4th Gen Siezed Brake Caliper- Which Rebuilt?

S

strangec

New member
I have the common problem of some of the brake pistons being siezed up. To make it easier, rather than rebuilding the calipers myself, I thought I would buy rebuilt ones from RockAuto or Parts.com (not sure Parts sells rebuilt ones though).
My question is are the Raybestos calipers RockAuto sells OEM, or just an aftermarket equivilent? Ditto for the Rotors?

Basically, I'm trying to keep my 04 Limited v8 all OEM, without trusting the caliper rebuild to my abilities so any additional suggestions are welsome.
 
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PS- It looks to me that using rebuilt calipers would cost about $150 an axle and rebuilding would be about $30 + labor. I'm not sure how hard this is to do or what some one else would charge. I do know the dealer wants $200+ per axle and their parts are way more than Parts.com or RockAuto.

The other thing to ask is what's better; rebuild of the OEM parts, or the rebuilt unit from RockAuto or NAPA? Is there a difference in the rebuilt calipers form these two?
 
strangec said:
PS- It looks to me that using rebuilt calipers would cost about $150 an axle and rebuilding would be about $30 + labor. I'm not sure how hard this is to do or what some one else would charge. I do know the dealer wants $200+ per axle and their parts are way more than Parts.com or RockAuto.

The other thing to ask is what's better; rebuild of the OEM parts, or the rebuilt unit from RockAuto or NAPA? Is there a difference in the rebuilt calipers form these two?
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Check out the thread in my signature for the link to my caliper writeup. I would have done the rebuild myself but was unable to free up the siezed piston. The NAPA and Carquest reman units I used looked like OEM castings. Watch what you get in the box because they did mix up the lefts and rights. The new OEM parts were outrageous $$$.
 
Most rebuilt calipers use OEM castings. Depending on what level rebuild and which company you buy it from, rebuilt calipers can be stripped, and re-coated for corrosion resistance, have new pistons, and even include pads.
 
strangec said:
Any suggestions on where to get good rebuilds? NAPA? RockAuto? Someplace else?
Click to expand...

Either one should be fine. The following is a response to another thread but may keep you out of trouble in future: "Brake fluid, IMHO, should be change every 3 years or so due to moisture absorbtion. Most complete, thorough, brake jobs will bleed the whole system through and that'll get you new fluid. The calipers on the front aren't known for being great. IMHO two things can help prevent a stuck piston: 1) Occasionally bleeding the brakes through to clean fluid. 2)Periodically pushing the pistons back in all the way. Every other tire rotation I crack the bleeder, push the pads back. (Re-tighten bleeder as the flow slows to a trickle, before it stops all together.) After I'm done I crank it up, pump up the brakes and top off the master cylinder. Only time will tell if that keeps my pistons from getting stuck. I am pretty sure it won't hurt and it keeps my calipers 'excersised' and my fluid fairly fresh."
 
You would need a small press to remove the frozen piston. After doing this there is a chance that you will deeply score the cylinder wall which will then have to be honed out.
I bought a reman caliper from Rockauto and it froze up six months later. I am still driving it that way. About 1 ½ years now. Good luck in your quest.
 
With all the issues on Toyota brake calipers siexzing on 4th Gen 4Runners, has no aftermarket company or rebuilder figured out a better caliper to put on thse things?
 
I just relined my brakes at 3 years/60,000 miles. They had about 10k left on the pads but I wanted to service the whole system before another Winter. As it turns out it was a good idea. The pins that hold the pads in were rusted in place and had to be driven out with a punch. :eek:

But, the pistons in all calipers easily retracted when I opened the bleeder. I was able to find factory pads and all the hardware on ebay for $89 total for all 4 wheels so this was a very inexpensive job. I bled 3 pints of Valvoline syn-power fluid through the system so all is good now. The rotors were in fine shape and only need a clean up with a file. I'll do them again at 120k/3 years.
 
Does it matter which casting to get, or do I have to keep the same casting #? I've got a 13WG but was looking at one that is a 13WL, but says it fits the truck. Only thing I really noticed in the pic is where the brake line goes into the back is cocked at a different angle.

Also, is it best just to do both at the same time just to be on the same side and have the new pads and calipers at the same time?
 
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