Brake Shoe Cracks
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 230
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Brake Shoe Cracks
I started to tear into the front end of my '71 F-100 Custom, and I noticed that the linings on the shoes have a lot of cracks in them. I've always heard that cracks are normal, but I was surprised how many there are on these.
Has anyone had any experience with this situation, particuarly bad experiences, or have we seen this and no big deal?
Thanks
Has anyone had any experience with this situation, particuarly bad experiences, or have we seen this and no big deal?
Thanks
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 609
Likes: 0
From: Watauga TEXAS
Brake Shoe Cracks
Cracks in shoes are not a good thing. I'd go ahead and slap a new set on.
Maybe you are thinking about cracks in drums which can be common. I wouldn't run my truck on cracked drums, but believe it or not, there's those that run 18 wheelers on cracking drums. Some folks are ok with it. There's something different about a heat crack as opposed to a stress crack. Heat cracks don't seem to continue where as a stress crack keeps getting longer.
Joe
Maybe you are thinking about cracks in drums which can be common. I wouldn't run my truck on cracked drums, but believe it or not, there's those that run 18 wheelers on cracking drums. Some folks are ok with it. There's something different about a heat crack as opposed to a stress crack. Heat cracks don't seem to continue where as a stress crack keeps getting longer.
Joe
Thread Starter
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 230
Likes: 0
Brake Shoe Cracks
No, I'm not thinking about drums. I would never run a cracked piece of cast iron period. And I don't mean the metal part of the shoes either. I mean the friction material on the shoes.
(Yeah, shoes are cheap, probably the way to go.)
(Yeah, shoes are cheap, probably the way to go.)
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 13,873
Likes: 3
From: Atlanta GA
Brake Shoe Cracks
My experience.
When the friction pad has cracked it is usually due to heat. Dragging parking brake cables, an excessive brakes locked situation, or using the brakes during a long downgrade usually cause it. When it gets this bad, you can usually flake the material off the shoe with little effort using a screw driver.
It is normal for drums to get small, barely visible, cracks in the surface area the shoes contact. If they are longer than one inch it is probably a problem or if they look more like cracks then scratches.
Any cracks in the exterior of the drum means junking it.
When the friction pad has cracked it is usually due to heat. Dragging parking brake cables, an excessive brakes locked situation, or using the brakes during a long downgrade usually cause it. When it gets this bad, you can usually flake the material off the shoe with little effort using a screw driver.
It is normal for drums to get small, barely visible, cracks in the surface area the shoes contact. If they are longer than one inch it is probably a problem or if they look more like cracks then scratches.
Any cracks in the exterior of the drum means junking it.
