Brake job gone wrong

M

MikeDiehl

Junior Member
Hi gain,

I just completed a front brake job. After replacing both rotors and all four pads, I put it all together and it still grinds when I drive.

It stops just fine. (after bleeding the cylinders)

I've shared a few pictures on my home computer:

Nextcloud

When I looked at the rotor, I can see that it's already scored a bit after only driving around the block as a test drive. (see picture.) When I took the wheel off, I could see that the pad doesn't seem to even cover the rotor. (next pictures)

So, any suggestions as to what I did wrong? I've done other brake jobs before and never had a problem.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

Mike.
'96 4-Runner
250K miles (!)
 
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I would double check you have the correct pads as the op of the pad should sit flush with the top of the rotor which doesn’t appear to be the case in the picture.
I had same situation with pads I bought at Advanced Auto when replacing pads and rotors on a friends 4Runner.
Returned the pads and went with factory pads from Toyota…..no more problem.
 
Ya, that didn't look right. (which is why I offered the pictures) I did check that the holes all lined up before I installed the new ones. But there wasn't anything left of the actual pad on the old ones, so I wasn't able to compare. I usually have good luck with AutoZone parts.

So, I guess I have to call the dealership....

Thanks much,

Mike
 
There are two different size rotors. 297mm and 319mm I believe. Looks like you installed the smaller rotor. Not sure about the grinding noise but it sounds like you had the grinding noise before you did this brake job. Are you sure the grinding is not coming from the rear?
 
Definitely the wrong pads. You’re missing the retaining springs for the slide pins and the wave spring that returns the pads off the rotors when you release the brake pedal.
 
Beating a dead horse, but as others have said, you have the wrong size brake pads.

Brakes aren't something I liked to mess with (learned the hard way after doing the Tundra big brake upgrade myself), so I'd recommend having a shop do it for you.

Pad replacement labor and parts are quite cheap, take it to a brake shop and have them install the proper brake pads.
 
If his rig came with 16" rims then he should have 319mm rotors. Looks like he installed 297mm rotors which would be just under 1/2" smaller like it looks in the picture. I think that the same size pads will fit both size calipers though. So don't rule out the possibility of wrong rotors. It seems a lot easier to buy the wrong rotors than the wrong pads in this scenario.
 
Sparky 97Runner said:
If his rig came with 16" rims then he should have 319mm rotors. Looks like he installed 297mm rotors which would be just under 1/2" smaller like it looks in the picture. I think that the same size pads will fit both size calipers though. So don't rule out the possibility of wrong rotors. It seems a lot easier to buy the wrong rotors than the wrong pads in this scenario.
Click to expand...
Good point on the rotors. I skimmed his post and went straight to pictures. It's more likely it's the wrong rotors since the pads fit the calipers.
 
The auto parts store guy should have asked if you have 15" or 16" wheels, it has them ask that in their part lookup system. If he didn't he might have sold you the wrong parts.
 
For the win!

Sparky 97Runner said:
If his rig came with 16" rims then he should have 319mm rotors. Looks like he installed 297mm rotors which would be just under 1/2" smaller like it looks in the picture. I think that the same size pads will fit both size calipers though. So don't rule out the possibility of wrong rotors. It seems a lot easier to buy the wrong rotors than the wrong pads in this scenario.
Click to expand...

YES, it turns out that it was the wrong set of rotors.

As many have pointed out, I had the pins in backward and didn't have the retaining clip and spring installed. This was simply me dry fitting everything so I could take a decent picture. I did get it all installed correctly.

So, I got the right rotors and new new pads installed. Now it stops quickly and stays straight.

Painful lesson: COMPARE NEW PARTS WITH THE OLD _BEFORE_ INSTALLING THEM.

Thanks for looking everyone.

Mike Diehl,
'96 4-Runner
250K miles.
 
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