need new brakes, but a budget replacement

[GottaBeTRD]

i just did a Google search on that piece and you guys are right it is for an idler bearing, i should of done that before i posted it. It says the number is for a Ford f150. So hopefully its some body else that's gonna have the problems haha.

I just did my brakes on the 4runner last week, I didn't see anything that looked like that. Doing the brakes was really easy, it's been awhile since I did it, I surprised myself.

As for the pistons, I found the easiest way to get those suckers back in is by removing the rotors, I had mine resurfaced still at >21mm. Remove the metal sheet that holds thing together on the caliper. Remount the calipers without the rotors and put a wrench on the top and bottom and pry them until they are in. No need to deal with clamps.

thanks man, are talking about those little plate spacers that were in between the pads? i think there is 4 of them, and 2 of them have vents in them?? If so i didn't put those back in because the new pads already seemed to have some sort of spacer on them. but yeah that sounds way easier then what we were doing!

Do the front brakes pulse when applied (indicating warping)? You can just have your rotors turned.Something I just saw at my O'Reilly auto parts were their BrakeBest Select - Brake Rotor List: Brake Drums & Rotors - 2000 Toyota 4Runner | O'Reilly Auto Parts They are cheap and they use a thicker material than stock, and use all the stock parts. Then toss on some of their better pads.

If you have to replace the rear shoes, ONLY USE TOYOTA OE SHOES! There is something weird about aftermarket shoes. They must not be an exact fit and cause the adjusters to tighten up. I know because it has happened to me.

the only thing my brakes were doing were squealing constantly! it wasn't just when i pressed the brakes and it was getting annoying and embarrassing. When i took the wheels off the little pins were brushing against the rotors. I think i got it before it messed up the rotors. Everything seems to work fine, its really smooth stopping and everything. But yeah i was looking at rotors too ill check those out when i need them. thanks!
Also thanks for the heads up on the shoes too I dont think i have the balls to mess with those. Back in High school i had to take those things apart and put them back together again and all i remember is it was a pain!

If I were going to guess, I'd have to say it looks like a seal to a bearing, maybe one for the front wheels. But since I have never gotten far enough to take the knuckle completely out to see them, I won't put my guess in stone.

I can't say how many different ways I have seen pistons pushed in on calipers. I saw one guy years ago use a handle from a small pistol he had taken apart to push the piston back in. As long as you did not run the MC dry nor get bubbles in the fluid, you should be good to go, except for the possibility of a bad bearing.

thanks man yeah i'm hoping its all good, we accidently loosened the wrong bolt on the caliper and it leaked a little but i think we caught it before it was an issue. That's pretty crazy though with using the handle from a gun!

Getting those things back in stumped us pretty good. My buddy was all confident cause he has done a lot of brakes before and said we'll have it done in 30 minutes, But we took mine off and saw the 4 pistons he was pretty confused at first, but its nothing that Google cant fix lol

 

[LittleCaesar]

That is good to know. My cousin once got a man's necktie caught up in her ES 300 caliper between the outer pad and the rotor. Given her history with men, I passed on checking for the possibility of blood on the undercarriage.

The shoes are not hard to change. The only PITA is possibly getting the drum off. OEM shoes must be used.