I have a 2003 4runner v6 with 140k miles on it and I have an odd issue with the brakes. The car stops well enough but occasionally it seems as if the brake pedal travels a bit more than normal (this only happens from time to time and it subtle). I decided to bleed the brakes to get new fluid in and to make sure there were no air bubbles. I also noticed that the front pads were a bit thin so I decided to change them out. When doing the front brakes I found that one of the pistons in the passenger caliper was sized so I changed out that caliper. Anyway the pedal still travels too much. It seems like most of the time the pedal it nice and high and stiff but every other time you use it, it goes down more than expected (not to the floor). Anyone have any idea what this could be?

 

did you bleed all of the brakes again after you changed the caliper?

it is possible that the master cylinder is on it's way out



is it equipped with ABS? if so is there an ABS warning light on?

 

Yes i did bleed them again when i changed out the caliper. It has ABS and No lights are on in the car.

 

did the rear pads look fine still? how's the pedal feel when at a complete stop and holding the brakes, like at a red light?

I would honestly start considering the master cylinder if the ABS seems to be still functioning properly

I had an old Isuzu that had similar things happening as you're describing; brake pedal seemed to travel a little further some times than others, but the braking still seemed fine. what gave it away mostly on that truck though is that at a stop light, the pedal would slowly drift all the way down to the floor, lol