COMPLETED 5th Gen 4Runner BBK upgrade for 2nd Gen Tacomas

I just purchased stainless lines for the rear and a set of speed bleeders. Gonna try to install them this weekend or early next week and hopefully bleed all the air out of the system and firm up the pedal feel!

 

Ordered stoptech rotors, TRD brake pads, the dust covers, and duralast calipers today.... This is gonna be a fun install.

 

Nah man, the install really isn’t bad. Just make sure you have all the necessary tools (35mm socket) and try to minimize brake fluid loss when you have the lines disconnected and you’ll be fine.

 

I'm looking forward to it! Took it all apart yesterday to see if my stock rotors were done. They are, which is what prompted this route vs OEM replacement.

 

So I like the increased braking power. I used Centric 120 rotors for the 2014 4Runner. Initially I used HAWK pads and was less than happy. I also had a terrible resonating slow speed squeel. The calipers are power stop reman and powder coated verson. This low speed noise was driving me crazy and thinking it may be the pads I replaced then with Yellow Stuff EBC pads. There is a significant difference in bite stopping power on the yellow stuff pads. Those are awesome but the resonating squeel is still bad and present. I have used antiseize behind the rotors, brake greese on the hardware, CRC brake noise killer on the backs of the pads and am completely out of ideas at this point. Does anyone else have any ideas?

 

Have you looked for shiny spots? Something maybe rubbing. One of your calipers could be partially seized as well. With both wheels off the ground, does one spin better than the other if you rotate them by hand? Are your pad springs in properly? They could be rubbing on the rotors.

 

I finally broke down and brought it by a shop after runningo out of time before having to go on a business trip to have the rotors turned even though they were new it seemed there was an abnormal spot on the rotors where the pad may hit. I also had to replace a boot on the CV as it was starting to seperate. So far 40 miles and no super loud noise. I think last time it took a little longer for it to get really bad but we will see. No real shiny spots and wheels spinned as they should with normal drag. I will update later if the noise returns. I do like the stopping power of the Yellow Stuff pads so far. The EBC Yellow Stuff is way better than the Hawk SUV/Truck pads, they are not even in the same class as far as i am concerned. Potential issues was a slight ridge on the rotor from the original manufacturer, grease getting on pad or something else, or the noise is waiting to come back and just hasn't emerged yet.

 

So my brake frustration saga continues... after driving on this setup for just over a month (~1000 or so miles) the front of the truck has developed a wobble in the steering wheel while braking... I finally got all the air out of my brake lines about a week ago and the pedal felt the best it’s felt since the upgrade but now I’m afraid one of the front rotors are warped or I’ve got a buildup of pad material from the TRD performance pads on the rotors. I’m going to attempt to re-bed the pads and rotors tonight but if that doesn’t work I may take the rotors off and have them turned and then switch back to OEM pads. Hopefully this doesn’t end up costing me a ton of money... I don’t really want to have to buy new rotors and pads this fast and I’m worried that one of the new calipers may have a stuck piston (which is why I upgraded in the first place since one of my stock calipers had a sticky piston...)

 

FYI - the 4Runner dust shields will require some minor trimming if you have spindle gussets.

 

Small update. I poked around looking at both rotors on my lunch and noticed the outline of the brake pad imprinted on both rotors. It’s very faint on the driver’s side and more pronounced on the passenger side. I also noticed while driving around at lunch that the vibration was less harsh. This leads me to believe I somehow left my foot on the pedal when the brakes were hot and transferred too much pad material to the rotors. Looks like I’ll be redoing the brake in procedure tonight... also, FWIW, I’m not a huge fan of these TRD Performance pads. They dust like crazy and are apparently very touchy when hot. I might have the rotors turned and go with a different pad sometime in the future.

 

I have gussetted spindles and 4Runner dust shields. I didn't have to trim anything.

 

Interesting, guess it'll be hit or miss deal.

I could have gotten away with a little ball peen clearance, but decided to cut the contact areas out instead.

 

I didn't notice anything contacting, but I didn't look either. When I put a couple lug nuts on to hold the rotor inplace, they rubbed a little where the caliper cutout is, when spun by hand, so I just pushed on the dust shield enough to bend it and clear the rotor.

 

So I’ve about had it with these TRD Performance pads. Way too much dust and I’m pretty sure even after a second break in cycle, there’s still some deposits left on the rotors because I get a slight wobble in the steering wheel when braking at higher speeds.

I’m going to order OEM pads and swap them out. I’m assuming I should have the rotors turned to remove all traces of the old pads and start fresh with a clean surface?

