Brake Question

[Aquabear]

Good afternoon all,
I have noticed my brakes low performance and need advice.

Issue: Brakes are not stopping as they used to where a few times I notice pulsing (Anti lock system maybe? - sometimes during rain) and it takes much longer to stop. After it happens I find a quiet road to hit gas/brake to test and they seem to work but I am losing confidence in them. It dosen't happen all the time but it only takes one time to not stop and get into a fender bender.

History: A New York daily driver -lots of stop n go, 53,000 mi 2008 4Runner. Went cross country last year and off road 3 times, camping, scuba diving gear and other long road trips with gear. Brakes dome by dealer in Salt Lake City at 33K while on road trip(no tools to it do myself) they cut front rotors and replaced pads and adjusted rear because brakes didnt feel right to me which after they felt great - ps awesome uber nice people at dealer.

So- do I take her in for the dealership to adjust the brakes OR do I buy new front rotors and pads and DIY in my driveway (before cold New England winter hits) OR blank blank blank???

Last year after having brakes fixed at 33k figuerd I'd have a while before working on them but like I said my confidence is falling. Is there a way to adjust/fine tune the brakes or as my own DIY experience shows you just replace them end of story.

Thanks in advance all for your advice and keep them 4Runners lookin sweet.

 

[Will_4R]

Could be pistons starting to seize, maybe time for new calipers. Warped rotars maybe? I had braking issues similar to yours and needed new calipers and rotars. If you are under warranty definitely take it to the dealer. Otherwise it is your call. Trial and error in your driveway is a bit of a gamble in terms of saving money. You could probably check the postons yourself pretty easily though.

 

[TechWrench]

Good afternoon all,
I have noticed my brakes low performance and need advice.

Issue: Brakes are not stopping as they used to where a few times I notice pulsing (Anti lock system maybe? - sometimes during rain) and it takes much longer to stop. After it happens I find a quiet road to hit gas/brake to test and they seem to work but I am losing confidence in them. It dosen't happen all the time but it only takes one time to not stop and get into a fender bender.

History: A New York daily driver -lots of stop n go, 53,000 mi 2008 4Runner. Went cross country last year and off road 3 times, camping, scuba diving gear and other long road trips with gear. Brakes dome by dealer in Salt Lake City at 33K while on road trip(no tools to it do myself) they cut front rotors and replaced pads and adjusted rear because brakes didnt feel right to me which after they felt great - ps awesome uber nice people at dealer.

So- do I take her in for the dealership to adjust the brakes OR do I buy new front rotors and pads and DIY in my driveway (before cold New England winter hits) OR blank blank blank???

Last year after having brakes fixed at 33k figuerd I'd have a while before working on them but like I said my confidence is falling. Is there a way to adjust/fine tune the brakes or as my own DIY experience shows you just replace them end of story.

Thanks in advance all for your advice and keep them 4Runners lookin sweet.

You have a 4 wheel disc brake system. There is no type of adjustment to this type of braking system, other than adjusting the mini drum brakes for the parking brake systems, which are located inside the rear discs. Making an adjustment to the parking brake shoes will not affect how the main disc brakes work in any way. The only type of service you can do to the disc brake system, other than to replace parts, would be to remove the pads, check to see if the pistons are frozen, and clean the rust from the pad contact areas on the calipers. You can also bleed the system, if necessary.

If you are noticing the ABS system engaging, especially during wet conditions, then maybe you have tire wear that is causing one or more wheels to loose traction during braking which will cause the ABS to engage.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Does it just require more distance and more pedal effort but the pedal travel is ok? If it is then:

Do you drive like a geezer? (I do so I can say that.)

I have noticed that my pads will glaze a bit. 3 aggressive, consecutive 65-25mph seems to cure it for a while. I like to do it on the interstate at night (when safe) or a country road where I can do my 3 brake hits and then drive at least 3 miles (without stopping) to allow the brakes to cool back down evenly thus preventing warping.

Worth a try just pick a good place and be safe

 

[Aquabear]

Good morning all! Thanks for the advice, all good, logical advice Live long and prosper dudes!.

Cj3flyr- geezer that’s hilarious- thanks for the am funnies
Cj I did try that and it did brake ok after that but it has come back before. Glazzing hmmm gotta think about that one

I drive opposite of geezer more like a NYC driver like my Dad so I hit the gas and hit the brake in my daily driving around here. Driving in NY is kinda nuts compared to other cities, every light its like being in the INDY 500 man when the light turns green its GOOOoooooooo………………..:lookout:

An idea to go fix this, as asked I am still under warranty (ext Warr. 100k) so I can take it to the Toy Dealer, have them do a thorough check of the brakes and see if calipers are frozen Wil 4r or whatever problem is. I will also have them do a rotation, wheel balancing and 4WD wheel alignment (She’s overdue for it), to see if it’s the wheels as Techwrench stated.

I will also have them add fluid to the slide yoke and front drive shaft to stop the thumping. My drive shaft thunck is there occasionally and was so hard once that I thought someone hit my 4R from behind, maybe it was o hard because she was fully loaded with a month’s worth camping and climbing gear .
I definitely don’t want them to change the brakes as I feel no pulsing when braking at low speed- or high and normally she brakes just fine – just as she did this morning at 5am going to the gym. If the brakes DO happen to need to be changed I will do it myself (no OEM brakes unless dealer puts a warranty on them- HAHA yeah right!) and use premium rotors and pads as my experience shows they operate the best.

Can you all think :toilet3: of anyhting else I should have the dealer check???

Ps: To leave off on a good note: I also look forward to doing some mods before winter- shocks, springs, maybe 2/3 lift, spacers, BFG or Duratraks after the lift. Oh yeah and replace my rock torn off skid plate and some rock sliders. I'm lucky my wife compalined the wheels are manly enuff for her and she is tired of the bouncing of OME suspension. Yeah babe yeahh :banana:

Right on T4R brothas !:fro:

 

[rgcary]

Just installed...

Good afternoon all,
I have noticed my brakes low performance and need advice.

Issue: Brakes are not stopping as they used to where a few times I notice pulsing (Anti lock system maybe? - sometimes during rain) and it takes much longer to stop. After it happens I find a quiet road to hit gas/brake to test and they seem to work but I am losing confidence in them. It dosen't happen all the time but it only takes one time to not stop and get into a fender bender.

History: A New York daily driver -lots of stop n go, 53,000 mi 2008 4Runner. Went cross country last year and off road 3 times, camping, scuba diving gear and other long road trips with gear. Brakes dome by dealer in Salt Lake City at 33K while on road trip(no tools to it do myself) they cut front rotors and replaced pads and adjusted rear because brakes didnt feel right to me which after they felt great - ps awesome uber nice people at dealer.

So- do I take her in for the dealership to adjust the brakes OR do I buy new front rotors and pads and DIY in my driveway (before cold New England winter hits) OR blank blank blank???

Last year after having brakes fixed at 33k figuerd I'd have a while before working on them but like I said my confidence is falling. Is there a way to adjust/fine tune the brakes or as my own DIY experience shows you just replace them end of story.

Thanks in advance all for your advice and keep them 4Runners lookin sweet.

I just installed a set of EBC Ultimax slotted rotors on the front, bought a set of Toyota original pads for front and I'm very happy with this setup. Nothing else needed to be replaced. EBC's rotors for 17'' wheels were $183 out the door, pads from toyota dealer online were $65 out the door, local dealer wanted $82+tax so I told them to take a hike... On rear I have Brembo OEM rotors, not slotted or drilled and I'm using EBC's 6000 pads and they seem okay so far. I have less than 500 miles on this setup.