How do i remove the rear drums on a 1998 ford escort wagon

is brake pedal hard to push down without engine running ,if so proceed to step two and thats to start engine and then push on brake and if pedal softer to push then the servo is working ,now if excessive pedal travel with engine running then remove the rear drums ,make sure the outside lip is cleaned out and then adjust the brake shoes manually till they rub when you turn the drum ,this will cure it but remember that it has to bed in of course new pads brake disks ,new shoes and drums it has to bed in so give it a chance .

Try to adjust the rear brakes tighter at the shoes, if you have drum brakes. May require taking the drum off and adjusting the adjuster. Or, adjusting it from the backing plate access hole if there is one.

Be sure to check the cables to make sure they are not broken anywhere between the hand brake lever and the back brakes.

Good luck on this repair.

ADJUSTMENT

1. Raise and safely support the vehicle.
   
2. Remove the wheel and tire assembly.
   
3. Remove the brake drum.
   
4. Using a brake adjusting gauge, measure the inside diameter of the brake
   drum.
   
5. Compare the brake drum measurement to the brake shoes.
   
6. Adjust the brake shoes by inserting a brake adjustment tool into the knurled
   quadrant of the rear quad operating lever and adjust the shoes to the same
   measurement as the brake drum.
   
7. Install the brake drum.
   
8. Install the wheel and tire assembly.
   
9. Lower the vehicle.
   
10. Check the brake system operation by making several stops while driving
    slowly forward.

front or rear?

Assuming rear, on the brake drum:

Hub Removal

1. If equipped, remove the brake drum (1126) ; refer to Section 206-02 . If equipped, remove the rear disc brake rotor (2C026) ; refer to Section 206-04 .

1. Remove the wheel hub.
   1. Unstake the rear axle wheel hub retainer.
   1. Remove the rear axle wheel hub retainer and discard.
   1. Remove the wheel hub (1104).

knock old bearing out and take it to motor factor ,easier in the end as sizes vary according to supplier for assembly line

hi to remove the hob nut you need a large bar about two feet long and i think they are 30mm but you will need to replace them with new ones and torque them correctly or you will encounter problems theyalso have to be pinned when torqued it really is not a diy job

Hi,
Removing the drums can be a little difficult if they are really worn and. have a large lip inside where the brake shoes have worn them down.
Anyway here goes, loosen wheel nut/s slightly, raise the car and make safe by using an axle stand or similar then lower it so the wheel is off the ground.
Remove all nut/s and take wheel to one side, you'll then see the whole of the drum, there should be 1 or 2 retaining Philips type screws between the locating holes for the wheel, these need to be removed possibly with an impact screwdriver if too tight.
Once screws are out release the hand brake, hopefully the drum will rotate, try waggling it from side to side along it circumference pulling the drum towards you, it may move a few mm then lock? try using a very heavy rubber mallet to thump the outside edge of the drum whilst turning it. This hopefully will loosen the brake shoes holding the drum on you may need to keep doing this for a good while.
If you have no success then try carefully doing the same with a copper/hide hammer. Still no joy then possibly the lip inside is too great meaning the drums maybe beyond their wear limit so a good belt with a heavy lump hammer is the only way.
I hope this helped? please press the Blue button if happy with my FREE Efforts, Thank You!
Paul 'W' U.K.

weird ??what are you carrying ??

master cylinder or brake booster may be going bad

Did you get an answer to your question?

You need to get a bolt with the same diameter and thread pitch as the brake drumretaining screws. On my 1997 Escort that's an 8mm x 1.25 thread pitch bolt. The length should be about 12mm. or larger. Don't get a bolt that's longer than about 20mm. The bolt goes into a hole in the brake drum, bearing down on a plate inside the hub. You can't use a brake drum retaining screw because you need to be able to apply more torque to the fastener than could be safely applied to a jacked vehicle