DIY Front Brake Pad Change.

i just changed my front break pads. Everything was done how its suppose to be but now i have a problem. when i test drove the trucks and apply breaks the truck dosent stop . The break pedal is pressed in completely and still no drip from front breaks whatever it is, its from the rear ... What did i do wrong ? how do i fix this ?

 

debating between a 3 inch or billies adjustable? i was wondering if there was a big difference between the 2? billies are cheaper, or is a 3 inch worth the money?

 

I don't mean to be over symplistic in this explanation, but time and time again something goes wrong because we forgot details. I have been caught by this more times than I care to reveal. Anyway, don't be put off if this seems obvious in places.

Some way somehow you have air in the system. If the brake pedal goes all the way to the floor/firewall with little or no resistance, there's air in the line. Remember that you have the ABS hydraulics in addition to the brake line and caliper to get through. Have a couple of bottles of new brake fluid handy...you may go through more than one full bottle.

I push a long clear hose onto the bleeder I'm working on. (you're only opening one bleeder at a time). The hose drops all the way to the ground or into my catch container. This does a couple of things for you: (1) it lets you see what's coming out of the bleeder. When you catch the air pocket, the pedal will fall to the floor fast. Jump out of the drivers seat and look at the hose. You'll see no fluid in the clear hose. (2) you'll see the color change as the old brake fluid gets purged out of the line. The new fluid will have a slightly different color in most cases. Keep going, keep the reservoir full, and keep checking the clear hose. If you let the reservoir run dry, you now have air in the line and have to start all over again.

If you have speed bleeders installed, you're home free. Open the bleeder 1/4 turn, push your clear hose onto the bleeder, and pump that pedal until you get a consistant solid feel. That might be 10 to 15 pumps per wheel.

With respect to your helper, BE SURE you close the bleeder BEFORE they let up on the brake, even a fraction of an inch. Have some system worked out: for example: say "PUSH", you open the valve 1/4 turn then close it, "HOLD", be sure the bleeder is closed, "OK" they let the pedal back up AND TAKE THEIR FOOT COMPLETELY OFF THE PEDAL...EVERY TIME. or you'll be there all day trying to get a solid pedal feel. Clear one line at a time.

What did I miss? What other details do I need to know about your situation? Let's get you back on the road.

 

thanks for the help

 

i think we need a write up on rear brakes too ..... thats what i need to change next week.... i kinda have an idea but some pics and write up will help too .... not sure if there is awrite up here already or not ...

 

There is a bunch of instructive videos on Youtube if you search brakes, or changing brakes or something similar. They are not ours but rear brakes are all similar. Actually seeing it done makes it easier then reading about it for me at least. Youtube has bleeding videos and front pad videos too.

 

Subscribed.... Thanks for info!

 

Drum brakes are significantly more complicated to change and adjust properly than disc brakes. No offense, but if you have trouble with a rotor and pad swap on the front I'd leave the rear for a pro - or at least set aside plenty of time and be well educated beforehand.

EDIT: If you don't have it already, I'd recommended a new hold down kit for the rear as well when changing shoes. Get a brake spring removal tool as well if you don't already have one.

 

agreed and not to be a smart @zz but its referred to as a "HARDWARE KIT"
just need to make sure they are asking for the right stuff

 

I know we listed in here about "seating" or "bedding" the new pads it takes a few days for any brake job to work as before. Be patient and give a few days

 

In these parts we simply call them a hold down kit. I work at a garage part time and this is all we ever ask for when we call any of the 10+ auto parts suppliers in the area. I didn't know if this was the correct term or not so before I posted a reply I googled "drum brake hold down kit" and got lots of hits. Without nit picking correct names, I was trying to indicate that for a few extra bucks it would be wise to replace the "hardware" since the vehicle was now a few years old.

Hopefully he got the message irregardless of name and purchased a new kit.

 

Great write up man. This will come in really handy in a year or so when I change mine out, thanks!

 

Just changed my front brake pads. Used this thread for a reference and it worked great. It only took me about an hour max from start to finish. Helps when you have the right tools to work with. I put the duralast gold ceramic pads in there, so we'll see how they hold up.

 

ive used them before and they were just great for me .... hope you like em too

 

none taken

 

Toyota quoted me around $122 USD for changing my front brake pads, including $68 for parts, and rest is labor and disc rectifying.... sounds right???

 

bump?

 

I just changed my pads to hawk racing ceramic pads and had the rotors turned all for a little of 80 dollars. The only thing I screwed up was that i accidently unbolted the caliper so it split and the brake fluid seal fell out and then I didn't realize I pinched it back when I figured I screwed up and it got damaged... had to buy a new caliper. Toyota quoted 300+ but I got one through auto store for 144... I had never done the brakes before on any vehicle but I know what not to do next time and I know that brake pads are easy change. Its just if you have to have the rotors turned that gets a lil difficult... The knowledge to me was well worth the money (even with my screw up).

 

I changed mine without unbolting the caliper, AND without draining the fluid. Just pull the clips/pins, slide the pads out, pry in the pistons, replace.

 

That's really cheap and sounds pretty good... Considering pads are about $70 when I bought mine. So it's up to you, is 30-60 mins of work worth paying someone else to change them and resurfacing the rotors (which really isn't needed...)?