back brake drums

[WyattEarp]

Well after waking today from work, i rambled outside coveralls and coat on and windy cold as heck, well i pulled the back drivers side wheel, i sat there and thought hmmmm this don't look like a simple drum removal, on my 2000 the drum pulls off over the studs, on the 92 and help me out here guys, do you have to remove the bolts in the axle end in order to get the drum assembly off, to the best of my eyes thats what it looked like i was going to have to do, well it being late and having no idea for sure i put the wheel back on and torqued the nuts, went to town and picked up some amber light lenses to replace the red one's that were on the front, in Va. the red on the front is a no no...

So does anyone have a picture or ideas on how to remove the back drums to inspect the brakes, or should i adjust the shoes up and go from there, i can't imagine the back brakes need replace due to me knowing that on my 2000 that the back brakes haven't been touched since buying the truck and thats been 6yrs, only thing i have done is adjusted them out 2 times... .

Any help is appreciated, and man oh man shifting gears is addictive LOL

 

[cerberusiam]

The D70 is a full floating axle design on these trucks. The drums do not come off separately.



1. Remove the bolts holding the axle into the middle of the hub



2. Remove the axle, if it is stuck tap on it a bit to loosen it and it should come right out.



3. When the axle is out you will see the large nut(s) holding the hub assembly to the spindle. It takes something like a 2 3/16 socket to get the nuts off.



4. Slide the hub assembly off the spindle.



That help?

 

[csnider]

Do you know how many miles are onthe present set of shoes?. .

When you pull the drums on these saxles you should change the oil seals before you put them back on. them there is a process to retorque the axle nut. . If you back brakes are just loose you might just want to adjust them as they don't do a very good job of evenly adjusting themselves, that's for sure. .

There many threads here that would go through the whole process if you used the search function..... Good luck

 

[WyattEarp]

Cerber thanks for the info, thats what i thought as i sat there this evening looking at the axle, the truck has a little over 96,000 miles on it, i have no idea if the current back brake shoes are original or not, the truck is tight from front to back as far as mechanical, the transmission, transfer case, all joints are spotless and have nothing in the terms of seepage or leaking anywhere. The only seepage that i have been able to see is the valve cover next to the firewall and its minimal at best.

Sounds like i need to take it to a guy that my friend knows his whole family has anywhere from 89-93 models all with the cummins, my friend has any seal or other work done by him, sounds like thats is my best bet. I would attempt it but would be afraid of messing something up until i get a manual on this truck.

I do know the emergency brake will not hold at all but is funtioning properly so it could be just a adjustment of the back shoes is all that is needed. I did notice when changing out the front pads yesterday that on the drivers side the outer pad had just a small layer of it left while the inside pad had about a 1/4 or so left, the passengers side had even wear any thoughts on this from you guys???? is it a prone thing with these trucks?

 

[cerberusiam]

Front brakes; generally you will see one pad wear more than the other but it should not be a large amount. If there is one wearing more than another the slide is probably jamming and not releasing correctly. the other problem is the most of the pistons on the calipers are a composite material, ie not metal, and after years will start to stick and not return correctly. I have had them jam out during the winter months and totally destroy rotors before it was noticed. When yopu replace the calipers be sure to specify and check the pistons for a metal piston.



Yeah, if the park brake doesn't work the rears are probably out of adjustment. On the bottom of the backing plate is a rubber grommet thing that you can pop out and adjust the brakes up to see if they will work better. The rears not working is usually the cause of front pads wearing fast and possibly warping the rotors.

 

[WyattEarp]

they are the metal pistons that i do remember due to having to jerry rig up some space taking materials to get the piston pushed all the way back with the smaller C-clamp i had available, will be getting a larger C-clamp for this truck, the calipers are big honking things, bigger than on the '00 but on it the 2 piston set up is sweet.

Cerber just a thought on the back shoe adjustment i could adjust them out and keep checking the E brake like 3-4 clicks at a time and then on level ground could i jack the rear end up to where the back wheels are off the ground and use jack stands of course and then put in gear and see if the back shoes are working. . I thought of this today while cleaning house :-laf

 

[EZGZ]

I have gotten by without using a socket on the axle nut.



You will need some RTV to reseal the endcap on the axle hub(where the bolts are) I just tighten them down like a wheel nut pattern going criss/cross and never had a problem with leaks or coming loose.

