RTH - rear brakes (1 Viewer)

[aaronrules]

I hate asking dumb questions all the time. But it is late and I have to work tomorrow. I am in the middle of replacing the brake pads on the rear of my 2001 LX. In doing this, my caliper separated. It just pulled apart. Is this supposed to happen? I though the bolts had to be loosened for it all to come apart like that. Also do I really the retaining clips for the pads? One of mine was broken, and the other three are pretty jacked up. Guess I will be hitching a ride to work in the morning...

 

[2000UZJ]

You're lucky that didn't get lodged in the rim on the highway. Hitch a ride, you need a new caliper. Replace the retainers as well.

 

[aaronrules]

Nevermind...I got it all put back together without the clips. The caliper is fine. I just didn't compress the damn thing enough...

The bolts still hold it together. It just comes apart when taken off the rotor.

Mods can feel free to delete this thread...I'm dumb...

 

[Trunk Monkey]

No need to delete, someone else may get in the same spot and think the same thing. You don't need to take the torque plate (thing in your hand in last pic) off to change the pads, the part that holds the caliper unbolts from that. Press the caliper in gently and wedge in new pads. One job I don't mind on any Toyota - brakes - they made it super easy.

Go back and check your caliper bolts in a few weeks. With all that grease they like to work loose. I had one of mine on my 80 back out, created much fun in a parking lot.

 

[sonofshin]

On a side note...My brakes squealed like crazy until I replaced all the factory retaining clips. Whoever had done the brakes previously had skipped putting them back in.

 

[aaronrules]

Pretty sure this is the squeaking I heard when turning left. The inside of my rotors on the back are toast! Going to get new rotors tomorrow and put them on. Won't be driving the truck very much so the pads should be okay. I was having a hard time with job only because I didn't compress the piston all the way down. I thought I had it compressed, but it needed just a little bit more. I cleaned up those studs you see in the picture and lubed them up with some brake lube, and also put lube on the pads. I got it all back together without reusing any of the clips. I think that the squealing/squeaking I was getting when turning left might have been one of those clips as it was totally missing and another one fell apart as the pad came out of the caliper.

So do I need to get slotted and drilled rotors? Is it worth the extra money? The ones on my truck done...even this idiot can tell they are messed up. I just spent $50 on pads for the rear, so they are decent pads. Just wondering if I should get the slotted and drilled rotors. I think that one or both of the ones on there now are warped and I don't want to have to replace rotors ever 30K miles.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

What do you mean they're toast? There appears to be plenty of material still on the rotors. If they're warped and you can feel the slow pulsing in the pedal, you can have them resurfaced. As for the piston, I have a 6" c-clamp from Harbor Freight that I use for pressing the piston back in. Uncapping the master cylinder and pushing the piston back in slowly makes it much easier. Just remember to put the cap back on the MC.

I use OEM pads and rotors, they have lasted by far and away the longest for me on 3 different Cruisers.

 

[aaronrules]

I think the caliper was sticking and kept the inside pad wedged on the rotor crooked. I might see if I can get them turned, I didn't feel any pulsing when I was braking. Maybe they are warped, but the look like an exploded view of a vinyl record. Pretty big grooves and the insides are worn more on the bottom than on the top. Pretty uneven wear patterns.

 

[aaronrules]

I went ahead and ordered a pair of rear rotors from rockauto. They are seriously like %50 cheaper on just about everything! Hopefully driving with the new pads on the old rotors for a couple days wont screw them up too much.

 

[paflytyer]

In doing this, my caliper separated. It just pulled apart. Is this supposed to happen? I though the bolts had to be loosened for it all to come apart like that. Also do I really the retaining clips for the pads?

Nothing wrong with the caliper coming apart like that. Totally normal. Clean/lube everything back up and that sticking will probably be gone too.

One of the clips acts as your squeal indicator to let you know when your pads need replacing.

 

[aaronrules]

When my rotors come in tomorrow I will redo the cleaning and lubing of the caliper just to make sure I did it good enough...now that I know what I am doing.

 

[2000UZJ]

Nothing wrong with the caliper coming apart like that. Totally normal. Clean/lube everything back up and that sticking will probably be gone too.

One of the clips acts as your squeal indicator to let you know when your pads need replacing.

Please elaborate. I was under the assumption a caliper should hold itself together. I've never seen a caliper fall apart when unbolting.

 

[aaronrules]

I never saw a caliper fall apart like that either. Basically the bolts that you undo to take the caliper off the truck are also the ones that hold it together. After looking at it and thinking about it, it's a pretty neat setup.

 

[aaronrules]

Nothing wrong with the caliper coming apart like that. Totally normal. Clean/lube everything back up and that sticking will probably be gone too.

One of the clips acts as your squeal indicator to let you know when your pads need replacing.

What do you recommend using for the lube? I grabbed some random can of brake pad lube of the shelf.

 

[paflytyer]

Please elaborate. I was under the assumption a caliper should hold itself together. I've never seen a caliper fall apart when unbolting.

Once the caliper is off the disc, you can pull the plate right off. Napa sells a kit (Toyota might too) that includes new rubber boots, shims and clips.

Aaron..... just clean the old grease off the pins and out of the boots, re-grease and reassemble (if nothing is damaged) and you should be good. I would replace any clips that are broken though.

 

[hankinid]

What do you recommend using for the lube? I grabbed some random can of brake pad lube of the shelf.

I like Sil-Glyde (765-1651) from NAPA...Blue tube, white cap...great for brakes, waterproofing connectors, lubricating coolant hoses, etc.

Steve

 

[aaronrules]

I probably should have got the kit that includes the rubber boots. A couple of mine seemed a little loose. I greased the crap out of those studs though! Pretty sure those guys being gummed up and grimy attributed to the accelerated decline of the pads. And that attributed to my rotors being pretty chewed up too. This just goes to prove that you have to take the calipers off to accurately check your pads! And that if the squeak sounds like brakes, it's the brakes.

I did put it all together without the clips. Since I ignored the squeak for such a long time anyway, I figured I didn't need them there anyway!

...via IH8MUD app

 

[hankinid]

No need to delete, someone else may get in the same spot and think the same thing. You don't need to take the torque plate (thing in your hand in last pic) off to change the pads, the part that holds the caliper unbolts from that. Press the caliper in gently and wedge in new pads. One job I don't mind on any Toyota - brakes - they made it super easy.

View attachment 886454

Go back and check your caliper bolts in a few weeks. With all that grease they like to work loose. I had one of mine on my 80 back out, created much fun in a parking lot.

You've also got a brake wear indicator, one on each side...not shown on the pic.

 

[aaronrules]

Once the caliper is off the disc, you can pull the plate right off. Napa sells a kit (Toyota might too) that includes new rubber boots, shims and clips.

Aaron..... just clean the old grease off the pins and out of the boots, re-grease and reassemble (if nothing is damaged) and you should be good. I would replace any clips that are broken though.

This is the part that Stan is talking about from NAPA if anyone else finds this thread useful...
http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/C...er-Hardware-Kit-Rear/_/R-UBP83446A_0293273413

 

[Trunk Monkey]

You've also got a brake wear indicator, one on each side...not shown on the pic.

They come with the new pads, it's shown on the diagram on the outer pad.