Brake time

[CharlieS]

I thought something wasn't working as well as it should with my front brakes. I had just redone them what seems like yesterday, but was probably 20k ago.

Three frozen pistons and one pad down to <1mm.

Luckily, I have spares in the shop. Might as well throw on those SDHQ lines while I'm in there.

Not really what I'd planned to do today...

 

[Tex68w]

At what mileage did you do the pads originally?

 

[TeCKis300]

Good catch! Any idea what potentially contributed to the frozen pistons?

 

[CharlieS]

At what mileage did you do the pads originally?

Sorry, not sure. I swapped them in early July 2021, and I worked from home with no commute. I'd guess 20k miles. 8500ish miles of travel around the US mountain west and back home in the East this summer, a couple of thousand roads running fast on dirt roads in northern Canada, and maybe 500 hard offroad miles. Definitely severe service.

 

[CharlieS]

Good catch! Any idea what potentially contributed to the frozen pistons?

I'm not sure. I did a lot of offroad with mud up to the sills or deeper and there still is a lot of crud in every nook and cranny, despite my attempts to wash it out. Including all around the caliper. I don't really understand how this could seize calipers, but I am not any sort of expert. I've never seen this on our street driven vehicles. I'm just over 100k miles, the last 15-20k have been less than gentle.

 

[Fisher23]

I think that is odd for them to go out like that. Did you lube the rails with water proof grease?

 

[CharlieS]

I think that is odd for them to go out like that. Did you lube the rails with water proof grease?

Yes, the Permatex green high temp brake caliper grease.

 

[prharper]

Glad the 200 calipers are not crazy pricey like German and Italian ones.
Met a guy this past summer at Expo East and his rear piston seized up so he had to improvise to get the truck home.

 

[Tex68w]

Sorry, not sure. I swapped them in early July 2021, and I worked from home with no commute. I'd guess 20k miles. 8500ish miles of travel around the US mountain west and back home in the East this summer, a couple of thousand roads running fast on dirt roads in northern Canada, and maybe 500 hard offroad miles. Definitely severe service.

I meant more along the lines of how many miles were on the truck in total upon doing the brakes for the first time?

 

[CharlieS]

I meant more along the lines of how many miles were on the truck in total upon doing the brakes for the first time?

Sorry, I do not know, I bought it used around 65k miles, and it had at least one pad change front and rear before I got it. I suspect the (Lexus) dealer I bought it from did those pads because they were like new cheap parts store Bendix semi metallics. As far as I know, that could have been the first time pads were changed. I don't see many records on the Toyota Owner site.

Related to rate of pad wear - I should add that the last 15k miles I was much heavier than a stock 200. Full steel skids, steel sliders, steel front bumper, steel/al rear bumper, loaded cargo boxes, fridge, food, camping gear, cook stove, steel roof rack, big tires, rooftop tent. I'm sure the brakes are working much harder than they were meant to.

 

[Fisher23]

It depends where you live too, San Fran folks wear out brakes fast.

 

[El Skywalker]

I'm not sure. I did a lot of offroad with mud up to the sills or deeper and there still is a lot of crud in every nook and cranny, despite my attempts to wash it out. Including all around the caliper. I don't really understand how this could seize calipers, but I am not any sort of expert. I've never seen this on our street driven vehicles. I'm just over 100k miles, the last 15-20k have been less than gentle.

Just replaced my caliper.
Same issue.
All road driven, 100k.

 

[NoClue]

I have replaced my driver side for seized pistons. It is not uncommon!