How to Adjust the Rear Drum Brakes on a '98 Mercury Conture

The rear drum brake system used in the Ford Contour is a non-servo type system that features a ratcheting adjuster to help keep the brake shoes adjusted properly. This system is activated by the parking brake, and the rear brakes may become mis-adjusted if the parking brake is not used regularly. Re-adjusting the brake shoes can be done by the average home mechanic in about an hour to restore proper brake pedal height and parking brake lever function.

Instructions

1

Block the front wheel on the opposite side of the rear wheel you will be working on using wheel chocks. Raise the rear wheel off the ground with the floor jack, and place a jack stand under the rear axle for added support. Lower the car onto the stand, and remove the jack. Remove the lug nuts using a lug wrench, and lay the wheel aside.

2

Remove the dust cover in the center of the brake drum using a screwdriver to pry it out of the drum. Remove the axle nut located behind the cover using a large socket and ratchet. Slide the drum toward you, and pull it off the axle and brake shoes. Lay the drum aside with the friction surface facing up.

3

Loosen the thumb screw on the center of the brake drum adjusting gauge. Adjust the size of the smaller side of the brake drum adjusting gauge to fits snugly inside the brake drum. Tighten the thumb screw on the adjusting gauge.

4

Slip the large end of the adjusting gauge over the brake shoes. Rotate the serrated cam, located in the spreader bar below the wheel cylinder, in toward the center of the Contour until there is a slight drag on the tool when it is passed over the brake shoes.

5

Reinstall the brake drum over the shoes, and tighten the axle nut tightly with the socket and ratchet. Reinstall the wheel and torque the lug nuts on the Contour to 65 foot-lbs. using a torque wrench. Repeat the procedure for the remaining side.