After getting inspected my gf's truck needed new rear shoes on her 2000 F150. I've never done drum brakes, never had a car/truck that had needed them done. I took the advice I found here to do one side at a time using the other side as a reference and got them done. Wasn't incredibly difficult. When I went to put the drums back on, the driver side wouldn't go on so I closed the adjuster all the down after trying incremental points. The drum went on but still didn't turn freely, but it got dark and that was the best I could do. I took it for a spin around the neighborhood and it seemed good to me, no bouncing when stopping or sensation of dragging.

I just get a call after she drove to the grocery store. "Are brakes supposed to smoke?" Uh oh. She says it didn't feel like they were dragging, just smell bad and smoking. She drove about a mile to the highway and another 2 miles down the highway.

Until she gets home I can't look at it, but anyone have this happen or know what could be wrong, if anything?

 

Are you sure the adjusters were closed all the way? It sounds like the they need to be tightened (closed) further. The adjusters on my '01 were rusted and I couldn't close them completely without soaking them in oil for a while.

I usually try to make sure that both rear wheels will spin freely when the park brake is off. If this is not the case for you, you'll need to re-check the adjusters.

Also make sure that you set and release the park brake a couple times to ensure it's completely releasing the brake.

Good Luck!
-Jerry

 

Just to make sure...the adjusters are located below the axle and are two pieces that slide together with the star wheel that rips your fingers to shreds, correct? I closed these down completely (no threads showing) on both sides. The passenger side drum slid on after closing it down and spins as I would expect it to. The drivers side seems like it could use another 16th or 8th inch and it would be ok.

When she got home the brakes weren't smoking, but the driver's side stunk real bad. I'm hoping the shoes wear a bit and all will be good. One other thing that crossed my mind is the driver's side drum had a ring of corrosion along the lining on the outside (when installed) edge. I used a brush to clean this up as best as I could, maybe the edge of the pad is dragging here. I did work the emergency brake on and off about a dozen times before test driving it.

I'm going to try and take a closer look tonight if it's dry.

 

Might want to take a look at the springs too. If I remember correctly, there are two on top, and one on the bottom. If the springs are weak, they won't compress the pads enough to keep them off of the inside of the rotor. You should be able to pick up a new set at a local autoparts store.