trouble getting front tires off - pic included

jstutz101 said:
Just noticed your picture. If I didn't know better I would say the top pic looks like the classic frozen caliper. Could just be the angle of the shot though.
Click to expand...

The top picture does look like the pads are at an angle.
The bottom picture looks like the one side has more wear than the other.

The two pins, that are really rusted, allow the pads to slide. The rust may be prohibiting this sliding.
 
first pic is the driver side front, second passenger front.

inside pad of the driver front is indeed not even, with top worn more (upload placed it sideways, it's really the top half). i feel overall car stops ok. maybe a little pulling to one side (iirc to the left). i'll let this set of pads wear out and then address the issue. I do have new caliper pins from Napa but hate to take the caliper apart just to swap the pins. so how to confirm a piston is indeed frozen - when it wouldn't yield to c-clamp when we try to push it back in prep for new pads?

i am reading reman'd caliper is about $120 ish each, and require bleeding the brake line. ouch. am not ready for that yet.
 
You can find remanufactured calipers for a lot less than 120 bucks each. I recall that I paid 65 bucks each for mine and they came with a two year warranty. They also included all the pins and anti rattle springs.

Just make sure you get the right casting for your replacement front brake calipers.
 
You don't want to go a year with those calipers. Both appear to have pistons that are frozen. That means increased wear from the ones that are not. You are going to need to new (rebuilt) calipers, pads, and hardware. With the frequency that these calipers freeze, I would stick with ones that have lifetime warranties because where you live, you will undoubtedly be replacing them again.
 
tcpoob said:
and require bleeding the brake line. ouch. am not ready for that yet.
Click to expand...

Yes you are, you just don't know it. Replacing calipers and bleeding brake lines is a job equivalent to changing your oil - you'll fumble through it the first time, and then wonder why it was ever intimidating. You've got a board full of people to give advice if you get lost, you'll be fine.

Go get dirty.
 
frozen caliper?

so some suggest my front calipers may be frozen (pictures in earlier messages from this thread).

1.
where would if find the casting # so i order the right replacements? is it stamped on the rusty calipers? I bought it brand new in 2005 with 17" wheels from toyota dealer. For this forum. i seem to remember it could come with either the bigger or the regular/smaller calipers for the front.

2.
how do i know for sure they're frozen? if i take the pads off, and attempt to compress the pistons, the ones that wouldn't compress back are the frozen ones?

3.
are there less stuck caliper piston issues with the rear floating (1 piston?) calipers?

thanks
 
1. Yes, I believe there are stamped lettering/numbers on the casting. But an easier way would be to check with the Toyota dealer, especially if they have your VIN on file from previous work. They can tell you what rotor size and caliper you need. When i did mine the autozone just plugged in all the specifics on my truck and figured out the right caliper. When I got home I visually compared them to what was on my truck and did the work.

2. Yes. When you try to compress the pistons one or more of them will not go back in. I would start by checking the inside lower piston. That is where it seems most of these calipers freeze.

3. The rear calipers are a floating single piston design. You don't hear as much about the rear calipers freezing. Having said this, I just redid my rear brakes because one of the calipers froze. Had to get new rotors too. But this was at 118K miles.

The actual work is not that hard. The first time I went through the front brakes, including calipers it took me 3 1/2 hours and 1 1/2 hours of that time was spent driving around looking for replacement calipers. I did have a buddy helping me and I would recommend that your first time through. The extra set of hands helps, especially when you need to bleed the brakes after replacing the caliper.

I you are concerned with wasting your friend's time then do some prep. Loosen the brake pad pins on your own and lube them. Loosen and tighten the caliper bolts just so you know where they are. They will also come out easy when you do the real work. Get all right size sockets and wrenches set up. Then spend time finding a good deal on some remanufactured calipers, rotors, and pads.

As Kid Vermicious said, "Go get dirty" The beer tastes mighty good after doing this work and thinking about how much you saved compared to having the dealer do it.
 
new tires

Thanks. Will do (get dirty). I have done brake pads twice on another family ride so I know what it's like in general - yes cold beer feels that much better ...

I've heard from this board, Autozone's computer system could get you the wrong size caliper so i need to be careful. I am hearing 17" wheel could come with different model calipers.

I am going to research on how to bleed brakes - never done it. I am hearing there's an order, RR, RL, FR, FL. So you connect one end of a tube to the bleeder valve, the other to a bottle submerged in some brake fluid (why prefill some fluid in the bottle? to create vacuum? ), pump the pedal till no air bubble comes out, and move on to the next wheel ... I think some one said for the rear wheels, just make sure the ignition key is on, and hold the pedal down, no need for pumping pedal, while the front wheels require pumping - maybe i got it backwards.

