Why do my front brakes wear out so quickly?

Ford vans have always had a front to rear brake imbalance. Maybe it was designed that way on purpose, who knows. Front  brake wear is a  constant source of irritation to many Ford van owners. The main reason for premature front brake wear can usually be traced to the rear brakes. It is not uncommon for the front brake rotors to be heat cracked  and the brake  pads totally decimated in three or four months and the rear brake shoes still look new. There is more than one cause for this. 

Frozen adjusting hardware is the most prevalent problem. If the rear brakes are not  constantly readjusting themselves (when you are backing up, and pumping the brakes) out to the brake drum, they develop a gap which the brake shoes have to span every time the brakes are applied. By the time the rear brakes start  to work, the front brakes have taken all the load and stopped the vehicle. The tremendous effort it takes for the front brakes to stop the vehicle, unaided by the rear brakes generates a lot of heat and excessive wear on the front  brake components.

Consider the following ideas if you have this type of problem.

Does the brake petal fell spongy? When  you apply the brakes, you begin to slow down, but you don't feel like you have  full brakes until the brake petal is almost to the floor? The delay is usually due to the gap between the rear brake shoes and the brake drum, and when the gap has been spanned, you have full brakes. The problem with that is, the  front brakes were already working, waiting for the rear brakes to contribute to the cause.  

Before you tear into everything, try adjusting the brakes the way they are designed to adjust. First, in a safe  location, go into reverse and at a slow speed begin pumping  the brake petal. If the rear brakes respond, and adjust, you will feel the brake petal respond more quickly and the petal will be more firm while braking.  If  that does not seem to make a difference, try adjusting the rear brakes manually. 

On a flat surface, chock the front wheels, release the parking brake and put the transfer case in neutral. Jack up one wheel, just  enough to clear the ground. If you have a positraction rear differential you may need to jack  both rear wheels off the ground at the same time.  Rotate the wheel by hand, and listen for a light metal to metal brushing  sound. If you hear nothing, remove the rubber plug that covers the brake star wheel access hole. Using a brake adjusting tool, turn the star wheel a few turns. Turn the wheel by hand and listen for that light brushing sound . Keep  adjusting until you hear the drum and brake shoe contact. Working the adjuster can shift the shoes out of alignment and give you a false indication that the shoes are adjusted. Have a helper pump the brake petal a few times, this  will force the brake shoes to line up again. Then rotate the wheel by hand again to verify that you still have contact. 

If you can't make the star wheel turn, and all you hear is a loud springy pop., the star  wheel adjuster is more than likely, rusted up. Replace the brake hardware and go through the adjustment drill mentioned before.

 If you require more info, consult a shop manual for the less simplified instructions of

Why do my suspension bushings wear out so quickly?

 The dual track bar system on the coil spring Quadravan limits suspension travel. The amount of movement in the front suspension is directly related to how much "give" the track bar bushings have. This constant pounding of the track  bar bushings shortens their life span. If the coil springs are not in good condition, the increased load of supporting the van via the track bars amplifies the problem.  Some owners have tired of replacing the rubber bushings  and have switched to urethane. Urethane bushings are much harder, and flex less. The lack of flexibility makes the van ride much harder, and causes suspension components like the spring mount plate  bolts to shear and break  free. The engine cross member, where the upper portion of the track bar mounts can also be damaged. The departation of such important components can be hazardous to your health.

The alignment shop says my van cannot be aligned.

Quadravans have had some odd steering  designs. Drag links and tie rods that had right hand thread ends on both ends, making it difficult to center the steering wheel. But, caster and camber settings are built into the axle housing. The alignment specs are the same as a  p/u with mono beam axle. An axle which needs caster or camber adjustments for reasons other than lift may have other problems. Such as a bent axle housing, spindle or knuckle. 

I changed my front axle u-joints and ball joints, now my axle leaks gear lube out of the axle housing.

When the axle shafts are pulled out of the axle  housing during such a repair, the inner axle oil seals are disturbed. The ideal thing to do is change them while the axles are out. Pull the front diff cover and remove the bearing caps that hold the carrier in place. If you don't  disturb any of the shims or mix up the bearing races you can reinstall the carrier after changing the seals without adjusting anything. This would be a good time to inspect gears and bearings inside the axle to make sure they   are in good shape. It would be a good idea to clean the inside of the axle tubes to remove built up dirt, grease,  wasp nests, gravel  and other debris that your axle shafts would plow through and drag into your new axle  seals. It helps to have someone help on this project. A seal driver kit would be handy, and you will need a long piece of cold roll steel with the end machined down to fit the seal driver tool. (If you want to take the time.)

 One person can hold the seal and seal driver in place while the other person feeds the pipe or cold roll  through the opposite side axle tube, and gently drive the seal in. Good communication skills are a must to avoid bloody finger tips