1999-2006 Ford Excursion Parking Brake Problems and Adjustment

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

The Ford Excursion does not use a parking brake built into its rear calipers. Its rear rotors are drum-in-hat units: a small set of brake shoes sits inside the hat of each rear rotor, applied by a cable from the foot pedal. When the parking brake stops holding, drags, or the pedal goes nearly to the floor, the cause is almost always shoe adjustment, worn or rusted shoes and hardware, or a stretched or seized cable, and all three can be checked with basic tools.

How the Excursion Parking Brake Works

The Excursion shares its chassis and brake layout with the Ford Super Duty pickups, and Ford covers both in the same workshop manual. The service brakes are four-wheel discs. The parking brake is a separate mechanical system: pressing the pedal pulls a cable to an equalizer, which splits the pull to the left and right rear cables. Each rear cable operates a lever at the bottom of the backing plate that spreads a pair of shoes against the drum machined into the inside of the rear rotor hat.

Ford's 2005 Excursion owner guide describes the pedal operation: press the parking brake pedal down until it stops, and the BRAKE warning lamp stays on until the brake is released. Releasing is done with a release lever that pulls at an angle toward the driver's door. Ford suggests keeping your left foot on the pedal while pulling the release so it does not snap back, and pulling the lever a second time to make sure the brake is fully released. There is also a warning chime that sounds if the parking brake is set, the engine is running and the truck is driven faster than 3 mph.

Because the shoes only work when parked, they wear very slowly. What kills them is neglect: rust inside the drum, seized cables and adjusters that were never turned.

Common Excursion Parking Brake Problems

That last row matters. Ford's owner guide states that if the BRAKE lamp stays lit after the parking brake is fully released, it can indicate low brake fluid and the brakes may not be working properly. Do not write it off as a parking brake quirk; check the reservoir and have the hydraulic system inspected.

Brake and Front End, a trade magazine for brake technicians, points out a useful tell: if the lever or pedal travel feels normal but the parking brake still will not hold on a hill, suspect a broken pivot or linkage rather than adjustment. The same source notes that when a parking brake is rarely used, rust and corrosion build up inside the drum until the rotor sticks to the shoes.

How to Adjust the Parking Brake Shoes

The Excursion's parking brake shoes are set with a star-wheel adjuster screw at each rear backing plate, turned by hand through an access hole. Set them whenever the rear rotors come off and whenever the pedal starts to feel long. The workshop procedure for the Super Duty and Excursion is:

1. Chock the front wheels, release the parking brake, raise the rear and support it on stands. Remove the rear wheels.
2. Remove the brake adjusting hole cover from the backing plate to expose the adjuster screw.
3. Turn the adjuster screw with a brake spoon to expand the shoes until they drag against the drum-in-hat rotor while you turn it by hand.
4. Back the adjuster off until the drag just disappears and the rotor spins freely.
5. Repeat on the other side, reinstall the hole covers and wheels, then test the hold.

Ford's manual also calls for a brake adjusting gauge (Ford tool 206-D002) when installing new shoes: you measure the inside diameter of the drum, then set the shoes to match before the rotor goes on. The trade guidance is blunt that parking brake adjustment should never be estimated. Shoes set too tight will drag and heat up, which can glaze them and warm the rotor; shoes set too loose leave you with a long pedal and a weak hold.

Adjust the shoes before you touch the cable. Taking up slack at the cable to make up for loose shoes just hides the real problem and can leave the brake partly applied.

Freeing a Stuck Rear Rotor

If you are doing a rear pad and rotor job on an Excursion that has never had its parking brake used, expect the rotor to hang up on the shoes. Brake and Front End's procedure is to find the access hole, pull its rubber plug, and back the adjuster off with a spoon or flat screwdriver while turning the rotor. If you are turning the wrong way, you will feel the drag increase. Even after backing off, a few taps with a hammer on the rotor may be needed to break it loose.

Prying or hammering a rotor off without backing the adjuster off first is how shoes, springs and the adjuster get bent. Once the rotor is off, look over the lining and the hardware before anything goes back together.

Cables, Equalizer and Hardware

Parking brake cables stretch with age, which adds pedal travel. They also seize when water gets inside the sheath and rusts the inner wire, which causes a brake that applies but will not fully release. Brake and Front End's advice on cables runs against habit: do not spray them with lubricant or solvent. Lube attracts grime, and solvent can wash dirt further into the sheath. A cable that does not return freely after the release is pulled needs replacing, not oiling.

