How to Replace Drum Brakes on a F150

The drum brakes and their shoes on the Ford F150 truck work directly with the parking brake. The shoes don't usually need changing as often as the brake pads (which the F150 has on all four wheels), but likely need replacing if the parking brake's resistance has lessened. Please note that the exact changing process can vary depending on the year of the truck, so check with your mechanic beforehand.

Instructions

Accessing the Brake Drums

1

Release the parking brake. While an assistant pulls the parking brake cable on the truck's left underside, lock the brake assembly into position by inserting a 5/32 inch drill bit into the control actuator.

2

Block the front wheels, raise the truck's rear end and support it on jack stands. Remove both the rear wheels.

3

Disconnect the brake calipers from the brake discs by loosening their bolts with a wrench and pulling them off. Hang the calipers some place secure with a sturdy wire so they don't hang by the brake hoses.

4

Remove the brake discs. On a two-wheel drive model, remove the cotter pin and nut lock and then remove the spindle nut in the center. For four-wheel-drive models, clip off the retaining washers from the studs with cutting pliers.

5

Clean the brake drum assembly with an aerosol brake cleaner.

Removal

6

Pry off the front and rear hold-down clips from the assembly with a flat screwdriver.

7

Remove the cylindrical brake shoe adjuster and the lower return spring from the lower end of the assembly.

8

Pull the bake shoes away from each other and lift them off of the drum assembly.

9

Disconnect the upper return spring from the top end of the brake shoes and install it onto the new shoes.

Installation

10

Lubricate the brake drum's backing plate at the areas the shoes come in contact with using a high-temperature grease.

11

Install the replacement brake shoes--with the upper return spring attached--by spreading them apart at the lower end and slipping them onto the drum assembly.

12

Reconnect the front and rear hold-down clips, the lower return spring and the brake shoe adjuster. Make sure the adjuster's star wheel faces the truck's front end.

13

Turn the adjuster screw with a screwdriver so the brake disc will just fit over the shoes without dragging--use a brake shoe adjusting gauge and adjust the shoes until their diameter is .02 inches less than the brake disc's drum surface.

14

Install the brake discs and calipers once you've changed the brakes on both wheels. On two-wheel-drive trucks, use a new spindle nut and cotter pin on the brake discs. For four-wheel-drive trucks, you don't need to replace the disc's retaining washers.

15

Reconnect the rear wheels and lower the truck.