 

i managed them without trimming. Just pushed a few spots out. Also depends on how they are gusseted

 

Hi, I did this mod about 2 weeks ago. Install went Ok, took longer than I had wanted but there were some additional circumstances to that. I have a question for anyone who has done this install, especially nudavinci64: After this install was done, did you happen to notice that you had to push the brake pedal down farther than you used to? That seems to be pretty consistent for me, and I have done everything I know how/have been suggested to do to improve it and I'm wondering if I'm just stuck with a deeper pedal now. I've bled the system (technically) 3 separate times using the 1-person with bottle type, a vacuum pump type, and with a helper pressing on the pedal as I open & close the bleeder valve. I will clarify though, that the week before I did this I also replaced the rear drums and shoes. I have made lots of adjustments to the rears though and I believe they are where they should be (moderate contact so you can hear it as it spins but not enough to make it difficult for me to turn the wheels). The last variable is that I did purchase SS brake lines for the rears too, but couldn't install them. I'm going to have to go to a shop for that as I just can't get to the connections to the hard lines up under the bed; I just don't have enough room while sitting on the ground between the axle & drive shaft.

Does anyone have any feedback on the pedal distance after this mod? I'd love to hear it.

Here's the specific parts I ended up using:

14WA Calipers reconditioned & powder coated from Power Stop
StopTech slotted rotors
EBC "Yellow Stuff" Pads
SS Brake lines (front & rear) from StopTech
StopTech STR 660 DOT4 Brake Fluid

The braking power overall does feel much better than the cheap-o pads i had on before though, I'm just a bit confused at how it feels like i have to press down more. I'm not at the floor with the pedal, but it's definitely farther than it used to be. Any feedback would be much appreciated, and a huge thanks to nudavinci64 for chronicling the install process so well.

 

Adjusting the rear drums and rebleeding fixed that problem for me. The factory adjustment procedure is to tighten the adjuster until you can't turn the wheel and then back it off 15 clicks.

http://www.customtacos.com/tech.old.../06toyrm/06toypdf/06rmsrc/rm2006ta/042010.pdf

 

Thanks for that link! The service manual I have access to is for a 2005, and while not totally off, there's enough inconsistencies for me to doubt. I'll give this a try & see if things improve, pretty amazing how much the rear brakes actually contribute. I may hold off on re-bleeding though, since I'm going to have a professional shop do the rear SS lines, they will then have to re-bleed it anyway.

 

I won’t quote your long post @YanosAldrin but I will tell you about my very similar experience to yours. I did this install on my 2009 with NAPA 14WA calipers, stainless steel front lines, OEM rotors with TRD Pads. The install went fine and I didn’t touch the rear brakes that day, other than to bleed. After the first attempt at bleeding my pedal felt awful. So we bled it again and it felt exactly as you described. It took longer to engage and didn’t seem to bite nearly as much as I had hoped. The next day I took it out and did the “break in procedure” recommended by Toyota for the TRD pads. This helped with the bite but did not change the long pedal feel. I thought I was going to have to settle for that feeling.

Fast forward a week or so, and the rear stainless lines I bought had arrived. The plan was to install those plus speed bleeders on all four corners. But I experienced the same problem you did, and we couldn’t get the rear hardlines loose from the soft lines. So we bailed on the stainless lines and just did the speed bleeders. After those were installed we bled the brakes manually (pumping the pedal and opening), we didn’t use vacuum or a power bleeder. We got air out of all four corners and did them all again just to be sure. After that I took the truck for a test drive and the pedal felt much better. It still doesn’t engage quite as high as I’d like but it’s better than it was and with the pads broken in, it bites hard.

My next move is to install new hard lines and the stainless lines in the rear and then adjust the rear drums. I’m confident that doing both of those and bleeding the brakes one last time will give me the best pedal feel possible. If I were you, I’d highly recommend speed bleeders and stick to the manual bleeding process when you’re done. And either way, good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

Reporting in - So far I've done the rear drum adjustment per the repair manual, and there is a Notable difference in the brake pedaling distance, so that's definitely a good thing.

I have one thing to mention that may make this process a little less than scientific though. When I replaced the rear brakes and drums a few weeks ago, I noticed that there was a piece missing on the passenger side (not that I forgot to install a part, this was simply missing from either factory or previous servicing by others). Specifically, the lower cross member of what's called the "Parking Brake Shoe Strut Lower" according to the service manual. I had ordered a replacement for this missing part and installed it, then proceeded with adjusting the drum brakes per the manual. One thing is certain- my parking brake works really well now. I don't know if this affects the standard pedal braking or not, but the short of it is there is a noticeable difference. I'll chime in again when the stainless steel flex lines are installed & let everyone know what the difference is, if any.

Thanks again for the advice!