Rear brake dilema!
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 110
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From: Reno, NV
Rear brake dilema!
Hey guys new to the forums and i was told you guys are great for helping out with diagnosing problems. well, i own a 1997 F250 HD and my problem is with my left rear drum. everytime i adjust the shoes and drive for about a month of back and forth city driving, the shoes will adjust to the point of grabbing the drum everytime i get off the line. i changed everything from shoes, springs, to the adjusters and nothing seems to work. can a bad wheel cylinder cause me this head scratching? 
any help is greatly apprieciated.
any help is greatly apprieciated.
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 19,402
Likes: 38
From: Bonita Springs FL
I can't see how a wheel cylinder would cause that. This might seem like a really elementary question, but are you 100% sure that everything is assembled right? Did you do a side-by-side comparison and make sure that the left is a mirror image of the right?
I'm scratching my head a bit on this too.
I'm scratching my head a bit on this too.
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 110
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From: Reno, NV
Yep, essentially i assembled as i took apart. only on the left it does it though. i would assume that if i had the right messed up too it would do it also. this is a pickle of a problem.
But just to refresh, does the larger shoe go towards the front of the truck or rear?
But just to refresh, does the larger shoe go towards the front of the truck or rear?
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Reno, NV
K well the shoes are correct, thank you andym. And the proportioning valve wouldn't be a bad place to look, how would be the best way to clean it? however, could it be possible that there is some gunk in the driver rear line and could possibly be causing the problems?
Elder User
Joined: May 2008
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From: Wasilla, AK
You might try changing out the brake fluid by flushing it. Old dirty fluid can gum up the components. Purging the system by adding clean fresh fluid might fix the problem? I don't know were you are at but you might be able to rent one of those power bleeder tools from your auto parts store? It will make it a lot easier and keep you from getting in the dog house when your wife pumps the brake peddle while you have the bleeder open and you holler at her!!!
Tim
Tim
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Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Bonita Springs FL
How would it be the proportioning valve if only one side does it?
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From: Southern California
IMHO,
1. dirty brake fluid
2. weak brake springs (if they are over 6 months old & sometimes new ones will be weak)
3. wheel cylinder piston hanging up- groves in cylinder- sand with emeroy cloth, clean, install new o-rings.
1. dirty brake fluid
2. weak brake springs (if they are over 6 months old & sometimes new ones will be weak)
3. wheel cylinder piston hanging up- groves in cylinder- sand with emeroy cloth, clean, install new o-rings.
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 19,402
Likes: 38
From: Bonita Springs FL
Weak brake springs is a possibility, though. But he said he changed the springs. An interesting test might be to swap all the hardware (except for the threaded adjusters) over to the other side and see if the problem moves with it.
There are no o-rings inside a wheel cylinder. Even if it were the wheel cylinder I don't see how this would cause the problem either. The cylinder is at the top of the assembly and the auto-adjuster is at the bottom.
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Reno, NV
well this could be anyone's guess. 
but the purge with new fluid is a good idea. but the wheel cylinder is the only thing i haven't touched and the truck did have a problem on the driver side rear hence why i changed the brake shoes.
well ill do the fluid change this weekend and see if any improvement occurs. as for the springs, i am pretty sure that they are not weak because the old ones i took off were so tired that i could bend them into new shapes.
but the purge with new fluid is a good idea. but the wheel cylinder is the only thing i haven't touched and the truck did have a problem on the driver side rear hence why i changed the brake shoes. well ill do the fluid change this weekend and see if any improvement occurs. as for the springs, i am pretty sure that they are not weak because the old ones i took off were so tired that i could bend them into new shapes.
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 19,402
Likes: 38
From: Bonita Springs FL
Right, the adjusters only work when coming to a stop in reverse.
OP, does the wheel cylinder leak? Did you check behind the rubber dust caps for fluid? You didn't just change the shoes on one side, right?
OP, does the wheel cylinder leak? Did you check behind the rubber dust caps for fluid? You didn't just change the shoes on one side, right?
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 379
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From: Minneapolis, Mn
Brakes
One other thing. If you pull the drum, is the brake cylinder fully retracted? If not, can you manually compress it? Might give a lead on which potential issue it might be.
Good luck