When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Ok many people here have helped me in the past. I have 87 Ranger and i lost a wheel cylinder. Brake drum is stuck. I used a gear puller to get it to finally pop off the axel. Now the brake shoes and springs are holding it on even though i backed the star adjuster off. The only thing i can figure is it has a big grove in the drum? So do i just have to beat the hell out of it and destroy the parts in the drum to get this appart? Thanks
Sounds like you have not backed the adjuster off far enough for the shoes to clear the groove. Either that or the parking brake cable is sticking.
Worst case senario you wreck the springs and pins, only a few $ for a kit of new ones which you might need anyway.
Good luck with it.
I agree with lazy K, either the pads aren't backed off far enough or the cable got stuck.
OTOH, the pucks on the wheel cyl could be forced out. open the bleeder. Sometimes a gear puller can distort the pads enough to break it loose, but then again sounds like you need new pads and a drum anyways. the gear puller will generally break the drum edges.
You don't want to work on it this weekend, gonna get nasty.
Thanks. Yes im figuring the drum and all needs replacement anyway. Man it was really stuck on the axel first. Been a fight.
And yes the weather is bad but its in the garage. Bugging me to get it running again. Thanks joe
Atre you sure that you're backing off the adjuster?? just asking 'cause a lot of people go the wrong way..Not to criticize your mech skills, but just the same..You do have the parking brake "off"?? Check under the chassis to see that the cable is slack..You want to be careful whacking with a hammer so as to not beat up your backing plate.. you could try heating the drum with a propane torch(CAREFUL)and then try a couple of whacks to see if the brake shoes let loose..
Well it was a fight but i got it off. Took some advice from a good old boy and cut the pins on the back side to let the shoes slip. I think there was an odd combo of rust, totally groved and worn drum,stick parking brake and part of the wheel cylinder was kind of jammed inside that might have kept the shoes from retracting. Its totally ok to question my mechanical skills! I did get the adjuster the correct way. Anyway, got totally new everything and will work on it today. My fault for letting that go way to long. I changed the pads on the front a couple of times but didnt work on the shoes. Thanks for the help. Joe