Front Brake Pads

[Devan54]

First time in my life that I cannot remove the front tire/wheel to get at the brake pads... There is a 4in metal cap covering the hub that is mounted to the wheel... any clues???

 

[sonerick]

Do you have a manual? I think it explains it in there. Basically there is a small slot along the edge of the cover. Insert a flat blade screwdrive and pry the cover off.

 

[Devan54]

Thanks... I have the Toyota version, which tells me nothing... I am going to give it a try... back in 5min...

 

[Devan54]

Well, that did not work. ended up breaking the tips off of a scewdriver... this is a metal cap over the hub. As i remember, after the lug nuts are removed, the tire should be free.
With this configuration, what happens if i get a flat? call a tow truck?

 

[snhrph]

A quick search of this forum yields the following link to a complete write-up:

my-4th-gen-front-brakes-walkthrough.html

 

[BlackWorksInc]

What type of vehicle is this? Can you post pictures of what you are talking about?

 

[Devan54]

thanks, i will give the link a try... too new to post pictures... but working on it...

 

[sonerick]

Try whacking the back of the tire with a rubber mallet. I rotated my tires yesterday and the wheels were stuck on there pretty good. Aside from lug nuts and the center cap w/ the toyota logo, you should not have to remove anything else to take off the wheels/tires.

Sorry about your screwdriver, I assumed you were referring to the center caps, which should pry off easily.

 

[snhrph]

If you don't have rubber mallet, use a regular hammer and a piece of wood against the rim. That should do the trick.

 

[Devan54]

Thank you very much for the last post... I came to realize that the wheels fit VERY snugly on the hub. I used a little WD40 and a deadblow hammer on the back side of the tire, and it popped right off. I feel like such an idiot... the first side took me over 2 hrs of wondering and puzzlement, the second side took me 1/2 hr [including removing the tire].

This is a good group to belong to if you want to perform DYI maintenance and repairs on your vehicle.

I love my 4runner; from my 1st Gen thru my 4th Gen, and I want a 5th Gen...

 

[Devan54]

not the decorative cap, but the cap to get at the bearings [BIG mistake on my part]. After looking at the pictures from the link provided by SNHRPH, I came to realize that it was not supposed to come off. And I quickly resolved the tire removal problem that I was having.

 

[zstampe]

not the decorative cap, but the cap to get at the bearings [BIG mistake on my part]. After looking at the pictures from the link provided by SNHRPH, I came to realize that it was not supposed to come off. And I quickly resolved the tire removal problem that I was having.

And broke a screwdriver......

 

[TRADICLES]

Tire removal

First time in my life that I cannot remove the front tire/wheel to get at the brake pads... There is a 4in metal cap covering the hub that is mounted to the wheel... any clues???

I just did my fronts,the wheel gets rusted in place.You gotta get a breaker bar and get in there and pull,just be careful of the wheel and brakes inside.You also may have to sledgehammer the ROTOR to get it off too.Try a nine pound hammer.