I replaced the front pads, rotors and bearings about 1K ago. A mechanic friend took it on himself to replace the rear shoes and wheel cylinders etc. Now after about 500 miles the rears have gotten grabby. I adjusted the star wheels and it helped some.
What happens is especially at slow speeds the brakes are VERY sensitive. They will lock the real wheels really easily. At speed it is not as bad coming to a stop, but I do have a slight shutter in the pedal at speed. I have read about several fixes but I would like to get to the issue without experimenting. I understand the parking brake adjustment could be the issue. He said he did adjust the parking brake.
I would be grateful if someone could steer me right to the issue. No other parts were changed in the rear except shoes and cylinders and they were only leaking slightly when changed. So this is a new issue. Thanks Sandy

 

You mentioned you adjusted the brakes. Can you still pull the drums off without any issue? I'm not an expert on the rear brakes but I replaced mine awhile back. I replaced everything except the back plate because there was a fair amount of corrosion/rust. So all the springs, keepers, cylinders and shoes were replaced. I followed the instructions in the manual for the adjustment.

 

I didn't pull the wheel. I adjusted the star wheels from behind the wheel. I did them like my old cherokee. Jack up the rear and spin the tire. On the Cherokee they should make about 1-1 1/2 revolutions before stopping. The Ford was spinning freely when I adjusted the star adjusters. And now it is like the Cherokee. It seemed to make it better but it still locks up the rear wheels quick at slow speed now.

 

There is no "one" reason why drum brakes can get grabby. It could be a deteriorating brake line and it is not allowing the fluid to move back and forth freely. It could be one or more of the retaining springs are loose, weak or broken and so the brake shoe is moving far to easily (read quickly). It could also be your wheel cylinder is binding and not returning fully after the brakes are applied. I'm sure there are other reasons why brakes can get grabby but these are the most common that I have ran across.

It sounds like you have adjusted the brakes correctly so, in my opinion, you need to pull your drums and see what may be going on.

 

Thank you. I will pull the wheels tomorrow and see if I can spot anything if I don't get any concrete ideas. Sandy

 

Look at the backing plate pads, there are six on each axle. The shoes ride and slide on these and they will get gouged/grooved after a lot of miles and the shoes start to stick instead of releasing. The hoses were probably replaced along with the wheel cylinders? They should be anyways.

 

Sad that you have to check this since a mechanic installed the brakes but while you have the drums off measure the length of brake material on the shoes.. believe it or not the leading shoe should have slightly less material than the trailing shoe, and if the mechanic somehow put both trailing shoes on one side that wheel will be very lockup prone.

 

My backing plate pads were fairly corroded and pitted. I sanded them as smooth as I could get them and put a little brake grease on them. No hoses to replace. Tubing with fitting screwed into the wheel cylinder thru the backing plate.

 

Thank you. I will measure them tomorrow and check that out. The mechanic friend was putting some bushings on my truck bed. He did the brakes as a favor and it was free. I mentioned the shoe thickness when he told me what he had done and he said he was aware of that. I doubt he did anything wrong but who knows. I really like to do all my own work but I like to give him some work on things I don't want to do and it helps him out. Thanks again for the tip.

 

Thanks guys I am familiar with that and will check them out. Sandy

 

^^^^ this^^^^
biggest cause of rear brake issues is caused by putting the shoes in the wrong place.

 

Thanks for the back up. I was putting the jack stand under the rear and noticed a hose hanging. It was the hose that goes to the ABS lines and is connected to the rear axle. It was brittle and after cutting off a few inches I replaced it and secured it to the fitting. Problem solved. Brakes work great.

I assume the fitting was a vacuum and that it was the ABS. I have never worked on ABS so is my assumption correct?

 

not sure since the only thing i own with abs is the 2014 F250

 

Well the hose is only a vent hose for the differential. After a few miles of driving the brakes do feel better but still not quite right. Pulling the wheels tomorrow and checking out the suggestions offered above. Thanks Sandy

 

Never mind, we were typing at the same time.....