Tundra Brake Debacle

[soundmanlpte]

Boy do I have a story for y’all. So after doing my timing belt & radiator, I got inspired to go ahead and do the Tundra brake upgrade. So I ordered a Power Stop brake kit for an 05 Tundra off Amazon. I was a little nervous because there are limited reviews of Power Stop products. But for $389 it was worth a shot.

Immediately after I ordered this the pads on the passenger side started grinding the rotor. That made me nervous but there was still some pad left. Glad I ordered now, I thought I was doing this early!

So I get everything in and take the driver side apart. I dremel up the dust shield and get the rotor and caliper fitted. Then I notice that I was fitting with the passenger side rotor. They are directional because of the slots in the rotors. I put the correct rotor on and it’s warped! So after being pissed for a few minutes, I put all the old stuff back on and contacted Power Stop. At least the work on the dust shield was not in vain.

They sent me a whole new pair of rotors and didn’t ask for the old ones back. It took a week, which made me very nervous about the grinding rotor situation.

So those new rotors get in and go to break the lug nuts, can’t find my wheel key. Guess in my rage I forgot to take it off and drove away with it on. Who knows where it went. So I ordered the same set of wheel locks with 1 day shipping hoping I get the same key. I don’t. But this time I register this set of locks properly and order a 2nd key for the garage.

So I paid a kid at a tire shop $20 to get the old locks off. He did a good job, didn’t hurt the wheels at all. Except he cross-threaded a lug on the rear and when I took it off it ripped off a wheel stud. Ugh! It’s never ending. I don’t blame him, it’s my damn fault that I lost the key.

But, I did finally get the brakes done on the front. They look great and feel amazing. Very happy with them so far.

Lesson of the day: Buy replacement wheel key, or at least save the ID for your locks. And don’t be a dumbass. Easier said than done.

I’m going to fix the wheel stud Monday. They’re in stock for $2. Anyone ever swapped a rear wheel stud? I know the fronts are easy but I can’t find any info on the rear.

Also, when i was bleeding the brakes, I noticed on the rear driver side that something is spewing grease behind the drum. I haven’t pulled it apart yet, any idea what would cause this? Passenger side is clean. Note the pic below.

 

[nc-grayson]

Rear axle seal likely. Have you checked your diff breather?

Another lesson to learn: when swapping parts out...ALWAYS make sure what youve ordered is correct, not damaged or faulty, and make sure you have all of your necessary tools BEFORE disassembly.

Not hating, just sharing a nugget of info that takes time and frustration to learn. All of this, (sans rear leak), could have been avoided had the correct parts been verified before the initial strip down. Cheers

 

[Rimcrew]

Replacing a rear stud is super easy. Remove brake drum, drive out old stud with a hammer, pull new stud in with lug nut, mount wheel and torque it to spec to get the final seating of the stud.

 

[Wedgy]

Wow, those rotors do look nice !
Oil on the rear is most likely from a leaking axle seal from A) as mentioned a clogged diff breather B) bad axle bearing making the seal leak because it is not running true. Either way the bearing now has oil in it instead of grease so it is toast, as most like are the brake shoes, probably turn the drum too.
Ask me how I know.

 

[soundmanlpte]

Rear axle seal likely. Have you checked your diff breather?

Another lesson to learn: when swapping parts out...ALWAYS make sure what youve ordered is correct, not damaged or faulty, and make sure you have all of your necessary tools BEFORE disassembly.

Not hating, just sharing a nugget of info that takes time and frustration to learn. All of this, (sans rear leak), could have been avoided had the correct parts been verified before the initial strip down. Cheers

Thanks. I will check that.

I will remember that next time. Although the warp is so subtle that I didnt notice until I got it on the hub and gave it a spin. How else could you check for a warp?

 

[soundmanlpte]

Wow, those rotors do look nice !
Oil on the rear is most likely from a leaking axle seal from A) as mentioned a clogged diff breather B) bad axle bearing making the seal leak because it is not running true. Either way the bearing now has oil in it instead of grease so it is toast, as most like are the brake shoes, probably turn the drum too.
Ask me how I know.

Got it. So how do I tell one way or the other? I assume the seal would be pretty obvious. I'll take the wheel off Monday and get a look at it when I do the wheel stud.

 

[Dezerts10]

Thanks. I will check that.

I will remember that next time. Although the warp is so subtle that I didnt notice until I got it on the hub and gave it a spin. How else could you check for a warp?

take that reply with a grain of salt, Yes he is correct but god knows most of us rarely verify before disassembly.

I want to upgrade to tundra brakes and for that price its not to bad.

 

[Scramble]

My PS axle seal was leaking a little because the breather was clogged. My bearing & shoes were not ruined. I caught it right away.

It could also be your wheel cylinder. (brake fluid) take your drum off to check.