MikeFu

2000 Windstar - sat for a 8 months or so (upstate NY winter, w/ ebrake off). Went to move it and RR wheel does not move. Thought it was brakes, so did the whole rocking thing, even with 400 lbs of sand + the wife and kid as extra ballast. No dice - wheel just drags - backward and forward. Bang on the drum with the BFH - no dice. Then today, jacked up, removed wheel and noticed that the hub/studs actually do move by hand (needless to say, does the same with wheel on and not tight, but didnt notice THAT before). So, the hub does turn, limited by the amount of slop that the studs have within the drum holes. Now that it seems pretty clear that it's not brakes (though I am pretty sure it's due), am wondering if anyone has seen a drum (only the drum) unable to turn like this. Is it possible it's rusted to the backing plate, or is there some other explanation for the drum not moving, but the hub can?

Any clues/hints appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

R.S.LOGAN

Just seems to be the rear brake shoes stuck to drum , wouldn't stop hub turning . Try hitting back plate , sometimes works .

Bert

Also, make sure the park brake cable is released. It mibht have been slightly stuck and not releasing completely when it was parked.

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Bert

MikeFu

Yeah - despite my earlier statement, it DOES make sense that it is the shoes stuck on drum. Thanks! Not sure what I was thinking. I will try to hammer the backplate, but with the space it's in, it's hard to get any mustard on it - except at the bottom.

- Do you think heat on the drum + big hammer will help?
- Easy way to tell if ebrake is stuck? At the handle there seems to be tension when I engage/disengage it.

Mike

Bert

The Handle can feel okay but it can be the opposite sie that's okay. If you grab the cable close to where it goes into the backing plate with vice grips, you can tap the vice grips with a hammer to try to push the cable back in. It may not be it but it's worth a try.

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Bert

MikeFu

Guys - thanks for the feedback. Tried the BFH till my arms hurt, sprayed pblaster in every orifice I could find, soak overnight, more BFH, etc. No dice. Ended up taking angle grinder with .045 metal cutting disk to it. Cut a slot all the way through the edge at 4-oclock (careful not to hit the backplate), scored it at 10-oclock, and hammered away with BFH and cold chisel. After some hammering the drum cracked across the front. A bit more hammering and it cracked all the way through and dropped off. By the looks of the drum, the shoes (what was left of them) were pretty much rusted to the bottom of the drum.

Hopefully this will help someone else with this issue.

Thanks again for the help.
Mike

Bert

That sounds like a good option when that happens. Thanks for the update.

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Bert