kuo34

I finally did this. I'm kicking myself in the head for letting Sears rip me off for changing them on my wife's car. Good write up for a simple (and necessary) procedure!

lycur

i was trying to change my brake pads but the ones i got from the auto store just dont seem to fit in between the caliper, i mean ive replaced brake pads before just not on tc, is there a trick i dont know? i even went back to the auto store to see if i got the wrong ones but they are the right brake pads, but why dont they seem to fit? help please

Alex

edit nvm i figured it out, one small suggestion i found this caliper spreading tool to be way easier than a c-clamp

rodman687

4. Using a c-clamp SLOWLY (single turn every 15 secs) push the pad (and the piston underneath it) in until the piston is almost flush with its housing



That says to push the pad with the piston underneath it. but when you swing out the inner part of the caliper you are separating the pads from the piston. am i right??

CajunTC-RLS-1-2367

Just did ours last night, @ 60k miles original front pads were paper thin and squeeling like a pig, super easy, only thing to add, is if your brake master cyl is full with thin pads, with NEW pads you should need to remove some fluid and you may want to take the cap off during the "c-clamp" process...YMMV
FWIW, didnt have a regular c clamp so used one of those wood working type c clamps made by vise grip w/the blue and yellow handle, the larger version, worked fine.

CajunTC-RLS-1-2367

When you swing the caliper away the pads stay in the slot where they function on the bracket, not the caliper, after you remove them from there you can use a pad to assist in the c clamp process if you want, either way it will work.

Seanstc1

Napa carries stock size slotted and drilled rotors. they start with a pr number. but usually have to be ordered from the warehouse.

and if you take the cap off the brake fluid reservoir the pistons move in without the use of a clamp (just push real hard)

seanjay

ok... I gotta change my break pads tommorrow morning.



I'm kinda confused about the c-clamp thing. Can someone go into detail about it or re-up those pics that someone posted earlier, the links are dead

derfasaurus

Thank you so much for the post it made my first brake change go so smoothly. A few things I'd like to note.

#1: As previously stated by another member, before you start moving the car PUMP THE BRAKES. I would have backed into a very pretty 4Runner if I hadn't thought quick and pulled the e-brake.

#2: My factory bolts were very tight, maybe partially rusted, this is my first brake job at 60K miles. To loosen the bolts I squirted some WD-40 on them and let it sit for a minute or two. As soon as I did that, so much easier to take off.

I probably overtightened my bolts, I didn't read that whole "hand tighten" part and just used a wrench to tighten. I guess the next brake job will be a real pain, darn.

Again, just saying thank you to the forum and the original poster, made my life so much easier.

derfasaurus

I've tried to give a Paint drawing of what it looks like. It's much more obvious when you actually see it.

You'll see the piston, (mine, 2005 TC, was an hollow cylinder) sticking out from where the brake line goes in. You put the c-clamp so its on the back of the solid piece (where the brake lines go in) and pushing back on the piston that is sticking out. You have to push it back in so the new thicker brake pads fit.

Before


After

ippskidder

watching.

spider_weir

don't forget to put the squealer tabbed pad on the inside of each side. I ended up with both squealer pads after the first side and had to go back and redo the side so it had the squealer on it. (the squealer looks like a little handle on the back of the pad and makes a noise when your pads are low so you know to change them.)

bonez87

i did everything to a T and when i drive the car the breaks are squishey during hard breaking and i have to pump them to stop perfectly why is that

eeharris

is there for one for XA?

fuzzymica

Thanks for the instructions for the rear

kuo34

Does the xA have disc or drums? I know my wife's xD has discs up front and drums in the back. A lot of finagling with springs for drum brakes. I managed to google a decent how to on those, shouldn't be hard to find.

Airfire29

Here's a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PFiC...rom=PL&index=2

VojNet

So we do not have to remove that huge black nut in the middle?

XPRESSCION

Have you guys ever run into a problem? That there's caliper bolt thats sort of acts like a "key" to stop everyday people to change their own brakes? Makes that person go back to a Toyota tech if they are not mechanical smart?

Cause my cousin did mine...I was watching him step by step. Within couple of minutes doing the driver's front; there was that problem? Since he is smart, he just grind down one of his wrenches to fit that "key." After reading the posts, looks like no one ran into that problem???? Then on the other hand, I do have '07?

twitrock

I have couple questions regarding brakes.

first, is it required to use the wear sensor clips on the ends of the pad?
two, does the grease go on the back of the pad or on the back of the shim that goes on the pad?


Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

kuo34

The little brass/copper/whatever they're made of clips should be reinstalled, though I'm not so sure if it's *required*. Grease should go on the back of the brake pad and the front of the shim. Think of it as gluing the shim to the back of the brake pad.

As for a lockout shim that requires you to go to a dealership for service, a lot of procedures in the service manual for the tC require a "Special Service Tool" of some sort. Most of the time it requires a little ingenuity and common hand tools to get around these situations. Do you have any pics of the bolt XPRESSCION? I don't recall having any issues with the caliper bolts with common tools, though I have an 06.