are my front caliper pistons seized?

[dave4242]

I am going to change my front brakes. I have read on this forum that many 4Runners have seized /stuck pistons on their front calipers. Mine is an 04 Limited V8. I raised the front wheels and put the truck in neutral. I was able to turn each wheel by hand, but there was quite a bit of drag. I assume there would be some drag as the pads do contact slightly, but with 2 hands, I was able to turn the wheel through about 90 degrees. Should they have about the safe amt of drag as the rears when in neutral?
The wheels fell no warmer than the rears after driving.
If they are seized, are the Duralast calipers from Autozone any good? They are about $84 after the core deposit is returned. They supposedly have a lifetime warranty.
Thanks.

 

[traffic626]

I just used one of the AZ calipers for a Corolla. I could feel a temperature difference between the driver and passenger front wheels after a long drive. I confirmed the difference with an infrared gun. The markings on the original and AZ caliper were the same. Mine even came with new boots, pins, and pad hardware. They only gave me one crush washer though, so you might want to double check that or you will need to reuse one. I tried to compress the passenger side caliper piston and it just wouldn't budge with the piston tool. I tried a big C clamp and that was a little better, but the driver side was so much easier to compress, so it was time for a rebuild or new caliper. I chose the AZ caliper.

FWIW, I don't mind doing the brake fluid change, so the lifetime warranty made the caliper good enough for the car. Toyota wanted $250ish for what I could get from AZ for $50. That also played a big part in my decision.

 

[THES0FAK1NG]

I dunno if this is a clear indicator of a seized piston, but when I brake hard, my truck begins to pull slighty to the left hand side. I JUST mounted new tires and got an alignment, so I can't come up with a reason other than something like this. Is this a clear indicator or could it be something else?