DIY Front Brake Pad Change.

Pads are pretty low. You still could of got a few hundred miles on em if you wanted. But, it's always nice to know you're good with new pads. There is no adjustment on front brakes. As the pads wear it kind of self adjusts for that. If you pay attention to your brake fluid, you'll notice it gets lower as your pads wear down.

 

Whew! Not knowing anything about brakes, I had thought there was still plenty left on there.

 

Thanks for that additional information. Glad I changed them when I did.

 

Subd

 

So I got around to work the front brakes last night. I noticed that there is I my one rattling spring in the bottom and was wondering if I am missing one on the top since the pads have the holes and everything to fit a top spring on it. I got an extra spring to poco on the top par or the pads.

Is this ok ? Or should I leave it just with the bottom ones ?

 

Perfect I will leve it work spring too and bottom then. Thanks buddy

 

That's weird. Mine only have 1 spring and it's on the top.

 

They all come from the factory with one spring but there is space if you'd like to add another.

 

Looks like you did new rotors and pads, what did you use and where did you get them? My 14 TRDor now has 101452 miles on it guess I should take a look at this. Only problem I am having is getting the clunk when going forward or backwards.

 

I’m installing 2 springs per side when doing my front brakes to prevent a clanking noise.

 

I don’t know if it was mentioned but if you need to bleed the brakes by pumping the pedal DO NOT push it to the floor. On older vehicles the master cylinder piston seal can get ruined by pushing the pedal beyond it’s normal travel. Put a block of wood or something under the pedal to avoid this when bleeding brakes.

 

Are the pads and rotors different for a 4x4 TRD off road? Any one have any parts numbers for them?

 

Hey sorry for the late response. As far as I know the pads are the same for all trims. I just gave the dealership my vin number and he gave me the pads. I paid $45. To me that is great deal for OEM pads. I also got new rotors. Mines where fine probably good for another 80k. I took the to the shop to resurface then since I had a little vibration, their machine left big grooves after they cut them so they ended up giving me new ones. I got the bosh quiet cast and they are perfect. The brakes feel just like when I got her out of the dealership.

 

Let me start by saying that I know I messed up’d and y’all can roast me after it’s fixed.

In a moment of lapse judgement and gross negligence , I forgot to remove the reservoir cap while replacing pads and rotors on a 2015 V6 4x4 SR5. Doing the driver side wasn’t trouble, but starting the passenger side is when it all went bad!

Using a c-clamp to compress the pistons with an old pad forced a piston to pop out with a splash of brake fluid. Realizing now to late that I never took the cap off the reservoir, so I did my best to fix the piston back in place.

Brake pedal turned spongey. Tried to bleed the brakes and noticed one side of the caliber appeared to be seized. Brake pedal didn’t appear to engage the pistons on either rotor or retract even a bit to allow rotor some free play.

Read a lot of concerning mechanical issues that can be a result of my mistake for hours... Seriously, it still feels stressful. Not to know if this could lead to potential mechanical issues in the future

In a last resort to drive home, I did a “rebuild” by removing the caliber and pulling all 4 pistons for a cleaning and inspection. Disassembled it into 1/2 to rule out damage. Reused old parts to reassemble. Installed back on to truck. Bleed the brakes for the 4th time. Looks like it’s working.

However, I’m concerned about the brake pedal feeling mushy or shouldn’t it be stiff due to new pad thickness, but truck stops? Brake pedal still feels like trying to press down on thick mud, like if the foot was sinking in wet concrete.

I’m going to do a caliber rebuild using OEM rebuild kit ASAP tomorrow when parts department is open at the local Toyota...

I’d like to hear what the community recommends doing to prevent future mechanical issues to my truck

 

Reusing the old parts was a mistake. When the piston popped out, I am sure a seal was compromised and that’s why it popped out. A rebuild kit will probably fix any odd brake feel you are experiencing.

for future reference, the pads should be able to be compressed with a 10mm wrench, which is small. If it takes a clamp or a large item like a big wrench or a long screwdriver then something is wrong. Stop and locate the problem, don’t force the pistons.

 

I understand. Makes sense what you’re saying, so I will be buying a rebuild kit or salvaging a OEM caliber from the junkyard. Only reason I used old parts is not having a rebuild kit available so late at night.

I’ll keep this post updated with as much info, since I see a few people run into this as well.

 

Wahhh

 

My pedal was soft or mushy even after brand new pads and calipers. I had to drain the system and put new fluid in, and then bleed the brakes again

 

Better? How to bleed new fluid