How to Repair the Rear Drum Brake in a 2002 Ford Ranger

The 2002 Ford Ranger was available in both two-wheel and four-wheel drive formats. The 2002 Ranger had a 2.3-liter in-line four-cylinder engine in the base model, with a 3.0-liter V-6 and a 4.0-liter V-6 as optional engines. The rear drum brakes on the 2002 Ranger are 9 inch or 10 inch drum brakes, depending upon the model of the Ranger you are working on. Replacing all springs and hardware with the rear drum brakes is recommended.

Instructions

Replacing the Brake Shoes

1

Loosen the rear wheel lug nuts on the Ranger, using a tire iron. Raise the rear of the Ranger with a jack. Place jack stands at both ends of the axle housing, about six inches in from the wheels. Allow yourself easy access to the rear of the brake housing. Set the truck onto the jack stands. Remove the lug nuts completely, then remove the rear wheels from the truck. Remove the spring clips from the face of both drums, using pliers.

2

Remove the brake drum from one side of the truck by hand. Pull the rubber stopper off the brake backing plate with a flathead screwdriver if you cannot get the drum off by hand. Insert the screwdriver into the hole in the backing plate and adjust the parking brake self adjuster downward. This will retract the pressure on the brake shoes inside the drum. Hit the drum on the forward facing and rearward facing sides to loosen the shoes from the sides of the drum. Pull the rear drum off by hand.

3

Spray the entire brake shoe and hardware system with aerosol brake cleaner, to remove preliminary dust so that you can inspect the rear brakes thoroughly. Spray the inside of the brake drum thoroughly with brake cleaner, then place the drum out of your work area with the open face of the drum downward.

4

Remove the two upper brake shoe retracting springs, using a brake spring hook tool. Disconnect the brake shoe adjuster lever cable from between the bottom of the adjuster lever, using the spring tool. Remove the cable from the top post of the brake assembly, then remove the small crescent moon shaped guide from the reward brake shoe by hand. Remove the adjuster lever return spring from the forward mounted shoe and the adjuster lever, with the spring hook tool. Remove the brake adjuster lever assembly.

5

Remove the brake shoe anchor pin from the rearward shoe, using pliers if needed. Remove the strut bar from between the upper portion of the two shoes. Remove the adjuster wheel from between the bottom portion of the two shoes. Remove the brake shoe hold down springs, using the circular brake spring tool. Turn the spring cap on the outer face of the spring with the tool, while holding the pin stationary from behind the backing plate with your finger. Remove the cap and spring once the cap releases from the pin, then remove the pin.

6

Remove the forward mounted brake shoe completely. Remove the rearward mounted brake shoe with one hand, and twist the shoe to release it from the parking brake lever.

7

Inspect the wheel cylinder at the top of the brake assembly. If the rubber seals are cracked or leaking, the cylinder needs to be replaced. Follow the instructions in the section titled "Replacing the Wheel Cylinder" to replace the wheel cylinders. If the wheel cylinders are good, continue to Step 8 of this section.

8

Insert the new rearward brake shoe onto the parking brake lever by depressing the lever spring halfway with pliers, then inserting and locking the shoe in place. The rearward shoe is the shoe with the longer brake lining. Set the rear shoe against the backing plate and insert the new hold down pin from behind the plate through the new shoe.

9

Inert the new hold down spring and cap. Turn the cap with your circular brake tool while holding the pin with your finger. When the pin and cap make a "+" symbol, the cap is securely locked onto the pin. Install the forward mounted brake shoe with the shorter lining, and install the hold down pin, spring and cap in the same manner.

10

Install the parking brake spring onto the strut. Insert the strut between the two upper ends of the brake shoes. Install the rear shoe anchor pin and lock it in place with a new clip, using a flathead screwdriver. Install the guide plate onto the upper shoe assembly post, and install the adjuster lever guide onto the rearward shoe. Install the adjuster lever cable onto the upper post with the crimped side facing the backing plate. Pull the cable over the cable guide on the rearward shoe.

