Hello Mike, my first post on here. Question, I am looking at getting on 07 4runner Sport. Do they have the brake issues like the sr5's? Will I need to upgrade the calipers and rotors eventually? Also was wondering what size tires you are running and if you have any lifts on your 4th gen?
4th Gen Brake Upgrade Glock_19 by Ducmonsta
- Thread starter Ducmonsta
- Start date
Bkt4runner
New member
Keep us posted on how well these rotors last. My main concern is that they are more likely to crack then the plain non-slotted. I'm getting plain Centric cryo treated rotors with new oem calipers, oem pads and Goodrich stainless steel brake lines on my 2003 SR5. They should last well over 100,000 miles and are reasonably priced too.
meltdowner
Member
35k miles then seized? That sounds faulty to me.
4.5 yrs. sitting outside doesn’t help longevity.
Factory set lasted a good long time. But that has been about average for replacements
GeoFlory
Junior Member
Well, I'm not mike, and I don't know if the '07 Sport has brake issues, but if your question has not been answered, I recently bought an '07 Sport Edition, and I can tell you that you will not have to upgrade anything (never know about repairs); the Sport Edition comes with the 338 mm rotors and companion 13WH calipers along with the Brake Dust Shield (backing plate?) for 17" wheels. Apparently some people bend and/or trim the 16" Brake Dust Shield when doing the 338 mm upgrade. I also have a '09 SR5 with the 319 mm rotors; my front rotors and dust shields are looking in rather bad shape and one of my calipers seized up on me the other day; that means I need all the parts, so I plan to go with the full 338 mm upgrade. After a bit of searching, I found what they call their Brake Dust shield (PN 4778160120 & 4778260120) for 17" wheels, which I will use to replace the present dust shield (PN 4778135160 & 4778235160) for 16" wheels. I already have 17" wheels from the factory, but only the Sport Edition gets the 338 mm brakes, regardless of wheel size from the factory.
If there remains any doubt about it, the 338 mm rotors are PN 4351260151 (X2), and the 13WH calipers to go with them are PN 4775060261 & 4773060261 (L&R). I have confirmed that the pads are the same for either size of rotors.
GeoFlory
Junior Member
I have been studying the 4th gen brake caliper situation, and believe there may be an issue. After reading of other people's problems, and now undertaking my first brake job on a 4th gen ('09 SR5), my right front brake recently locked up and got very hot driving home. Looking into it immediately, I also checked the left front caliper and found that one side was frozen and apparently had been for some time. I couldn't even compress the pistons with a crowbar. I had thought about disassembling the calipers and lubing them (as the FSM recommends), while I got the parts for the 338 mm rotor conversion, but decided it might be impossible for me to get the pistons out. I just put it on jackstands and started disassembling the brakes. I have now got all the parts and have started reassembling.
Since the FSM only recommends lubing the calipers and replacing seals when new pads are installed (I've never heard of anyone actually even doing that), I have decided to add some preventive maintenance of my own. I see that it is commonly recommended to flush brake fluid every two years or 30k mi. Therefore, every two years, I will remove and lube the pistons of my calipers, check the seals, and flush the brake fluid. I haven't kept good records of how often I replace brake pads, but I would estimate it is a lot longer than the purported average (20k-70k mi). Thinking back, I would say I replace pads no more than once every five to ten years. I had my '98 4Runner for 14 yr and replaced them once. Anyway, I will report in a couple of years if this works out well.
Meanwhile, I had trouble getting the brake lines out of the calipers. I used a trick from the internet: I got a 10 mm flare-nut wrench, put it over the brake-line fitting, clamped the 10 mm wrench opening tight over the fitting with vise-grips, and then beat the wrench with a rubber mallet until it broke loose. The fitting didn't seem corroded when I got it out, making me think it may have been over-torqued. Toyota spec says to torque it to 15.2 Nm (11 lbf ft); I am going to use Loctite 242 (blue) on this fitting to secure it, prevent corrosion, and seal it. In accordance with Loctite instructions, I will reduce the torque by 20% because Loctite is effectively a lubricant; so, I will torque the brake-line fitting to 8.8 lbf-ft, which is actually just as tight, since the lubricant allows the fitting to slide into the same final position with less friction. I will also report in a couple of years if this works out well for removing the brake line.
If anyone is wondering how to torque a brake-line fitting, connect a spring scale to the opposite end of the flare-nut wrench; measure the length of the flare-nut wrench from the center of the 10 mm end to the point of attachment of the scale (5.25"). Compute the force necessary, with this moment arm, to give 8.8 lbf-ft of torque: 8.8 * 12/5.25 = scale reading (20 lb).
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GeoFlory
Junior Member
Well, the deed is done; I have gone from 319 mm rotors to 338 rotors on my '09 SR5 to match my '07 sport. I don't really consider this a significant upgrade to the '09 SR5, since I believe the original is totally adequate because the SR5 has a GVWR of 5580 lb and the Sport Edition has a GVWR of 6005 lb; the bottom line is 338 mm rotors and 13WH calipers cost the same, so since I was replacing the parts, I went with 338 mm rotors etc. ( I tow the boat a lot). On the rear brakes, my rotors were in perfect condition (even though the local brake shop quoted to replace them for $200 Plus $140 labor); however, I replaced the original caliper seals (from 2009) which were visibly less pliable than the new seals, but otherwise in perfect condition, with the new supplied seals. While I was at it, I inspected the emergency brake; it appears to be in perfect condition, so I left it alone, even though I had planned to disassemble and lubricate it. A local shop had quoted me $1600 for a brake job; I did it myself with improvements for $400 (I saved about $500/hr doing it myself. Maybe I'm in the wrong business).
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