4th Gen Options To Replace Seized Calipers... Tundra? (Yes, another caliper thread..)

[stanleybb50]

As a follow up to this... Jimmy V. would not be impressed: (I guess I'm giving up on a caliper mod...)

I ordered new rotors (Centric Premium) and pads (Raybestos Semi-Metallic), and plan to install this weekend. I'm hoping that I was just jumping the gun on thinking I have a frozen caliper. Most likely its just warped rotors.

And on that note... The rotors/pads that I'm replacing only have about 14k city miles on them. (I say city to highlight that there is a lot of stop and go, but I was still hoping they would last longer). I had used the Napa Ultra Premium rotors and pads last year. The pads are ceramic and it seems like they were too much for the rotors. I'm hoping these semi-metallic pads I'm installing now will help the rotors last longer, even though I'll have more brake dust and the pads will wear faster.

And on the subject of the seizing caliper pistons.. As I mentioned above, I'm hoping they're not frozen. And I plan to do some preventative this time around. I ordered some good anti-seize (silicone based, with moly) that is compatible with rubber (links below). Seems like good stuff, and I read good things about it. I plan to remove the piston boots and apply some of this stuff to the end of the pistons to help prevent future corrosion. Hopefully this will help fend off future seizing...

www.permatex.com/products/automotiv...ake_Caliper_Lube_Hi-Temp_Silicone_Formula.htm

Bought it from Amazon here: www.amazon.com/Permatex-24115-Caliper-Silicone-Formula/dp/B000HBGKH4

Thanks again for all of your help and input into this. I'm hoping the piston boots can sort-of pop out/back in rather easily, but we'll see how it goes. Maybe I'll try to post pics of it or something.

 

[04_4runner]

I had used the Napa Ultra Premium rotors and pads last year.

My 2 cents...
Napa brake parts come with a lifetime warrantee. Even if you are going to switch to another brand, swap out the used parts for new. Someone will buy them off you.

 

[stanleybb50]

My 2 cents...
Napa brake parts come with a lifetime warrantee. Even if you are going to switch to another brand, swap out the used parts for new. Someone will buy them off you.

Really?? I still have the receipt as well. I'll run into Napa and ask.

Thx for the suggestion. I'll look into this.

 

[450exc115]

That permetix stuff looks like a good idea. I'd cycle the pistons every time you rotate the tires too. It would add 30 minutes to an hour to the job.

There is always a silver lining to buying aftermarket and usually it's the warrentee, espeicailly if the part is a know problem.

 

[stanleybb50]

As a follow up, I changed the brakes and rotors today... And go figure, the passenger side lower (inner) caliper was very hard to compress/retract... I got it back in and it did move and free up, and I squirted some silicone spray under the boot... Hopefully it'll stay free. All the others compressed easily.

I wasn't really able to render all the boots for the risk of too much debris and surface rust from the caliper body getting in there. So I greased real well all around the boots with the silicone Permatex stuff to try to help seal out all the crevices and then wiped most of it off so it doesn't attract extra dirt.

Anyway... Sucks that I feel that piston will inevitably freeze here sometime and its just a PITA to change with bleeding brakes and not to mention the $$.

 

[HokieRunner]

Just wanted to affirm what '04 4runner' said regarding the Napa warranty:

1 year back I replaced my front rotors, pads and calipers (both had a seized piston). Fast forward to last week and I notice some resistance and the truck pulling to the right on my way home from work. My 1 year old Napa caliper had seized up! So I drove across the street to the Napa, grabbed a new caliper, replaced the old one and was back at the store in under 2 hours. They looked up my prior purchase and the caliper was replaced for free under their lifetime warranty (minus the time I spent swapping them out).

Obviously not a fix to the caliper flaws but it's nice to know that as many times as I have to replace the caliper, I only had to pay for a new set once!

 

[stanleybb50]

Just wanted to affirm what '04 4runner' said regarding the Napa warranty:

1 year back I replaced my front rotors, pads and calipers (both had a seized piston). Fast forward to last week and I notice some resistance and the truck pulling to the right on my way home from work. My 1 year old Napa caliper had seized up! So I drove across the street to the Napa, grabbed a new caliper, replaced the old one and was back at the store in under 2 hours. They looked up my prior purchase and the caliper was replaced for free under their lifetime warranty (minus the time I spent swapping them out).

Obviously not a fix to the caliper flaws but it's nice to know that as many times as I have to replace the caliper, I only had to pay for a new set once!

This is good to know. When (not ''if'') my caliper seizes again on me, I'll buy Napa calipers. Even though I bough Napa pads/rotors, I actually bought the calipers at Advance because they had them in stock that day (in April 2011).

Maybe I'll look into the Advance warranty. And I will definately try to take back the rotors to Napa, and will try the pads with them for the heck of it.

 

[futbolking]

Great idea. Thanks.

Good points on the FJ/Taco not seizing like ours. And I 100% hear you on the necessity for what you got going on!

I just want something that will work as good as stock that won't seize. Of course better than stock would be great, but I really want to stop the seizing! (Sounds like a medical problem...lol)

^^This is why I am looking for an alternative. I don't want to have to continue worrying about these brakes either. I'm pretty sure I have the caliper seizing issue.
I appreciate stanleybb50 for starting this thread, but since he has gone a different route, the questions still remain. Does anyone have an answer if the Tundra brakes will work?
If the FJ BBK will fit the 4runner, will a stock swap work?
How about the Tacoma's or 5th gen?

 

[futbolking]

Anyone?

 

[stanleybb50]

Anyone?

I ended up just swapping my brakes and rotor and am dealing with one slightly sticky piston on my passenger side caliper... Gas mileage is lower as a result and I'm sure it's sticking.

