general brake job
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 467
Likes: 0
From: northwest
yeah. make sure that front wedge thingy is put back in the right direction. otherwise they vibrate back out! argh! who the heck designed the "lego" brakes on these vans? i like how easy they are to take apart, but the vibration likes how easy they come apart too!
I freaked out when I saw the wedges sticking out of the calipers about 3 inches ONE DAY after doing my front brakes.
BE SURE TO GET THOSE BACK IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!!
or the little notches dont catch the caliper and they will wiggle right out!
I freaked out when I saw the wedges sticking out of the calipers about 3 inches ONE DAY after doing my front brakes.
BE SURE TO GET THOSE BACK IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!!
or the little notches dont catch the caliper and they will wiggle right out!
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 403
Likes: 0
From: cincinnati hamilton
the rear brakes on these guys are normal drum arrangement, but they are anti-lock. they are called "rabs".for rear anti-lock brake system. depending on the year of your van, they are usually simple. they do present differences in bleeding them especially if you did the front. check the forum search under "rear brakes." problems with the anti-lock system seem to be many, mostly fortold by the ominous red light on the dash board. so, if yours are working, and no red light is on, they should present no unusual problems.
mine is a 91 ext. it has the first generation of the rabs system i think. over time the parts corrode in the master cylinder.(need to search under rabs for better explanation), not sure the anti-lock works at all, but as aerocolorado told me even if the anti-lock mechanism isn,t working, you still have regular brakes. if you haven't had your drums off in a while i'll be fun removing them!!. stock up on bevrages!
rick
mine is a 91 ext. it has the first generation of the rabs system i think. over time the parts corrode in the master cylinder.(need to search under rabs for better explanation), not sure the anti-lock works at all, but as aerocolorado told me even if the anti-lock mechanism isn,t working, you still have regular brakes. if you haven't had your drums off in a while i'll be fun removing them!!. stock up on bevrages!
rick
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 758
Likes: 0
From: Northern PA
Just replaced rears on my 96. The shoes had worn through the contact areas on the backing plate, so we tack welded some buildups there and ground it back flat. Other than that, it was pretty straightforward, just like any other conventional drum brake setup.