11

Install the two upper retracting springs onto the post and the shoes, using the spring hook tool. The shorter spring goes to the forward mounted shoe. Separate the adjuster screw into two pieces by unscrewing the starred end from the cap. Place grease onto the threads of the screw, then connect the two parts back together with a screwing motion. Insert the adjuster wheel between the two shoes, with the starred end of the wheel toward the rear.

12

Install the adjuster lever onto the brake Install the adjuster cable onto the adjuster lever. Install the adjuster lever spring between the forward brake shoe and the adjuster lever.

13

Inspect the inner sides of the brake drum. If the sides are visibly pitted, rusted or warped, replace the brake drum. Measure the opening on the brake drum. If the opening is more than 9 1/16 inches wide on a 9 inch brake drum, replace the drum. If the opening is more than 10 1/16 inches wide on a 10 inch drum, replace the drum. Install the brake drum onto the rear of the Ranger.

14

Repeat steps 2 through 14 to complete the shoe replacement on the second side of the Ranger. Install the rear wheels and tighten the lug nuts snug, with a ratchet and socket. Spin the rear wheels by hand. If the wheel makes more than one complete rotation, the brakes are under adjusted. If the wheel makes less than one rotation, the brakes are over-adjusted. Use the self adjuster with a flathead screwdriver, to adjust the brakes correctly.

15

Raise the truck off of the jack stands, then remove the stands from beneath the Ranger. Lower the truck to the ground, and tighten the rear wheel lug nuts to 100 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and wheel nut socket.

Replacing the Wheel Cylinder

16

Loosen the fitting securing the brake line, using a line wrench, then pull the brake line gently inward off of the wheel cylinder. Remove the two wheel cylinder hold down bolts with a ratchet and socket. Pull the wheel cylinder completely off of the brake assembly.

17

Clean the area where the cylinder was located with aerosol brake cleaner. Install the new wheel cylinder onto the backing plate. Install the mounting bolts from behind, and start tightening the bolts with your fingers to ensure that you do not cross thread the bolts. Tighten the bolts to between 9 and 13 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and socket. Install the brake line and hand-thread its fitting. Tighten the brake line fitting to between 11 and 14 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and crow's foot attachment.

18

Continue to Step 8 of the section titled "Replacing the Brake Shoes" to complete the brake shoe replacement. Proceed to the section titled "Bleeding the Rear Brakes" after the brakes have been installed but before you install the rear wheels.

Bleeding the Rear Brakes

19

Open the hood. Inspect the brake fluid reservoir and add brake fluid if needed.

20

Position a drain pan under the right wheel cylinder's bleeder valve. Ask your assistant to press and hold the brake pedal to the floor of the truck. Open the bleeder screw on the back of the right side wheel cylinder, with a line wrench. Allow air to escape the line, then tighten the bleeder screw snug. Ask your assistant to release the brake pedal and allow it to travel back up to its top position. Repeat this step three times to remove the large volume air pockets from the brake lines, then move the drain pan under the left wheel cylinder and repeat this step for the left wheel cylinder.

21

Check the brake fluid reservoir under the hood of the truck. Add brake fluid if needed.

22

Ask your assistant to pump the brake pedal slowly, until the pedal is stiff. Tell your assistant to hold the weight of his foot on the pedal and follow it to the floor of the truck. Position the drain pan under the right wheel cylinder. Open the bleeder screw on the right wheel cylinder and let air and brake fluid escape the line. Close the bleeder screw when the pressure is depleted. Repeat this step on the right wheel until the brake pedal gets stiff and has no travel toward the floor of the truck, then move the drain pan under the left wheel cylinder and repeat this entire step on the left wheel cylinder.

23

Check and top off the brake fluid reservoir if needed. Continue to Step 14 of Section 1 to finish the installation process.