mjwalfredo

When putting new pads and rotors on my fronts over the weekend, I noticed that the boot on one of the pistons had separated from the caliper and the metal ring had come out. That piston also required a little more force than the others when I pushed it back into the caliper to fit the new pads. I went ahead and put my new stuff on but I want to replace the caliper before it seizes up on me. I plan on getting a caliper from Carquest and simply replacing the bad one but I am wondering if there is anything I need to know about the process like break-in procedure, installation tips, etc. Thanks!

eric-the-red

Not much to it, remove wheel, remove brake line, undo 2 bolts at the rear of the caliper and remove it. Swap the pads to the new one and bolt it back on. You'll have to bleed the brakes after putting the new one on. You might find the bolt on the end of the brake line is rusty, watch you don't round it off. No break in procedure required for calipers.
If those are the original calipers I would replace both, the other one is 10 years old and probably isn't in great shape inside.

mjwalfredo

Eric, thanks man I had never heard of a break-in for calipers but I just wanted to make sure there was no such thing. I was afraid someone was going to suggest replacing both, that'll be ~$200 instead of ~$100

seanz0rz

uh, an extra 100 bucks to NOT die or be seriously injured, not counting the lawsuits and fines for losing your brakes and taking out a family crossing the street.

on stuff like this, better to be on the safe side. IMHO, very much worth the extra 100$

stryker

X2

Replace bolth. If bolth are in bad shape and you just replace one, lots of times the truck will pull to the side of the new caliper when braking.

mjwalfredo

Whoa whoa, I totally see your point and I was not arguing that replacing both is not a good idea. Although I do really think the driver's side caliper is fine I will replace both just so I don't have to think about it in the future and remember which one is older than the other. I was just complaining about $100 more after new rotors, pads, shoes, 3 new axle bearings, labor on them and all the tools/various other things I have purchased to get this rig back in tip top shape. Every penny was worth it, I just thought I was done spending big bucks, for a little while at least

fastkevman

I bought a MityVac system(hand held vacuum pump) at Harbor Freight so that I can bleed my brakes by myself, no pumping pedal.
It works quick, has other uses, and I swear does a much better job than trying to get your girlfriend to understand what you mean by pump and hold!

eric-the-red

No, no, you've got it backwards. You get the girlfriend to lie on the cold concrete while you sit in the comfy seat pushing the pedal

GSGALLANT

You can buy a rebuild kit at the dealer for your calipers (new seals, boots, clips), and you can even buy individual pistons if you find that some of yours are pitted. Your Toyota calipers are much better than anything aftermarket you'll get. Rebuild yours (1 hour per side) and they'll be good for another 10 years. The only tools you need to rebuild a caliper is a source of compressed air, a few C-clamps, a few small pieces of wood and a small flat screwdriver.

04 Rocko Taco

little trick, when you go to unbolt the brake line, put a pair of vice grips on the brake line first, pinching it off as close to the caliper as you can, it will greatly reduce the mess you'll make with leaking fluid, and will allow a LOT less air back into the system meaning you'll have a much easier time of bleeding that line back out. Good luck!!!

mjwalfredo

Hmm, I might have to look into the caliper rebuild kit. I like the idea of keeping the toyota stuff on there. One question, where should I look for pitting? Would it be on the end of the piston that makes contact with the pad or would it be along the outside surface that goes in/out of the caliper? Would it be more likely that pitting occurs on the piston where the boot came off? Oh, also, when you say compressed air, do you mean like an air tank or will a can of compressed air for cleaning dust off electronics work? Hopefully my Chilton's manual will have some info.

I did figure out the vice grip trick on my own, I was so proud of myself, heh. I was worried about the brake line being damaged with that trick but if others are doing it too then I guess I can feel a little better about it.

EDIT: Okay, I found lot's of good results on searching caliper rebuilding. Looks like the can of compressed air won't do me much good

GSGALLANT

No. You're right about the can of compressed air not being helpful in this case.

You already know since you've searched, but for the benefit of others, you use an air compressor (with one of those pointy rubber tip air nozzles) to help in removing the pistons from the caliper. You basically clamp three of the four pistons in place (with C-clamps or by getting creative with little blocks of wood), place a small piece of wood loosely over the fourth one to keep it from flying out too far, then pressurize the caliper using compressed air through the hole that the brake line connects to. A brief shot of compressed air (I use 60-80 psi, but you can go way higher if the pistons are stubborn) will pop the un-restrained piston out of the caliper. Once the piston's out, you can pry out that piston's seal from inside the caliper, and replace it with a new one (be sure to lube it with the lube from the kit).

At this point, you inspect the outer surface of the piston for pitting or rust rings (you're only really concerned with the surface that will be riding on the seal you just installed.) If it's pitted or rusted at all on that surface, replace it... it will only cause you grief in the future if you don't. You then re-install the piston, install a new boot and clamp, and continue with the other three pistons.

Pitting on the pistons can be worse if you're boots are torn or missing, but it can also be caused by moisture in the brake fluid due to ignored preventative maintenance on the brake system (not flushing fluid every couple of years like one is supposed to).

mjwalfredo

Thanks man that is some awesome info. It's always nice to get a little more insight based on real experience when tackling these projects. Manuals are pretty good but leave a lot to be desired in the way of descriptions, why you should do things, the best ways to do them, etc. Thanks again.