I'm just being lazy while trying to figure out what to replace the calipers with... Again, I refuse to take the time to replace them with crap that will just freeze up again on me...

Any Toyo techs able to grab a Taco or FJ or Tundra or 5th Gen runner caliper and see if it'll bolt in??

Mine froze in a period of about a year here in Pittsburgh's salt........!

 

[futbolking]

I ended up just swapping my brakes and rotor and am dealing with one slightly sticky piston on my passenger side caliper... Gas mileage is lower as a result and I'm sure it's sticking.

I'm just being lazy while trying to figure out what to replace the calipers with... Again, I refuse to take the time to replace them with crap that will just freeze up again on me...

Any Toyo techs able to grab a Taco or FJ or Tundra or 5th Gen runner caliper and see if it'll bolt in??

Mine froze in a period of about a year here in Pittsburgh's salt........!

Me too. I don't want to put on a band-aid, knowing I'm going to have to do it over again.

 

[stanleybb50]

Screw it.... I'm probably going to just order the OEM casting calipers and replace/bleed this weekend...

I'll throw some of that Permatex silicon based caliper piston lube behind the piston boots before installing. Maybe that will help keep corrosion at bay. I'm tempted to use the regular anti seize stuff because of its amazing anti-corrosive properties, but heard that stuff might be bad for the pistons.

Either way I'm not happy to be replacing calipers on my nice low mileage vehicle. I've driven a lot of really sh***y cars in my day with outrageous miles, and never ever had a frozen caliper piston. Now I have two go bad in about a year on my t4r with less than 50k on it!

 

[zstampe]

Screw it.... I'm probably going to just order the OEM casting calipers and replace/bleed this weekend...

I'll throw some of that Permatex silicon based caliper piston lube behind the piston boots before installing. Maybe that will help keep corrosion at bay. I'm tempted to use the regular anti seize stuff because of its amazing anti-corrosive properties, but heard that stuff might be bad for the pistons.

Either way I'm not happy to be replacing calipers on my nice low mileage vehicle. I've driven a lot of really sh***y cars in my day with outrageous miles, and never ever had a frozen caliper piston. Now I have two go bad in about a year on my t4r with less than 50k on it!

I'm at 72k now and am having the first signs of a frozen caliper. I will probably use napa or something comparable for the caliper but want something nicer as far as pads and rotors go. What are you using/going to use?

 

[450exc115]

Just did a breif search on the FJ and Taco forums.. Same calipers and same problems. As always they seem to occur in climates with harsher conditions.

Just as an FYI the Big Alum break calipers aren't much better. While you don't get siezed pistons (they are SS or composite) the pins and bleeders (steel) react with the alum calipers and seize. I just changed the pads on my wife's Acura TL TypeS with brembo calipers and antiseized the pins and bleeder to ensure that I can do this job again in 4 years.

My advice is buy calipers with a lifetime warrenty form an aftermarket supplier (NAPA etc) and just check/push them in every 10K when rotate your tires. If you find one that is seized then swap it out. Sucks but that is all we have right now for options.

 

[zstampe]

Just did a breif search on the FJ and Taco forums.. Same calipers and same problems. As always they seem to occur in climates with harsher conditions.

Just as an FYI the Big Alum break calipers aren't much better. While you don't get siezed pistons (they are SS or composite) the pins and bleeders (steel) react with the alum calipers and seize. I just changed the pads on my wife's Acura TL TypeS with brembo calipers and antiseized the pins and bleeder to ensure that I can do this job again in 4 years.

My advice is buy calipers with a lifetime warrenty form an aftermarket supplier (NAPA etc) and just check/push them in every 10K when rotate your tires. If you find one that is seized then swap it out. Sucks but that is all we have right now for options.

How much are the napa ones?

 

[ChaosStarter]

How much are the napa ones?

Roughly $120-$130 or so after the core return.

 

[futbolking]

Just did a breif search on the FJ and Taco forums.. Same calipers and same problems. As always they seem to occur in climates with harsher conditions.

Just as an FYI the Big Alum break calipers aren't much better. While you don't get siezed pistons (they are SS or composite) the pins and bleeders (steel) react with the alum calipers and seize. I just changed the pads on my wife's Acura TL TypeS with brembo calipers and antiseized the pins and bleeder to ensure that I can do this job again in 4 years.

My advice is buy calipers with a lifetime warrenty form an aftermarket supplier (NAPA etc) and just check/push them in every 10K when rotate your tires. If you find one that is seized then swap it out. Sucks but that is all we have right now for options.

For some reason, I thought I read somewhere in a different thread that they did not have issues. But, that would have not been the first time I was wrong. Thanks for the research & advice.
Still can't find info on a Tundra swap for 4th gen, seems it's only good for the 3rd.

 

[450exc115]

The Tacos have a larger fan base than our vehicles as they are used world wide. Most of the other places they are used is warmer drier climate so they seem to have less issues. That said there are a bunch of threads about replacing stuck calipers on trucks with mileage that runs from low 50K to hight 150K.

I took a quick look at tundra parts for brakes. 00-06 tundra have the same diameter and bolt hole pattern as our SR5 4runner (don't know offset though) and the newer 07 tundra went to a 5 hole bolt wheel. It's not confirmed but I would guess the 00-06 tundra have the exact same brakes as us. Toyota is well know for using the same parts on different models as it keeps costs down.

 

[stanleybb50]

Excellent discussions for sure.

I'll probably try the anti seize route then. Hopefully get to it on Sunday. If I can get done with the ridiculous amount of "work" I brought home from my god for saken job...

 

[goohead]

Just did brakes all around with Advance auto parts front fenco reman caliper, Wagner rotors and pads. All with lifetime warranty, never will have to pay for brakes again as long as own the truck and have the receipt.