I'm doing the brakes on my 06 cruiser. The reason I was doing the brakes the is because the back brakes had an annoying squeal when the rear rotors were relatively cool and I applied a very specific amount of pressure.
This being a Toyota brake job (was a GM guy before I bought my cruiser), all of the clips and shims presented a bit of a twist to a job I have done at least 20 times before. I ordered all new hardware for the back brakes (i.e., pads, clips, pins, and an anti-squeal shim kit) since I have found that spending a little more money for all new parts is usually the most efficient way to address mystery brake squeals. Also, I just purchased this Cruiser a couple months ago, so I will be erring on the side of replacing parts for the foreseeable future when I perform maintenance.
After a couple cycles of staring at the FSM, then the rear brake calipers, my new parts, and then back to the FSM, I was able to figure out the likely cause of my rear brake squeal. Both calipers had one pad with the little spring loaded clip (forms the shape of a "U" and protrudes somewhat past the back of the pad) attached to one of the pads. The FSM is not a model of clarity on the proper placement of the spring clip, but given its depiction in the following page on the pad that is furthest away from the back of the caliper assembly, it appears the spring clip should be on the bottom of the outside pad.
The spring clip on my cruiser was installed on the inner pad. I can see the logic of having the spring on the outside clip since it does not always have the pressure of a piston on its back. Without the spring, it could easily develop noise causing vibrations. Both of my rear calipers also were missing one support clip, each. I replaced all of the support clips and moved the spring to the outside pad, and voila, no more squeal.
Now for my main inquiry and the the topic of this post. The FSM depicts each being backed by both inner and outer anti-squeal shims. My cruiser only had one shim backing each pad, and it is identical to the shim that came with the OEM rear shim kit. It has smooth metal on one side, and soft, rubber-like material on the other side. Should there be another shim backing each pad in addition to the shim I just described? If so, is it the shim that came attached to the back of the Akebono ProAct pads I have and plan to install?
I have the same question for the front pads. According to the FSM, each front pad is backed by both an anti-squeal shim and a "pad retainer."
My front pads, as installed when I bought the truck, do not have a "pad retainer." The pistons are in direct contact with the back of the anti-squeal shim. Is my cruiser's front brakes missing a part (or more precisely 4 parts), or am I reading the FSM wrong? If I am reading the FSM correctly and I need additional parts to complete the front brake job, is this what I need?
https://www.napaonline.com/napa/en/p/UBP83315A/UBP83315A_0221026006
Thanks for taking the time to read all of this. I went into much greater detail than necessary because, in researching this question on Ih8mud, I found several posts by people who have some or all of the same questions I have, but they never received clear answers. Hopefully, we can put all of the questions concerning the anti-squeal shims and other brake pad hardware to rest once and for all.
This being a Toyota brake job (was a GM guy before I bought my cruiser), all of the clips and shims presented a bit of a twist to a job I have done at least 20 times before. I ordered all new hardware for the back brakes (i.e., pads, clips, pins, and an anti-squeal shim kit) since I have found that spending a little more money for all new parts is usually the most efficient way to address mystery brake squeals. Also, I just purchased this Cruiser a couple months ago, so I will be erring on the side of replacing parts for the foreseeable future when I perform maintenance.
After a couple cycles of staring at the FSM, then the rear brake calipers, my new parts, and then back to the FSM, I was able to figure out the likely cause of my rear brake squeal. Both calipers had one pad with the little spring loaded clip (forms the shape of a "U" and protrudes somewhat past the back of the pad) attached to one of the pads. The FSM is not a model of clarity on the proper placement of the spring clip, but given its depiction in the following page on the pad that is furthest away from the back of the caliper assembly, it appears the spring clip should be on the bottom of the outside pad.
The spring clip on my cruiser was installed on the inner pad. I can see the logic of having the spring on the outside clip since it does not always have the pressure of a piston on its back. Without the spring, it could easily develop noise causing vibrations. Both of my rear calipers also were missing one support clip, each. I replaced all of the support clips and moved the spring to the outside pad, and voila, no more squeal.
Now for my main inquiry and the the topic of this post. The FSM depicts each being backed by both inner and outer anti-squeal shims. My cruiser only had one shim backing each pad, and it is identical to the shim that came with the OEM rear shim kit. It has smooth metal on one side, and soft, rubber-like material on the other side. Should there be another shim backing each pad in addition to the shim I just described? If so, is it the shim that came attached to the back of the Akebono ProAct pads I have and plan to install?
I have the same question for the front pads. According to the FSM, each front pad is backed by both an anti-squeal shim and a "pad retainer."
My front pads, as installed when I bought the truck, do not have a "pad retainer." The pistons are in direct contact with the back of the anti-squeal shim. Is my cruiser's front brakes missing a part (or more precisely 4 parts), or am I reading the FSM wrong? If I am reading the FSM correctly and I need additional parts to complete the front brake job, is this what I need?
https://www.napaonline.com/napa/en/p/UBP83315A/UBP83315A_0221026006
Thanks for taking the time to read all of this. I went into much greater detail than necessary because, in researching this question on Ih8mud, I found several posts by people who have some or all of the same questions I have, but they never received clear answers. Hopefully, we can put all of the questions concerning the anti-squeal shims and other brake pad hardware to rest once and for all.
