Tundra Brakes on '03 Tacoma

Is the LPSV the thing up high near the driver rear wheel well? If so, I bled that after bleeding the driver rear brake. No issues to report.

 

I’m going to do this once I get bigger rims cause those calipers won’t fit on my 15s

 

I did it the same way.

 

Yes, that's the LPSV location on my truck. I have read to bleed it prior to the any brakes, after all the brakes and in between them....

 

Just bleed it at some point in the process and you'll probably be okay

 

@BeastyDirtSlut - aside from bleeding properly... Did you properly bed in your new brakes? I can almost flip my truck over in a front flip with how strong the Tundra brakes are (not really, but compared to the weak and worn out OEM ones...).
I bled the LPSV first, then REAR passener, REAR driver, FRONT pass, FRONT drive.
Basically I did the furthest brake from the master cylinder and went to the next furthest, but doing the LPSV first clears out the line to there rather than push the bubbles all the way through the rear brakes first.

 

@MatthewMay1 and I have bled it twice now. It's good but just not what I was expecting.

@JasonLee I did bed the brakes in but will do so again if need be. I can feel that the braking power is much better with this setup, my issue is pedal feel. My brake pedal isnt solid, even now after flushing it several times. The brakes feel better if I pump them once. I did have all four corners of the brake lines open though so maybe a air bubble made it to the master and I need to bleed that? I dont have any fluid leaking anywhere either. I'm also thinking about getting aftermarket braided lines for the front to do away with the modified banjo I have. Maybe that has something to do with it.

 

Beasty~ Did you ever get to the bottom of this problem? I recently installed 13WL on my 04 Tacoma and the first brake pump goes to the floorboard with a hissing noise following. The brakes firm up after several pumps. My truck is still on Jack stands as I dont want to take a chance. I've bleed the system 4x. Thanks

 

@gotboost I bled the living hell out of it. It took me a minute to get used to but they definitely work. I believe that I didnt drill the banjo enough to allow for proper volume of fluid movement. They are for sure working but they are much firmer after 1 pump. I am going to be getting some wheeler lines here soon to see if the correct fitment makes a difference.

 

Roger that Beasty! I might give the wheeler lines a try as well! Maybe I'll throw the wheels on over the weekend and give her a drive and see. Thanks for the update.

 

Make sure you check that your not leaking at all though obviously. I figured if I wasn't leaking that at least I had an airtight system for now.

 

Bringing it back again!

I just did this job and like several here have reported, I have a soft pedal, particularly on initial pumps or with the engine on.

Any updates from those that said they were going to try the wheelers lines, did that solve the issue? @BeastyDirtSlut @gotboost

It appears the only fix that ultimately worked for sure was by @TACO in SC , where he went back to the “old fashioned” method and had another person help pump the brakes (slowly down, hold) while he worked the bleed valve.

Hoping there is a definitive fix for those of us that wrench solo.

 

The wheeler's lines don't do anything with pedal feel, they're simply to make the connection between the tacoma braking system and the tundra brakes. There's no reason that there is some sort of magic way to get more air out of a brake line that the "normal" method that works for every other braking system. As long as you are reasonably sure you get all the air out, that's the only thing that matters. My guess is whoever said that wasn't properly bleeding them until he got some help.

As far as I'm aware, the soft pedal is due to the different sized calipers, but still using the stock Tacoma master cylinder. I believe it's because of the difference in the pressure needed to push the larger calipers.

I seem to remember reading somewhere of people converting to a tundra master cylinder to regain that more firm feel, or at least considering doing it.

 

Report back if you swap the master cylinder. My petal feel seems to be normal, but it is not as firm as my other vehicles. Over the years of owning my truck, I have replaced my entire braking system except for the booster and I've just determined that the brake system on my truck will just not be as firm as I typically like. It'll still lock up the tires in a hurry so it just takes some adjustment to my leg muscle memory when jumping between cars.

 

I'll have to do the tundra swap first, lol. I haven't done it.

I'm just speaking from reading up on the process over the years and being around TW long enough to soak up a bunch of what other people have said about it.

Yeah, about jumping between cars, I own 3 toyotas, and the E-brake is in completely different spots on all three. Guaranteed I grab air trying to set the E brake in the Carola, or stomp my foot on, well nothing when driving the tacoma.

 

stainless steel lines will help, be warn though that you'll need to practice not locking up your fronts or else you'll skid on down to accident lane.

 

Ah, okay. It's been years since I've read anything on this upgrade so I wasn't even aware of people trying the Tundra master cylinders

 

I have SS lines from Marlin. I’m guessing I just didn’t get all the air out and praying I didn’t introduce any air to the ABS, I haven’t dug into it too much but I’ve seen posts here and there about it being a nightmare to bleed.

I will have to try and snag a neighbor or get my gf to help me out next time she’s over and do the two person method. I’ve heard talk about the T100 M/C in older Toyota pickups, I’ll have to dig into things a bit and see what that swap would like for the taco, I’d love to have this increased braking power feel correct if a more thorough bleed doesn’t do the trick.

 

Not sure if this will help but did you bleed the proportioning valve? There's 5 bleed locations not just at the wheels/brakes.

 

I did, bled based on run length from the MC for my ABS truck (Rear Pass, Rear Driver, LSPV, Front Driver, Front Pass). There seems to be a few schools of thought on when to bleed the LSPV, at the start, in the middle, at the end.. but run length from the MC made the most sense to me.

Just a quick note on run length, because it threw me for a little loop when I was looking into all of this prior to starting the upgrade. It’s usually, Rear Pass, Rear Driver, Front Pass, Front Driver.. at least on everything my limited experience has included. But if you follow the MC it runs to the ABS unit, which is on the passenger side of the engine bay. From the ABS unit there is a short run directly down to the front passenger line, and then the ABS runs back across the engine bay to the drivers side line. So that is why its reverse up front on these ABS Tacoma’s - at least in my experience and as I understand it.

Edit: @Glamisman pointed out in another brake thread just now that the LSPV is the highest point in the system and thus could trap air. So I’m thinking I’ll follow his advice from that thread and try bleeding the LSPV first on my next attempt instead of after both the rear drums.

It’s going to be a few days, but I’ll make a note of it to report back when I try again.