need new brakes, but a budget replacement

[GottaBeTRD]

hey guys, I did a search, and couldn't find anything on actual brake pads. Please point me in a way, if you know a way. Other than that here is my situation:

I've noticed my brakes are starting to get a faint squeal on the front pass. side. I hear it slightly even while I'm not using the brakes. I'm pretty sure this just means i need new pads?

Anyway iv'e owned the truck for about 4 years and have never replaced the pads so i think its time?? In July, they were measured at 8/32nds (I have no idea what that means lol.) I wish i could afford to do the tundra brake upgrade but unfortunately, i cant. I'm a broke student so i'm hoping i can get this done for cheap

I'm sold on the EBC greeen stuff 5000 series pads, So unless someone hits me in the nose with a rolled up newspaper saying "NO!" I'm getting these for sure! I want something good and that will last long and I've been looking at these for a while now.

Finally; Are these things pretty easy to install? is there a write up, or do i have to make one of how NOT to do it? lol I do seem to have the bad touch when it comes to some of the things i've done to my truck, but this seems like its pretty easy? any advise is appreciated!

 

[cj80cruiser]

hey guys, I did a search, and couldn't find anything on actual brake pads. Please point me in a way, if you know a way. Other than that here is my situation:

I've noticed my brakes are starting to get a faint squeal on the front pass. side. I hear it slightly even while I'm not using the brakes. I'm pretty sure this just means i need new pads?

Anyway iv'e owned the truck for about 4 years and have never replaced the pads so i think its time?? In July, they were measured at 8/32nds (I have no idea what that means lol.) I wish i could afford to do the tundra brake upgrade but unfortunately, i cant. I'm a broke student so i'm hoping i can get this done for cheap

I'm sold on the EBC greeen stuff 5000 series pads, So unless someone hits me in the nose with a rolled up newspaper saying "NO!" I'm getting these for sure! I want something good and that will last long and I've been looking at these for a while now.

Finally; Are these things pretty easy to install? is there a write up, or do i have to make one of how NOT to do it? lol I do seem to have the bad touch when it comes to some of the things i've done to my truck, but this seems like its pretty easy? any advise is appreciated!

There are youtube videos on how to change brake pads. You may need to view a tacoma but it's essentially the same. Video on 04 Tacoma

On the EBC's...my landcruiser ate those things up pretty quickly so I don't know if that was just my heavy LC or not so good pads.

 

[smallfry]

Changing the pads isn't really that bad, pretty straight foward.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Not hard, maybe 2hrs tops.

If you are on a budget though, EBC is not the way to go, they aren't that cheap. Try Performance Friction or Wagner Thermoquiets for pads.

 

[brian4t]

I used the Wagner Thermo quiet and I'm happy. No noise and very little dust, good stopping.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

oh thanks guys, i've been watching all kinds of videos on youtube. and it looks doable, of course i've said that with everything. the last thing i want to fail is my brakes haha.

the reason i want the EBC is i do the occasional off-roading and towing so these came had some pretty good reviews for that kind of stuff. I have about $60 for pads.

cj80cruiser did they have a warranty on them? which ones did you get?

 

[IanB]

If you're hearing brake noise when not braking, you could have a stuck caliper which will complicate your brake job, and drive up the cost. Also, I had EBC Greenstuff on a past car, they had great grip, but made a PILE of dust, and wore out quickly, and they were expensive.

You'll want new rotors and pads at the very least, might need a new caliper, or rebuild what you have, and I'd flush/bleed the brakes with new fluid when you're done.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

oh wow really? doh! yeah i only hear it when i'm driving next to a wall, its not that loud at all. I thought the pads just did that when they needed to be replaced?

Gosh I guess if i have to rebuild the calipers I might as well do the tundra brake upgrade. i dont know though i sure dont want to pull out the plastic.

thanks for the info on EBC, their rotors look pretty sick! lol but im beginning to think that its one of those parts your just paying for the name?

 

[IanB]

oh wow really? doh! yeah i only hear it when i'm driving next to a wall, its not that loud at all. I thought the pads just did that when they needed to be replaced?

Gosh I guess if i have to rebuild the calipers I might as well do the tundra brake upgrade. i dont know though i sure dont want to be pulling out the plastic.

thanks for the info on EBC, their rotors look pretty sick! lol but im beginning to think that its one of those parts your just paying for the name?

Jack the front up and pull the front tires off, then spin the brakes and see where the noise is coming from, and what's causing it. You could be able to see if a pad is dragging against the rotor, meaning the caliper is sticking, and needs to be serviced.

EBC is a big name in racing brake compounds, I don't know what the application you were looking at is like, but the Greenstuff/Bluestuff/Redstuff are not what I'd be looking at for a truck.

 

[Qyota]

If I ordered the right parts, I'll be putting EBC Ultimax pads and Brembo rotors on this weekend. I'll take pics if you want.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

allright, im gonna check it out today,

I was looking at EBC's stuff and some of the pads are rated for off roading, they have rock crawler stuff too. IDK, I think that dang Extreme 4x4 show prob sold me on them lol

but yeah Qyota, that would be great! what did you pay for all that?

 

[cj80cruiser]

oh thanks guys, i've been watching all kinds of videos on youtube. and it looks doable, of course i've said that with everything. the last thing i want to fail is my brakes haha.

the reason i want the EBC is i do the occasional off-roading and towing so these came had some pretty good reviews for that kind of stuff. I have about $60 for pads.

cj80cruiser did they have a warranty on them? which ones did you get?

Without going to the website and referring to my memory from 2007, I'd say I got the 7000 green pads.

 

[yotaboy510]

I have a brand new pair of rotors for sale. O'Reily brand 295mm if you are interested. $100 for the pair

 

[cj80cruiser]

I'm going to give NAPA a try. I bought them a few months ago for around $120 or so...thats pads and discs. They'll last a while and since it's not incredibly difficult of a job I'll try to save some money here. If I end up buying new pads and discs later then so be it.

Another option I was thinking of trying was getting the tundra calipers and then getting these same NAPA discs and pads to match.

 

[Qyota]

but yeah Qyota, that would be great! what did you pay for all that?

$147 shipped for everything. Import Replacement Parts | Import Performance & OEM Parts

 

[t4r4life]

anything with a life time warranty.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

so i finally tackled this and a buddy of mine convinced me it was just my pads so we took everything apart, and sure enough the indicators on the old pads were hitting the rotor. so i went out and bought some Premium pads for $24 and we got the job done with some trial and error. The rotors were still smooth and good so i didn't have to replace that!

We had to use some white trash methods to get the pistons back in the caliper so what we did is take one of the old pads and put a c-clamp down on it to push both pistons back in, other than that we also broke the bolts that hold the brake line in place cause they were frozen. nothing some zip ties cant fix!!

everything seems to be working great! I pumped the brakes before putting the wheels back on just to ensure there were no leaks. and nothing came out.

My only fear is when i was picking up all the old brake stuff i found this piece

it looks like it would fit around the pistons but we couldn't figure out how. its just a hair smaller then that. it could be from someone else's car too not sure. anyway it was fun and i learned a ton!

 

[fourbyfour]

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.

 

[Gerdo]

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 http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/s...ake=Toyota&model=4Runner&year=2000&vi=1364611 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.

 

[LittleCaesar]

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.