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rear brakes, I need help

3191 Views 25 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Richard LeBar, 
Richard LeBar
I need to check my rear brakes and i need to pull the drums off. How do I do this? Do I have to pull the axle thing as well? When I started to pull it off I lost some axle oil.

I think one or both sides of my rear brake shoes came apart in the drums and I need to get things apart to see what exactly is going on in there.

My brake light as well as my ABS light are on on the dash too.
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Gatekeeper
The axles come off. If they have the cone locks you will need to remove them to get the axles out. (Undo the bolts and whack the end of the axle with a HEAVY hammer and it will pop out.
Then, you will need a big socket to undo the wheel bearings to get the hubs/drums off. Be sure to repack the bearings with grease when you reassemble them. (They are lubed by the gear oil, but will be dry on inital install and need the grease until the gear oil works itself back into the hubs.) I always use a new small parts kit and new wheel cylinders, new oils seals and high quality shoes so I don't have to go back in again for some stupid small failure.
I've got the KD socket for the bearings and think it is 2 9/16" Someone can correct me if I'm wrong. It's too hot to go out to the shop and check right now. (112F)
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Richard LeBar
what do I do about the oil coming out?
and where can I refill it after? is that just the diff oil coming out?
if it's just diff oil, how much am I going to have to buy? ans what exactly do I buy?

this is kind of lame. I never have done the brakes on this truck so I've never seen this before... I paid someone else to do my brakes for me when I bought the truck but I can't afford to do that again so I'm doing it myself and idk what I'm doing.
I've done rear brakes but this is very different than my car...
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G
i have a 2000 an i just did mine and i didn't have to pull my hub the drums just slide off. but make sure you only pull one side apart so you can look at the other side to make sure you have it right i mine came apart so it took for ever for me to get it all right:lol3: as far as your oil you wouldn't need more that a quart if you did have to pull the hubs!
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Philip
Our year trucks the hub and drum are held together by the wheel studs. They come off as one unit.

Its just regular diff oil> 75/90 works good.

Do not reuse the nylock nut. NAPA has them on the small parts rack. Replace it. If your stake pin for the nut is bent replace it to. It will be on the same rack.

If you don't want to pack the wheel bearings on install. Just jack the other side of the truck up and it will run the lube into the empty hub. Each hub holds around a pint of lube. Top the diff off when you done.
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Richard LeBar
where do I fill the diff oil when I'm done? to replace what pours out

and which is the nylock nut the big one that holds the bearing in?

would napa have one of the sockets for the huge nut?
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G
ya napa would have the socket and on the back of the diff there should be a spot for a 3/8 or 1/2 drive rachet you un screw that out thats where you fill it
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Richard LeBar
ok I just wasn't sure if I was to fill it with the diff filler or i there was somewhere on the axle for that.

for filling it, if the truck is parked on a level surface you fill it right up to the filler hole right?
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Gatekeeper
Yup fill it to the hole. Then check it again after 100 miles. Get a manual that covers the axle/brakes so you can re assemble it all correctly. I've got an old Mid 80's FSM for gas trucks, but the axle and brakes are same. Even an old Motors Manual will suffice. This isn't some newfangled technology in our trucks.
You are going to get dirty and without the correct tools a little frustrated, but it can be done by us shadetrees even with limited hand tools. (I've bought all the little tools to make it easy, I figure my time is worth it. And I have more than one vehicle to maintain.) I find, for newbies, that some nice digital pics of everything before and during disassembly really help when you've got to put it back together and your manual is a little too generic.
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D
Make sure you get the wheel seals seated, I have done a lot of these on big trucks with no comebacks, but I do my own truck and both sides a leaking like sivs! I shouls have been more careful going back together. BTW anyone have the part # for the correct seals, United told me there is a couple diffrerent ones.
DS79
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Richard LeBar
I'm not worried about putting thing back together wrong I'm not a total moron when it comes to this sort of thing :lol3:

I was just a little surprised to find oil pouring out when I pulled the axle ( didn't know it was the axle in the moment) and so I came straight down here to make sure I was doing things right.

I do however wish I owned a manual for my truck. I asked the local dodge dealership if they still sell them but he said they "probably" didn't and even if they did it would cost like $140 so I said not to bother.

I put it back together and will dig into it tomorrow.
I'll run to Napa and get the bearing socket and some gear oil and stuff.

I managed to break 2 tools today doing this job so far though (good old craftsman is guaranteed for life though)

If one of my shoes came apart would that cause my brake light and anti lock light to come on on my dash? because although I am 99% sure one of my brake shoes came apart (I can hear what sounds like metal on metal when I brake and I only hear it when I brake. it's tough to know 100% though because of the noise of the engine) I don't know why those 2 lights came on last weekend and have stayed on since.
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S
It doesn't sound like your shoes came apart, more like you just wore the linings off to the steel shoe. The brake light could come on it things fell apart and the wheel cylinders started to leak/lose pressure and /or bottomed out. The pressure differential switch will put the light on. You'll know more when you get it apart.
You know about always putting the short shoe to the front? Also, you adjust the big nut holding the brgs and hub in place just like you do a frt wheel brg on a rr drive car.
Steve g
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Greenleaf
deerslayer1979 said:
BTW anyone have the part # for the correct seals, United told me there is a couple diffrerent ones.
DS79
Click to expand...

The Axle nut is a six point 2-9/16 no. KD2436

The axle retaining nylock nut is Spicer 39695

250 hub seal CR28746
350 hub seal CR24917

Use the wider (3") rear shoes (NAPA SS358) if you have the 2.5" You will need to turn the drums or replace them if no longer in specs.

Philip tells me the National brand is a better seal but I have not used them.
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Gatekeeper
Your best bet is to read the numbers on the original seals and then get some. I've seen 2 wrong numbers in the book at NAPA. The seals in my truck weren't list as Dodge application at NAPA or Autozone. (But were at C/S/K)
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D
The seals I took out were siliconed in and didn't have any markings that I could see. I will blow it apart sometime soon and see WTF is going on.
Thanks,
DS79
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Richard LeBar
I took the axle nut off and I can't get the drum off. It's moving but it just won't come off... Any pointers would be very helpful I need things back together for about 7 PM and it's just past 3:30 now...
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Gatekeeper
Both of them? One is the lock the other the adjuster.
If you have 'em both off and the hub is moving in and out. Just grab hold and give it a sharp pull outwards. The seal and inner bearing require a bit of a yank to get to let loose. I've never had to use my slide hammer on a floating axle rear, but have had to give a fairly sharp pull more often than not.
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S
You need to back the self adjuster off, the shoes are catching on the ridge at the edge of the drum. You need to go through the adjuster slot in the backing plate with a small screwdriver to push the self adjuster off the star wheel and a larger screwdriver or brake adjuster to turn the starwheel.
Steve g
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Gatekeeper
What Steve said. Been so long since I've done it I forgot about the shoes not clearing the wear ridge!
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Richard LeBar
Well I plan on pulling the rear drums off in a day or 2 when I actually have the time to see what's actually going on in there.

I do however have one other question. The brake pedal is getting real spongy, if the master cylinder was on it's way out would that cause the brake light and the Anti-Lock lights to go off?
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