[rjacket]

I inspected, cleaned and adjusted my rear drum brakes which have 13k miles on them.

I measured 5mm thickness on the riveted shoes. I have no idea what they were new. They are Centric Heavy Duty Riveted.

Chilton says 3.75mm is the replacement limit.

Car is going to college for a year or two so I'm trying to figure out if they need to be changed. Cannot find any info on how many mm new Taurus shoes start at.

 

[MERCrunner]

I'm not sure, either...but, have always heard they were around 5-6 mm thk new. If you can't get 80-100K miles on a set of rear shoes on these cars before needing replacement, either the driver needs to correct their habit of rushing up to stopped traffic/lights/intersections, you live in a mountainous or very hilly area where hard braking is needed, or something is causing them to drag. I think my original set went 120K...but, I live in mostly flat terrain and am a cautious driver when it comes to anticipating a stop.

 

[Architect]

I'm not sure, either...but, have always heard they were around 5-6 mm thk new.

Absolutely correct. I have new ones lying around. They are 5.5 mm.

 

[rjacket]

Absolutely correct. I have new ones lying around. They are 5.5 mm.

Thanks. Are they riveted?

 

[Architect]

Thanks. Are they riveted?

No. They are just glued to the shoe.

 

[rjacket]

No. They are just glued to the shoe.

Discard for glued on / bonded is about 1mm so you have 4.5mm to use.

The rivets on mine are 2mm and opinions vary on how close to get before discarding. Ford says discard at 3.75mm which would mean a 5mm to 6mm riveted shoe has less than half the life of a bonded shoe.

 

[chartmaker]

When in doubt, replace them. My experience OE will last 60K miles of average driving.
However replace and likely the wheel cylinder will leak. Pic used car that just had drums replaced. Leaking.
-chart-

 

[rjacket]

When in doubt, replace them. My experience OE will last 60K miles of average driving.
However replace and likely the wheel cylinder will leak. Pic used car that just had drums replaced. Leaking.
-chart-

I measured 3mm to the rivets so I think I'm good for now. Ford's discard at 3.75mm translates to 1.75mm ABOVE the rivets which is extremely conservative.

I think the faster than expected wear is a combination of my daughter's driving and the GG friction rating on these shoes. The OE are only EE.

 

[J5hort]

Noticed on several vehicles I own that pads appearing to still have meat on them do not perform to my liking. There are minimum specs. Driving styles and practices surely effect rate of wear. I also note that the proper lubrication of brake hardware, especially caliper slides and pad mating surfaces makes a big difference in performance and wear.

I own 6 cars and work on many others for friend and family. I make it a habit to do yearly inspection and maintenance. This usually involves a trip down to my local Autozone where I swap out my pads for new ones as they have lifetime warranty. Removing, cleaning, lubricating and replacing brakes at this interval makes it very easy to service. With all the heat cycles, bolts and sliders tend to get seized up over time. Just did fronts on my dad's 2010 SHO and new pads with a little more braking material made a big difference. Just takes some of my time and enjoy working on all the cars.

Short story...when in doubt, change them.

 

[chartmaker]

Noticed on several vehicles I own that pads appearing to still have meat on them do not perform to my liking. There are minimum specs. Driving styles and practices surely effect rate of wear. I also note that the proper lubrication of brake hardware, especially caliper slides and pad mating surfaces makes a big difference in performance and wear.

I own 6 cars and work on many others for friend and family. I make it a habit to do yearly inspection and maintenance. This usually involves a trip down to my local Autozone where I swap out my pads for new ones as they have lifetime warranty. Removing, cleaning, lubricating and replacing brakes at this interval makes it very easy to service. With all the heat cycles, bolts and sliders tend to get seized up over time. Just did fronts on my dad's 2010 SHO and new pads with a little more braking material made a big difference. Just takes some of my time and enjoy working on all the cars.

Short story...when in doubt, change them.

I had had a fair share of bound up guide pins which have figured due to rust belt life. (I have 5 cars in my herd for now) The picture "22" is a VA car '04 Sable, no under body rust. And this. Likely OE boots and if I put it on a clean pin, the hole in the boot has enlarged so it is very loose and useless. I am now replacing my guide pins and boots when I do my Fall maint.
And off the Ford thing: I bought a used Buick Lucerne, 6 years old and super clean. Buick dealer put new pads and rotors all around for the sale. I found left front running much warmer than it's mate. I pulled it off and it had stuck pin. I managed to get the pin out without heroic effort. It was not rust. Just NO grease. So this was a factory fail. And the dealer managed to put new parts on a stuck guide pin.
-chart-

 

[sheila]

Clean/lube guide pins should be routine during pad/rotor replacement...

 

[chartmaker]

Clean/lube guide pins should be routine during pad/rotor replacement...

I have not been aware about the boots going bad but looking OK. New Raybestos boots 4 for $3.17. I clean out old dried grease out with a screw driver and rag. I put in new grease with a Q-Tip, wipe the pin if it is not rusty, and use new boot. New boot will need a bit of grease on the pin and the bore ledge to get then on. That will be good for another 10 years.
-chart-

 

[J5hort]

I'd also throw some anti-seize on the caliper bolts. These tend to get fused with the heat cycle changes. Remember to torque to spec. It is pretty cheap in packets at most checkout counters. Buying a bottle of this with the integrated brush is probably good to have so it is always there and will last pretty much forever.