Doing rear brakes

[argve]

Yestereday I slid out to the shop to do the rears because about a month or so ago I noticed that my stopping power was getting light... well since I had just done the fronts not all that long ago I figured it was the rears and also my emergency brake pedal was going to the floor... I started on the drivers side and the shoes didn't look all that bad - yes they were worn but not like I expected - did that side... Got to the passengers side and whoa I found my problem - as soon as I pulled the drum off (which on both sides was a total pain to get off - had to use heat) I could smell rear diff fluid... EEK! Yep the inner seal for the hub was bad.

Well Dodge uses this big ole nut which I don't have a socket to fit it's bigger than a 2-1/2 inch just a smidgen but bigger... so I used a pair of needle nose vice grips and an adjustable wrench to get it off - replaced the seal and now this morning I'm headed off to the auto parts store to see if I can find a socket for reinstallation.... Autozone was open until 9pm last night but didn't have the correct sized socket... So hopefully I will find it today here in town.

I should have all the parts to complete the install if not I'm gonna be really I hate getting into a project only to find extra stuff and I have hit my limit this time...

I think it's because I hate rear drum brakes... why they couldn't just have discs in the rear as std equipment is beyond me....

 

[rubberfish]

I think it's because I hate rear drum brakes... why they couldn't just have discs in the rear as std equipment is beyond me....

You and I need to sell our old clunkers and buy a brand
new truck like fatcat has gotten for himself.

 

[argve]

No doubt buddy... I finally got the ole clunker back together today - after I bought a freaking socket for the rear hub nut for $27 I'll be lucky if I use the damn thing more than this time... Thought about taking it back but that wouldn't be right so I kept the damn thing... thinking about putting on the shelf in the shop as decoration.... But I will say that my brakes work wonderful now - she comes to a whoa when I pull back on the rheins and the E-brake pedal doesn't hit the floor

Still hate drum brakes though.... Oh well hopefully this will be the last set I ever do on this truck.... May the truck fairy will stop by my house some time and slap a newer one on me.... I keep putting the keys under my pillow but I think his GPS is on the fritz because I wake up every morning with the same set of keys....

But the socket was a 2-9/16" - yep it's a biggie...

 

[Exekiel69]

Even with disc brakes You'd still have to change the seal, and it was bc of the drumms that You noticed the difference, maybe the disc wouldn't show it so clearly.Rather spend $27 in a socket than $$$$ in a diff. You are right disc brakes are a heck of a lot easier, You can change them in less than half the time it takes to do the drumms.

It's all that power Travis the seal could not take it any longer

 

[tonkadoctor]

Travis. Hope I'm wrong on this one but.....

Often when an axle or pinion seal goes out it's a warning that the related bearing is failing or has failed. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't start leaking again right away.