use genuine Ford parts but that did not cure the problem. When I did the 94, I replaced everything. New shoes, new springs, new hydraulics, resurfaced drums. I haven't gone back to Ford yet, but I compared the replacement parts with the old ones and they looked identical. The first set of Autozone pins did look shorter and had a slightly milder bend to the hook end. The second set of Autozone pins looked just like the replacements I got from the Ford dealer. In the first case (97) it seemed as if there was too much tension on the hold-down spring, but in the second case (94) it seems there is not enough. Although the two parts hook together, there is clearance at the contact point. This does not seem correct. Have you ever seen or heard of this situation?
Tom C
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I haven't heard of an ongoing problem with your issue. I've never had the right side off, but was wondering if yours was left side only problem as was mine. Is there some difference although I wouldn't think so as the package i bought wasn't specific.
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rear brake problem
An interesting side issue is the upper return spring. Different sources show the spring attached either behind the shoes or in front. When attached in front, the shoe twists towards the drum and the edge of the shoe rubs against the drum after the pin falls out. When attached the other way, the shoe seems to stay in place when the pin falls out (I've tried both). As I said before, this problem has me mystified.
Tom C
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