I noticed a 'shuddering' when rolling off the throttle at approx 30mph, got to the job and found the whole wheel warm to the touch. TBH I am just glad it's not the transmission.

I haven't changed a caliper before, is there anything I should be especially aware of? I think I will change both rear calipers, discs, and pads - overkill?

Does anyone know if the calipers are common to other Toyota vehicles apart from the FJ Cruiser as although that was sold domestically here, it is not a common vehicle compared to other Toyota models.

Cheers guys!

I wouldn't say there's anything major to be aware of. I guess if you are working on it be sure to use high temp silicone grease where there are rubber parts. Regular caliper grease might not be appropriate on the slide pins. But it is ok where the pads slide in the caliper. Do you know what is sticking? The slide pins, the piston, or both? I'm sure you could just rebuild it. You can get a kit that should have all the seals and rubber parts. I've not rebuilt rears yet, but I did do my fronts. Not hard, just a little messy. I'm guessing the kit would come with the square-cut seal (seals the piston inside the bore), the dust boot, a new dust boot retaining ring, and probably the dust boots for the slide pins... all for bother rear calipers.

Other things: Have a way to stop the brake fluid from leaking out of the line when you remove the caliper. Make sure the pads go in the correct way/correct side. Sounds dumb, but I'm sure it easy to overlook simple things. Pay attention to which slide pins went where. I don't think it matter on our trucks, but we used to have a Honda accord that had 2 slightly different style slide pins that had a specific spot (top or bottom). If they were in the wrong place, it would lead to uneven wear. Like I said, I don't think it's an issue on 4runners. I haven't messed with my rears in a while.

The thing to check is if the piston is frozen, is it pitted from corrosion. If so, you'll need a new piston. I had to replace 1 on each of my front brakes. The OEM is expensive. Here in the states I ordered some from rock auto and they were a perfect fit and looked identical. Must more cost effective. The rebuild kit should come with some pink silicone grease to put on the seals. It's a tiny little pouch. You might want a larger tube to keep on hand, but also the rear only has 1 piston, so maybe its not a big deal.

I say all this to say that replacing calipers, pads, and rotors is probably overkill. I will, however, give you great piece of mind that everything is fresh. If one side is frozen, the other side probably isn't far behind. A rebuild on both would be appropriate. If your rotors are within spec on the minimum thickness, they are likely fine unless there are weird vibrations or something indicating a warp (typically its due to overheated pads depositing too much material in one spot. Feels the same as a warp. More common on the fronts because they do more of the stopping) or some other uneven wear. If you have the time, you could take the rotors to a shop and have them turn them and ensure they're flat. Changing, though, is much easier.

A word to the wise based on my experience: If you do a rebuild, and decide to clean and soak the calipers in a metal rescue/ rust remover solution. You should repaint them after. I soaked mine and I apparently took off some kind of factory coating. They never rusted in 10+ years and 200k miles, now they're rusting. Not bad. A wire wheel will clean it all up. Maybe another soak for good measure, but that means taking them back off, tearing them down, cleaning... and then painting... to do it right. Kind of a hassle after the fact.

Not sure on other models besides the FJ using the same set up. Here, Tacomas have rear drums. Tundras might have rear disc, but they'll be larger and probably not fit. New gen 4runners, use the same size I think. There are threads of 5th gen "upgrades" for the 4th gen and people say they fit. I wouldn't call them much of an upgrade, just another potential part number that will work.

Here's a good, concise video on rebuilding. Of course there are tons of others too...
How to Rebuild a Brake Caliper or should you Replace it? - YouTube

Thank you for that mate! I haven't had a chance to get the wheel off and take a look yet, it was dark when I got home, but I expect the piston is frozen/not retracting. I gave the slide pins on the rears a coat of ceramic grease recently, but as there was loads left on the pads did not look any further into it.

I am erring towards just replacing the calipers as it is both a daily work vehicle and a 'cherished' vehicle (There isn't another one in the country!) so I get peace of mind and hopefully minimal downtime with no unexpected problems.

But it is good to know you think the pads and disc may not necessarily have been cooked, although I will check them for wear.

Great post, thanks again!

I have a similar weird shudder feel. Mostly when coming to a stop after a speed of 50 or so. (Where you've heating up the rotors for a bit until complete stop.)
Almost seems like the truck wants to move but then something releases. Its not the trans, only does it maybe once and after an extended 2 hours drive. Never did it again, Nor did a wheel/caliper ever get hot.

That is strange, for a second I thought you meant as the truck came to rest which sounds like the slip yoke to me (Mine does similar despite greasing, but no 'THUNK')

If you’re doing all that work - I might consider upgrading to the 5th gen calipers that are less likely to seize

5th Gen 4Runner Brakes Upgrade (for 4th Gen 4Runner)

Doh, I got on and ordered the new parts last night! I have 17" wheels too, and the GX460 was sold here so those parts should have been available.

I will remember this for when the fronts inevitably do the same, as they do most of the braking. Cheers!

I just did all 4 wheels- rotors, pads and calipers on my 07.

I used all NAPA parts and got 20% off with my AAA membership.

The calipers come pre-painted.

Front was very straight forward, rear was little bit more complicated. The internal drum brake on the rotor fell apart on one side and i almost gave up trying to re-assemble.

Make sure to watch the videos on line and make sure the video show how to loosen the rear parking brake adjuster nut. It is completely invisible inside the rotor and you have to rely on feel to adjust it.

Thank you for that, what caused it to fall apart?

Man, I had something similar happen. I wanted to check the wear of my parking brake pads. I thought I had them completely retracted. I go to pull the rotor and it won't come off all the way. I figure it's stuck, so I grab a bolt to push it off and I use my impact. It came off, but so did all the innards. I was able to get it all back together but it wasn't fun. I wound up picking up one of those brake spring tools that looks like a screw driver with a cup thing on the end. Haven't used it yet, but I wanted to be better prepared for the next time, cuz it'll like happen again to me. Definitely watch some videos so you have a little preparation.

replacing the rear caliper is quite easy. i'm not sure why others mentioned removing the rotor. you don't have to if you are only replacing the caliper and it's okay to just replace the caliper if both pads and rotors are still good.

I HATE these rear brakes. The parking brake shoes catch on the rust ridge that builds up over time on the inner disc drum hat and damages at least something when pulling off the rotor.

you do know that you can't just pull it out if it's catching on the inner ridge. you have to loosen the the screw using a screw driver first. the rotor has a hole on it where you can insert a flat screw driver. make sure that hole is around 6 o'clock position and by using a flash light, can see the adjuster. you will have to loosen that first enough for you to remove the rotor.

Yeah? What if the rust ridge is large enough that even with the adjuster all the way screwed in the shoes still catch?

To be fair to them I was wondering about doing calipers, rotors, and pads all in one go!

That is a good point, I have a feeling my discs won't be that rusty, however I am now thinking it makes sense to remove the rotor and sand down any ridge that my be developing to prevent this being a problem in the future. Preventative maintenance.

I am going to chant this nightly so that I don't forget! I've seen the horror stories about re-assembling everything.