Drum brake systems have been around as long as the pickup truck, and for nearly as long as the internal combustion engine itself. After all, it didn't take long for those first automakers to figure out that getting going was secondary to stopping before you hit something. In all those years -- at least those since hydraulic brakes debuted -- the basic procedures involved in changing a wheel cylinder haven't changed. Brake cylinder replacement for this model-year F-150 is fairly straightforward -- about an hour job for the weekend mechanic.
Instructions
- 1
Kick a chock ahead of and behind the front wheel, break the lug nuts loose, lift the rear of the truck and set it down on a pair of jack stands. Remove the wheel, and then pull the brake drum off of the hub. You may need to persuade it a bit with a hammer; just tap around the circumference of the drum, toward yourself, until it breaks free of the assembly. After it does, you might consider taking some well-lit, digital photos of the assembly -- or at least snapping a few photos with your cell phone. These will prove invaluable when reassembling the complex adjuster mechanism.
2Clamp the brake cylinder with a C-clamp, and retract the rod into the cylinder, and remove the retracting springs with a pair of pliers. Now, you'll need to remove the adjuster assembly. On the bottom-right of the assembly: release the first brake shoe adjuster spring, then the adjusting lever, and the second adjusting lever spring. On the top-right of the assembly: remove the shoe adjustment cable guide, and then the cable itself. Remove the brake shoe anchor pin guide at the dead top of the brake. Finally, remove the brake shoe adjuster spring on the right, and the brake adjuster assembly.
3Remove the brake shoes. Removing the brake shoe hold-down springs, then pull the front and rear brake shoes off. Disconnect the parking brake lever from the secondary (rear) brake shoe Now that you've finally gotten everything out of the way, you can disconnect the brake line on the back of the cylinder, remove the two bolts that secure the cylinder to the assembly, and pull the cylinder off.
4Install your new cylinder, and torque the bolts to 19 foot-pounds; reinstall the brake line, and torque it to 15 foot-pounds. At this point, re-installation is essentially the reverse of removal, apart from a couple of things. First, clean the brake backing plate with brake cleaner, and grease it at the five lubrication points around the plate. Place the brake shoe adjusting lever cable with the flat side facing in, and install the short primary shoe retracting spring first.
5Install the shoe adjusting lever cable guide, and then place the brake shoe adjusting lever cable around the guide groove. After this, you can install the long retracting spring, and assemble the brake adjuster screw assembly. Check the operation of the brake adjuster after you get everything put back together, and refer back to your photos to make sure that it's all correct. After everything is back together, you can proceed to bleed the brakes, and adjust the mechanism. After putting everything together, the brake adjuster should turn one notch.
