Brake pads and rotor change
 

I have an 05 4runner, v6, 4x2. I am trying to change my brakes and rotors because they really need to be changed! But I have no clue where to start. I'm a newby when it comes to changing brakes and rotors. My friend and I were going to do it ourselves to try to save some cash. I was wondering if anyone would be able to point me in the right direction???

If anybody can shoot me a link/pdf on how i could change them as well as any suggestions on certain brakes and rotors which are reliable yet very affordable I would really appreciate the help!

thank you. This give me some sense of what to do.

Brakes are easy. That link that I provided is not specifically for a 4 Runner, but it gives you the steps.

The only thing that I would add to their write up is to make sure to use anti-squeak gel or spray on any metal/metal surfaces. DO NOT put it on the side of the pads that touch the rotor.

The link above is for vehicles with floating calipers. The 4Runner has fixed front calipers, the 4Runner's rear brakes would be similar.

For the front:
1. Remove the brake pads, by removing the clips on end of the two hold down pins (on the inside of the caliper). Remove the spring on the lower hold down pin. You should take a C-clamp and compress the calipers now to make reinstallation easier. Remove the pins and remove the pads.
2. Unbolt the brake line bracket from the spindle arm.
3. Unbolt the two bolts that are holding the caliper to the spindle. Ensure you're not loosen the four bolts (two at further corners of the caliper) that holds the two caliper halves together. Get a bungee cord, coat hanger or stiff wire to hang the caliper off the upper control arm. Take care not to crush the hard brake line tube on the caliper.
4. The rotor may or may not be loose due to rust around the hub center. There are two bolt holes 180 degrees apart from each other near the wheel studs. (I need to double check the bolt size, but they are something like M8x1.25.) Put the two bolts in the holes and give it a turn or two, alternating between each. That will pop the rotor off if it's stuck.
5. Reassemble everything in reverse order. The caliper bolts are torque specs are 91ft-lb.

Writeups for replacing both front and rear pads on the 4th gen.

Are you sure you need to do the rotors? If so, you just need remove the calipers completely and the rotors come right off.

Suggest going with OEM for the pads...my dealer's usually good about matching online pricing (remember to incude shipping) without any arm twisting.

I went with Centric Premium Plus rotors for the front last year...Rock Auto for about half the price of the dealer.

-Brent

I wanted to change everything and not have to worry about it (almost at 100k miles and thought it i'd change it anyways).

Here is a good DIY:
Replacing the Front Brake Pads - Toyota 120 Platforms Forum

You might have to work at driving the pins out on the front calipers - these get corroded. A punch works well for this.

Removing the rear rotors can also be troublesome. Use the 8mm threaded hole to break loose but also make sure the rear parking braking pads aren't interfering to the inside hub. There's is a star wheel provision for backing off the parking brake pads.

Hey Jeober,

Do you mean a traditional 'punch' tool? Do you drive it from inside-out? Are these pins not threaded?

THanks,
Elias

New pins are cheap and save you having to spend 20 minutes sanding down the pitted and crusted old ones. Even then I doubt they will be as smooth as new ones anyway.

Do yourself a favor and buy a new set of pins and use the new pins to drive out the old ones. They are not threaded, just usually frozen in place with corrosion.

I did this maintenance a few months ago also. Did the front brakes (OEM) and rotors (Centric). Had a little bit of difficulty removing the bolt that holds on the calipers - I'd recommend spraying on some liquid wrench before trying to get that one off.

Also, my old rotors were stuck on there so tight that I had to wedge the jack between the wheel well and a piece of wood on the rotor just to pop them off. Probably not the best way to go about getting them off, but with limited tools, it worked. Aside from figuring out how to get the rotors off, this was an easy job.