At each backing plate, inspect:

• Shoe lining for contamination from a leaking axle seal or grease. Oil-soaked shoes will not hold and must be replaced, and the leak fixed first.
• Return and hold-down springs for rust, stretch or breakage.
• The adjuster screw for free rotation. A seized star wheel should be cleaned and lubricated with brake grease, or replaced.
• The actuating lever at the bottom of the backing plate for rust that keeps it from returning.
• The drum surface inside the rotor hat for scoring or a heavy rust ridge.

A drum brake hardware kit is inexpensive insurance when the shoes are replaced. Browse brake shoes and brake hardware kits for springs, adjusters and clips.

What to Replace at the Same Time

The parking brake shoes live inside the rear rotor, so the natural time to service them is during a rear brake job. If the drum surface inside the hat is scored or badly rusted, the rotor needs replacing anyway, and new shoes against a fresh drum surface hold far better than old shoes against a rusted one. For 2000-2002 two-wheel-drive Excursions, we carry the EBC GD sport slotted rear rotor set, along with EBC Extra Duty rear pads for towing and heavy loads and EBC Yellowstuff rear pads. For other Excursion trims, see all brake rotors and brake pads and match by your exact year and drivetrain.

Ford's workshop manual includes a burnish (break-in) procedure for new parking brake shoes. Follow it after installation so the new lining seats against the drum; skipping it is a common reason a freshly rebuilt parking brake feels weak at first.

Brake fluid is not part of the parking brake, but it is worth checking while you are in there. Ford specifies Motorcraft High Performance DOT 3 brake fluid for the Excursion, filled to the line on the reservoir.

How Hard Is the Job?

Adjusting the shoes is a beginner-level job that takes a jack, stands and a brake spoon. Replacing the shoes and hardware is moderate: the springs are stiff, the parts are small, and the rear rotor has to come off, which means removing the caliper and, if the rotor is stuck, dealing with the rust ridge. Replacing a seized cable ranges from easy to frustrating depending on how much rust is on the brackets under the truck. Read the rear rotor removal steps for your drivetrain in the service manual before you start.

Test the result the way Ford recommends for heavy loads: when parking on a grade or with a trailer, hold the service brake, then set the parking brake. Ford notes that if the parking brake cannot hold the truck's weight, it may need service or the vehicle may be overloaded. Never rely on P (Park) alone; Ford's own guide warns that with a rear wheel off the ground, the transmission alone will not keep the vehicle from moving.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I adjust the parking brake on a Ford Excursion?

Raise the rear, remove the wheels, pull the adjusting hole cover on each backing plate and turn the star-wheel adjuster until the shoes drag on the drum inside the rotor hat. Then back it off until the drag just disappears.

Why does my Excursion parking brake pedal go almost to the floor?

Usually the shoes are out of adjustment or the cable has stretched. Adjust the shoes at each rear wheel first, then check the cable for slack. If travel is normal but it still will not hold, look for a broken linkage or contaminated shoes.

Why will my rear rotor not come off?

The parking brake shoes are caught on a rust ridge inside the drum. Back the adjuster off through the access hole while turning the rotor, then tap the rotor with a hammer if needed. Do not pry it off with the shoes still expanded.

Can I just tighten the parking brake cable?

Not as the first step. Cable adjustment is only correct once the shoes are adjusted. Tightening the cable to make up for loose shoes can leave the brake partly applied and cause drag.

Why is my BRAKE light on when the parking brake is off?

Make sure the pedal is fully released first. If it is and the lamp stays on, Ford says it can mean low brake fluid and a brake system problem. Get it inspected before driving.

Sources

1. Ford 2005 Excursion Owner Guide - parking brake pedal and release operation, warning lamp and chime, parking on grades, DOT 3 fluid specification
2. Ford 2004 F-Super Duty and Excursion Workshop Manual, Section 206-05 - parking brake shoe service, adjuster screw, brake adjusting gauge, burnish procedure
3. Brake and Front End: Adjusting Parking Brakes - drum-in-hat adjustment method, cable care, broken pivot symptom
4. Brake and Front End: Removing a Rear Rotor Stuck on the Parking Brake - cause and removal procedure for a seized drum-in-hat rotor
5. Brake and Front End: Parking Brake Diagnostics, Repair and Maintenance - cable stretch, equalizer function, clearance and drag