 

[Headshot zod]

omg..... tell me none of this is true. Roughly how long does it take to do rear brakes? So aside from the standard brake hardware I'll need seals, anything else special? Thanks guys

 

[TWorline]

What is your method of calibrating your hammer and chisel to 140 ft. lbs. ? The expense of the correct socket is money well spent for the piece of mind knowing that your new bearings are properly installed @70 mph.

 

[Demons_Ram]

The D70 is a full floating axle design on these trucks. The drums do not come off separately.



1. Remove the bolts holding the axle into the middle of the hub



2. Remove the axle, if it is stuck tap on it a bit to loosen it and it should come right out.



3. When the axle is out you will see the large nut(s) holding the hub assembly to the spindle. It takes something like a 2 3/16 socket to get the nuts off.



4. Slide the hub assembly off the spindle.



That help?

Didn't see any mention of a locking tab or keyway holding the rear wheel bearing/hub nuts on. There's usually some sort of locking device. Key or bent over washer with lock tabs. The old Corporate axels we had on the Light M-series had a little key that you had to make sure you got out. The front axel of my 94 4x4 ford exploder also has a little keeper that I have to fish out with a magnetized screwdriver before attempting to turn the hub nut. A newbie would probably just start cranking away and cause damage.

 

[1stgen4evr]

The nut has a nylon insert that you drive a little wedge into. That must be removed. I use small vise grips.



Like EZGZ, I have removed and reinstalled the nut with a blunt chisle. Growing up there just wasn't the money for tools. I have one now. However, the other day, at the shop where I hang out some, they had a freek size nut on a bus. They also do exhaust work. We made a nut wrench by expanding a short length of tail pipe to the size of the larger (points) on the nut then pushed the nut in the pipe and clamped that in a vise and with a two pound hammer, flatted the rest of the sides so that it fit the nut nicely. (Yes, we removed it with a blunt chisle). Drilled a hole cross ways in the pipe and used a large screwdriver for a handle and fitted the nut nicely back in place.



If you are careful and the seal isn't worn out, you can reuse it. I generally replace it since it is quite a chore to get down to the thing. Also, if you let the seal leak and lose the rear lube, you can have mucho grief with the ring and pinoin.



When you drive the seal into the hub, it can cause the garter spring to dislodge. I use a pull bolt to sink the seal rather than hitting it with a hammer. If you have a press that is the best method.



Nasty job and I hate it. But I don't trust anyone with maintainence on my truck.



James

 

[Headshot zod]

I guess I'm done throwing up. I found Jleon's post with the socket and other part numbers.

 

[HRDROKN]

And while you are into it I would replace the seal with an oil bath seal and get one of Quad's axle nut upgrades... . my . 02

 

[MMiller]

When you drive the seal into the hub, it can cause the garter spring to dislodge. I use a pull bolt to sink the seal rather than hitting it with a hammer. If you have a press that is the best method.



James

Any time I install a lip seal, I fill the back side of it with grease, this keeps the little spring in the seal, then put some grease on the lip, and the step it seals to on the spindle, to lube it for installation.



I just had a drum off last week, the little cable that is supposed to adjust the brakes rusted in two, and one piece fell down and was making noise.



You are supposed to replace the nut everytime you take the drum off, the nylon will be much less effective holding the nut after its been off a time or two. The little wedge thing is kinda a joke too, every time I've pulled the right side apart the nut has moved. I would get a new wedge too.



Or you could upgrade it to the old style, with a nut to adjust the bearing, then a ring, and then a lock nut.



Michael

 

[Jgolden]

My mistake

 

[Headshot zod]

I'm almost thinking I may be better off getting a used one, putting it in my basement and rebuilding and reinstalling. Thanks for the link from quad4x4. I never looked at their stuff other then the nv4500 kit.

 

[HRDROKN]

I say this only as a reminder, and because I just finished the job, don't forget to check and repack the bearings while it is apart.

There seems to be differing information on this... . All the training that our techs receive on this is absolutely do not pack the bearings with grease, dunk them in gear oil. As the gear oil will wash the grease into solution, it will change the the gear oils viscosity index. If you have a LSD I would think that the moly in the grease will effect the friction clutches.



Anyone have any info on this???

 

[Jgolden]

My mistake.

 

[HRDROKN]

The bearings in a full floater 60/70/80 are isolated from the axel lube by the seal I believe.

Haynes Manual "Pack the bearings with wheel bearing grease, force the grease into the rollers... . "

Not sure how the bearing would survive, with no lube.

Seems that the original post referred to a Dana 70.

No inner seals on Dana70/80 and Furd 10. 25 (sterling). Pull the axle and your lube comes running out.

 

[Jgolden]

my mistake