# '96 Mercury Tracer brake part "Obsolete" **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [June 21, 2012, 3:10am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/96-mercury-tracer-brake-part-obsolete/73146 "2012-06-21T03:10:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DesolationUSA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@DesolationUSA](https://community.cartalk.com/u/DesolationUSA)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 3:10am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/96-mercury-tracer-brake-part-obsolete/73146/1 "2012-06-21T03:10:32Z")
I just tried to put new brake shoes on the rear of my car today only to find that the parking brake lever/adjuster doesn’t function properly and tried to find replacements. Only to find out that not even Ford dealers don’t even carry it anymore, and called it “obsolete”. I can’t even get the part to show up in a google search and can’t exactly get to a junk yard seeing as how my car is in pieces. Is there any website or other place that may carry the part? I’ve tried O’Rielly, advanced, napa, and a few local shops already. ---
**Author:** ![Goldwing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@Goldwing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Goldwing)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 3:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/96-mercury-tracer-brake-part-obsolete/73146/2 "2012-06-21T03:21:37Z")
I’m not exactly sure what you need. Do you think you need a new parking brake cable? Try here: [http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1204210,pgname,Brake%2FWheel%2BHub](http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1204210,pgname,Brake%252FWheel%2BHub) ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 5:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/96-mercury-tracer-brake-part-obsolete/73146/3 "2012-06-21T05:03:56Z")
Have you tried looking for Escort parts instead? Look for 'Brake Hardware Kit" or “Self Adjuster Linkage”. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 5:15am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/96-mercury-tracer-brake-part-obsolete/73146/4 "2012-06-21T05:15:18Z")
Does the dealer have diagrams? If they have exploded images of the rear drum brakes, the parts will be labeled. You could at least get the part name that way. You might also search on line for the diagram. Caddyman’s excellent Escort suggestion could also lead to diagrams even if parts aren’t available. ---
**Author:** ![DesolationUSA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@DesolationUSA](https://community.cartalk.com/u/DesolationUSA)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 5:26am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/96-mercury-tracer-brake-part-obsolete/73146/5 "2012-06-21T05:26:07Z")
the dealer I called and described it to said it was the “Parking brake lever pivot” and I’ve tried google image searching it and get nothing that looks remotely like it. ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 5:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/96-mercury-tracer-brake-part-obsolete/73146/6 "2012-06-21T05:36:47Z")
A hardware kit is no problem. But the self-adjuster arm and star wheel bottom link are not in the kit…it may be a salvage yard is the only hope for those parts. Put yours back together with what you have and start making the rounds… ---
**Author:** ![DesolationUSA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@DesolationUSA](https://community.cartalk.com/u/DesolationUSA)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 5:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/96-mercury-tracer-brake-part-obsolete/73146/7 "2012-06-21T05:41:02Z")
Sadly it’s starting to seem more and more like that is my only option. Thanks for trying though. ~EDIT~ After looking up the parts you named and looking at what I have neither of those are in my brake set up. Starting to wish I had a digital camera. ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 7:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/96-mercury-tracer-brake-part-obsolete/73146/8 "2012-06-21T07:27:56Z")
Is THIS what you are working on?? [http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/43605722](http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/43605722) ---
**Author:** ![mleich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@mleich](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mleich)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/96-mercury-tracer-brake-part-obsolete/73146/9 "2012-06-21T16:28:08Z")
Two words: Junk. Yard. (for the part, not the car) ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Marc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@Big\_Marc](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Big_Marc)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/96-mercury-tracer-brake-part-obsolete/73146/10 "2012-06-21T17:35:24Z")
can you clean up the old adj. or is that far gone ? mleich is correct i 'm not able to find a listen for the adj… ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/96-mercury-tracer-brake-part-obsolete/73146/11 "2012-06-21T21:30:52Z")
This part does not wear out. Sometimes it “freezes” to the shoe, but when you remove the shoe, you will clean it up and coat it with a suitable anti-seize compound such as moly lithium grease or synthetic grease. Moly-lith would be my choice. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/96-mercury-tracer-brake-part-obsolete/73146/12 "2012-06-21T21:33:43Z")
By coat it, I do not mean the whole thing, just the parts that contact the shoe. Use the same grease to coat the contact points on the backing plate, there should be 6 of them. You may need a new c clip to hold the arm to the shoe but that should come with the hardware kit. ---
**Author:** ![DesolationUSA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@DesolationUSA](https://community.cartalk.com/u/DesolationUSA)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/96-mercury-tracer-brake-part-obsolete/73146/13 "2012-06-26T17:21:09Z")
it’s not that its frozen, there’s a a piece that’s supposed to have teeth/splines (whatever you wish to call them) and they’re completely worn down to the point of making the part not work. Also good find caddyman! Can’t believe I have to say now that something useful came of myspace. Right after he names the adjuster arm at ~4:00 in he describes the piece I need. Sadly even looking for it in ford escorts has yielded nothing yet. ~EDIT~ Ended up stumbling onto this thread where a guy has the part numbers! Somehow dealers feel charging $80 is justified though… > **[Ultimate Rear Drum Brake Self Adjuster Info](http://www.feoa.net/threads/77821/)** > > I know finding replacement rear drum brake self adjusters for cars like my 1999 ZX2, and other Escorts, has been impossible. Well, I have the info. > > I... ---
**Author:** ![FordMan1959](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@FordMan1959](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FordMan1959)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/96-mercury-tracer-brake-part-obsolete/73146/14 "2012-06-27T01:03:03Z")
I’m a member over at [www.feoa.net](http://www.feoa.net), go to the site and ask, someone there will likely have the part you need they’ll give you or sell you cheap. Sometimes members part out cars or have parts cars, therefore extra parts.