Brake caliper boots broken.

Hey. I’m changing my brakes and I pushed on the pedal to push those pistons all the way out to fix the boots. Now it’s leaking brake fluid. How do I fix this? The leak and the boots? Thanks.

 

Ok I pushed the pistons in and the leaking stopped. How do I get those boots and retainer rings back on?

 

it's honestly easier to replace the caliper.

 

Oh ok I see.

so on this side one of them is stuck in the out position. I can’t get it to go in.

any suggestions? I just want to fix it for now so I can drive.

but should I eventually rebuild or replace the whole caliper?
Thanks

 

for any multi-piston caliper design, you really need to use a caliper compression tool like this

$21 Brake Caliper Press Tool, 360 Degree Swing Ratchet Expander Wrench Car Wheel Piston Spreader with Extra 2PCS Large Plates for Single Twin Quad Sextuplet Piston Disc Brake Caliper, with 2 Hooks

https://www.amazon.com/Caliper-Ratchet-Expander-Spreader-Sextuplet/dp/B0BX693Z15/?th=1

the issue is that you need to equally compress all 4 pistons equally at the same time to retract them-- without a tool like that, it's almost impossible to do--pushing one piston in will force fluid to another piston, making for a very long game of whack-a-mole. many local auto parts stores also stock a similar tool, and some also rent out tools like that if you're not interested in purchasing it.

if you have two pieces of steel flat bar stock and 4 c-clamps, you might be able to get away with that, equally tightening the 4 c-clamps, but it's going to be a lot of monkeying around.

 

Brakes on the vehicle is something that not to be attended in a casual fashion IMHO. Good luck with your repair job.

 

look at it this way-- new calipers are $107 each plus $12-24 in brake fluid.
https://www.autozone.com/brakes-and.../duralast-disc-brake-caliper-c6050/198799_0_0

how much time and energy has been spent on this so far? for me, i'd much rather spend the $220 on new calipers than trying to make old and worn rubber seals work at all, while they still might fail in the future. and be sure to inspect, and at a bare minimum, re-grease the slide pins. in many cases, if they're abnormally worn, it's also better to replace those as well so they don't lock up later on and cause a pad wear issue.

and toyota recommends brake fluid changing every 30,000 miles due to the hydroscopic nature of brake fluid, so unless you've changed fluid recently, it's likely due to be replaced anyways, and changing the calipers is a good time to flush the old fluid out.

also important here, you need to check your disc rotor wear-- more than likely, the rotor is worn down most of the way as well-- in the picture, there's a significant visible wear edge. it might only be halfway worn, but typically requires resurfacing to properly mate with the new pads.

i typically replace pads and rotors at the same time. doing so also lowers pad-transfer issues, where the old pads developed rotor deposits, which then transfer to the new pads, and require rotor replacement later anyways.

and critical because you leaked brake fluid on at least the one side-- you need to clean the components with brake cleaner to remove any brake fluid of the rotor surface, otherwise you won't be able to stop safely for some time until it burns off.

 

To get both pistons in loosen the bleeder on the caliper and push them back in that way the fluid is not just going from one piston to the other. This will let the fluid go out the bleeder. If you do it slowly there is a good chance you won’t get air into the system and won’t have to bleed the brakes.

 

It looks like you stepped on the brake pedal without one pad in and it almost pushed the pistons out, at least far enough to tear the boot. Never apply pressure to your brake pedal without something to press against. I could be wrong but looks just like what my nephew did.

 

That’s exactly what I did lol. My bad.

 

Thank you for all the info.

I’m just going to get new calipers. Would you happen to know the part numbers? I can’t find them I’ve been trying since yesterday and keep getting different results

 

You should be able to check part numbers on any website by entering your model, year, trim, etc. Keep in mind you need to sort out between 2WD and 4WD. If you can enter the chassis code from your door jamb sticker that should help

To name a few:
https://www.toyotapartsdeal.com
https://partsouq.com

 

OP. I assume you were trying to replace brakes? There is alot of help here and great videos just by searching. I would do the prior before going any further. Brakes, improperly done, can cause injury or death.

Now with that being said, I would replace rotors, pads and at least that one caliper, if not both. I would also get caliper paint and do that but that is my OCD. Then you should flush brake fluid, refill and then bleed all brakes.

Whenever I do brakes, I match new parts with old just to be sure they are correct. Torque all bolts to spec. Proper tools for removing brake lines and loosening bleeder. I also loosen brake reservoir cap and use the old shoes reversed with some cheap "c-clamps" to push pistons back, tightening each a small amount.
YMMV.

 

thanks for the info.

yeah I’m going to take it to a pro to check my work.

I live in the Middle East, so shipping calipers here is a pain and expensive.

think I could get a rebuild kit for the calipers? That would be good, right? I’ll have the mechanic do it.

 

I totally missed that. I have no experience with getting parts in Middle East so yes, you might have to improvise. I bet it's expensive. We're spoiled here with AMZ packages of a stick of gum delivered every other day...

Depending on the calipers condition you or mechanic might be able to rebuild. Same with rotors you could have turned. In the States, I don't recommend turning but this is different.

 

If a local place has then in stock it's probably worth it to get the car back on the road, otherwise you can check rock auto. For someone without experience, replacing the caliper is the easier way to go, but they do have rebuild kits with new boots if you wanted to tackle it. That said, don't F up your brakes, you need them to stop your vehicle.

If you are replacing you pads you should replace your rotors too. The idea of replacing pads, calipers, and fluid only to leave the old rotors really seems like a half ass effort.