Replacing Front Brake Pads...and One Rotor? (1 Viewer)

[HardImpactDesigns]

Good evening folks.
I feel silly asking this question but I trust the good and smart folks here to guide me in the right direction. Anyway, my drivers side front brake is rubbing the rotor. I can hear the scraping and can see and feel the grooves. The passenger side looks and feels fine...no grooves on the rotor. So the question is: can I get away with replacing just the driver's side rotor? I don't NEED to replace both rotors do I? Keep in mind that I will have the brake pads on both the driver and passenger side replaced.
Thanks in advance for your answers.

 

[nukegoat]

Good evening folks.
I feel silly asking this question but I trust the good and smart folks here to guide me in the right direction. Anyway, my drivers side front brake is rubbing the rotor. I can hear the scraping and can see and feel the grooves. The passenger side looks and feels fine...no grooves on the rotor. So the question is: can I get away with replacing just the driver's side rotor? I don't NEED to replace both rotors do I? Keep in mind that I will have the brake pads on both the driver and passenger side replaced.
Thanks in advance for your answers.

You sure can

 

[HardImpactDesigns]

You sure can

Than you NukeGoat

 

[Drunken Ira Hayes]

Is the caliper bad on the driver’s side? It is abnormal for one side to be metal to metal and the other to be fine.

 

[Hokie LX]

^^What he said.

I'd be more concerned why one side is wearing much faster than the other. You can replace just one but I'd look into why it's wearing so much faster. Check caliper slide action and lube the slide pins.

 

[Beto Cruiser]

No slide pins on the front, right? Just in the rear. One of my guide pins on the rear was totally stuck. Others were not much better.

 

[abuck99]

Replace one, to save what- $75? Do both.

 

[bgolf247]

Front rotors are a bit more work to swap out than rears. You could do pads, fix or replace calipers if they are the issue. Then you can go get your front rotor turned while on the vehicle.

 

[creekcruiser]

If you are doing the work yourself and have another vehicle to drive I would recommend doing both along with anything else that seems worn or dirty. This route will save you from having to go back in for a longer period of time.

If you need a quick fix you are ok to do one rotor but like others stated find why that one is gone.

If you are having a shop do the work also be sure they give you an accurate answer to why one rotor is wearing. The shop needs to be trusted in Cruisers because these are not just simple rotors swaps like most other vehicles, a "brake job/oil change" garage is not recommended.

 

[C6H12O6]

Great time to do a proper front end service. You’ll be 90% there on the bad side. Repack the bearings, set preload, inspect everything. Do them both and save to good rotor as a spare if something happens down the road.

Also, be very critical of the front caliper in question. They aren’t THAT expensive and you might not be able to get Toyota remans the next time you need them.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Great time to do a proper front end service. You’ll be 90% there on the bad side. Repack the bearings, set preload, inspect everything. Do them both and save to good rotor as a spare if something happens down the road.

Also, be very critical of the front caliper in question. They aren’t THAT expensive and you might not be able to get Toyota remans the next time you need them.

Seconded on this. Also a good time to check your snap ring on the CV. More than a few folks have had those fail lately. A simple little snap ring can cause an awful lot of trouble if it gets out of spec.

 

[Porter]

not sure of the age/mileage of your rig, but consider replacing the calipers if you plan to run this for years. After running over 315k sometime last year on my '99 and hoping my calipers would just keep on truckin, I had one stick, and just replaced all of them in a six month span. At under $70 per for a NAPA eclipse Toyota reman, it was an easy decision and the rig should be good til 500k prolly. YMMV. cheers.

 

[HardImpactDesigns]

You guys are amazing! So much useful information. I am an information professional so I truly appreciate knowledgeable folks sharing what they know! I am taking the Cruiser to a trusted and experienced shop. The points about the caliper being the potential issue are spot on as are those about replacing both rotors. I decided it is smarter to have my guys go over everything. I'll just have to come up off more coin than I wanted. My pockets are suffering abuse!

 

[oakback]

I got mine turned at an O'Reilly's for $15 or $20 each. As long as they're still within spec, you can put off buying new.

 

[MJK]

After just a quick poke around online, I think I could DIY this on my 05 with top shelf parts for under $400. Take this as an opportunity to get to know your rig! Plenty of info here on how to do all of this - none of it is hard.

Do your own due diligence, but:
- Replace sticky caliper - rebuilt $110 Autozone
- New front rotors - Centric $45/ea Tire Rack
- New Pads - Toyota p/n 04465-60230 $60 lexusOEM parts
And while you are in there repack bearings
- 2X new oil seals Toyota p/n 90311-70011 - $16.50/ea Partsouq
- 2X new claw washers Toyota p/n 90214-42030 $2/ea Partsouq
- 2X split ring sets FAWB9807KIT from CruiserOutfitters $15/ea
- 2x hub flange gaskets Toyota p/n 43422-60070 $1/ea Partsouq
- 2x new locking tab washers Toyota p/n 90215-42025 $1.31/ea partsouq
- Your favorite tub of grease $10
- Some brake fluid for a flush - I like ATE $20
- A 54mm socket $20