Just had Michelin LTX AT-2 installed to get ready for northeast winter. They asked me if i wanted OWL outside, i said yes. Yet they still mounted it OWL facing inside. I didn't have time to get them redo it - really pissed. Another T4R was there getting the Michelin MS so the technician was supposedly confused. I am not a fan of the green plastic valve cover they replaced - they tossed the original aluminum caps. I'll snap a pic of the new tires tomorrow and upload. Like I said, I think it would look bad asser with OWL out. But I hate to drive all the way back to make this right...
 
There may be some different opinions on this but when it came to bleeding the brakes after replacing the calipers I did not go through all four wheels.

This is where the second pair of hands is helpful. I left the brake line attached on the old caliper until I was ready to replace it. Then I loosened the brake line bolt on the old one while my buddy held the new caliper close. As soon as the bolt came out we swapped calipers and I attached the new one. Brake fluid loss was minimal.

As soon as we got that one side back together with new pads in I just had my buddy jump in car, start it, and push the brake pedal while I loosened the bleeder bolt. It took very little effort before it was just a solid stream of brake fluid coming out. I tightened the bolt up while fluid was coming out and then tested the brake pedal to make sure it was solid when pressed and not mushy. Repeated the same on the other side.

Of course, I didn't search the forum on this so you might find some other directions. But my brakes seem rock solid to me and the truck stops great. I just repeated the same stuff when I had to replace both rear calipers, rotors and pads and the truck stops straight and smooth with no vibrations or pulsing anymore.

Good luck.
 
I tried AutoZone the first time I changed a caliper. When I would order a drivers side caliper I would get a passenger side. They ordered it three times and it was wrong each time. I finally went to a local Napa and got the right one. Im pretty sure the AutoZone was also the wrong casting.

Since then I have replaced both front ones again and went with Amazon. The nice part is they dont have core charge. Heres a link - Raybestos FRC11553 Professional Grade Remanufactured Semi-Loaded Disc Brake Caliper : Amazon.com : Automotive

Another snag I ran into the second time I changed the calipers was when I went to loosen the brake line from the caliper it was corroded together causing the brake line to break when I removed it. If this happens to you dont panic, Autozone carries the copper brake lines. Just bring the old one with you so they can match it up.

As far as bleeding goes I bought a might vac bleeder awhile ago. Its handy if you dont have an extra person to pump the brakes.

Make sure you have a breaker bar for those calper bolts, they can be really tight!

Good Luck!
 
tcpoob said:
I am going to research on how to bleed brakes - never done it. I am hearing there's an order, RR, RL, FR, FL. So you connect one end of a tube to the bleeder valve, the other to a bottle submerged in some brake fluid (why prefill some fluid in the bottle? to create vacuum?
Click to expand...

The order will be in your factory service manual, if you can access it, but you generally want to start with the longest brake line first. Submerging the end of your bleeder hose in a bowl of fluid prevents air from sucking back into the line when you release the brakes.

If you have rubber brake lines in front, pinch it off with a set of vice grips and a couple scraps of wood before you remove the brake line from the caliper, and have a baggy and a twist-tie or zip-tie handy to bag the end of the brake line and keep the fluid from getting everywhere. Once you've installed the new caliper and replaced the brake line, unscrew the bleeder, put one end of your hose on the bleeder and the other in the bowl of fluid, and have somebody pump the brakes. Once no more air is coming out, close the bleeder and have them pump some more, then crack the bleeder and have them pump again. Repeat this until no air is coming out on the first pump. If you pinched off the brake line, this shouldn't take more than once or twice, and you won't need to do the backs at all unless you decide to replace those calipers too.

It shouldn't be a problem with new calipers, but invest in a flare-nut wrench for the next time so you don't run the risk of rounded fittings.
 
Atlanta_man said:
Doesn't bleeding the brakes on some models require turning on the ign to get the ABS pump humming along ?
Click to expand...

No. the only time.you need to activate the abs pump is if you forget to keep the reservoir filled and suck air through the system.

Also if you don't want a friends help, some awesome "speed bleeders" will do the trick. actually that's on my to-do list. never used em before but its downright brilliant. they use a check ball so when you let off the brakes no air is sucked in.

All you have to do to bleed is open one valve and pump your brakes. no need to "pump and hold, close and reopen." Just close it off and check how the pedal feels. don't forget to keep that reservoir full!

I'd stick with the original makers of them. they should be about $12 a pair. you'll need two pair for the whole car.
 
I read somewhere in the manual that bleeding one or the other of the front or back pair required the ign on to run the pump and on my other car bleeding wants the dealer computer hooked up to do the deed. I'll look it up.

My project today is seasoning the rotors I put on yesterday and bedding the pads.
The internet advice on these jobs is all over the place. From a few hard slow downs to melt the paint off the pads, twice. Likely not all that important on a normal road vehicle.
 
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