Well we had some snow and ice today and I figured out the hard way that the rear brakes are not working and the front passengers side is only barely working.

So since I don't have access to an area to work on it I'll be taking it down to a local brake place. With that in mind I have a couple of questions.

1) The calipers on an 89 4runner are two piston correct? I ask because the shop guy mentioned 42$ for a hardware kit needed on a 4 piston caliper. I didn't think 4 piston calipers were available in 89.

2) With the Zuk lift in the back the LSPV rod isn't in the same postion it was stock. Can I bend it a little or do I need to make a lift bracket for it? I'm figuring that I'll need the bracket but was hoping to get away with some minor (read inexpensive and easy) adjustments.

 

if you dont have the bracket just yet, id just disconnect it and tie it up... your rear brakes will be a tad touchy till you get the bracket tho...

 

My 89 V6 Ext Cab has 4 piston calipers.

For the rear brakes, check that the parking brake bellcrank levers are not frozen in the brackets.

 

If you think that it lifted the LSPV that much then yeah make a bracket to extend it up from the axle.

The calipers are 4 piston and I'm curious if your 89 has the "big four" piston V6 ones. However, I think his $42 price is marked up a little 'cause I think that I paid $30 something for mine when I rebuilt them.

 

I hadn't thought of that. Thanks! I won't mind if the rears are a little touchy since right now they don't even work.

I checked and the levers are not frozen. In fact the parking brake works very very well.

 

Hell in winter I just take that middle pedal out and hang it in the basement. All it does is get you in trouble when you hit something slick...

 

The 42$ was for the spring and slide pins to hold the brake pads in. I didn't even ask about a piston rebuild kit.

 

I'm sure the spring and side pins are just fine, do you trust this guy? He's probably gonna charge you $20 for that little clip thingy that holds the hard brake line in that bracket!

 

The "guy" was actually the shop manager at a local brake place. I even called another place and got a similar qoute.

So here's what I did. I called a friend who has a three car garage and asked if I could use one side to do some work. Went and got the parts, had to make a trip back to get 1986 front brake pads for the 1989 runner (strange I know) then back to the garage. The fronts were easy as pie, the backs were still new just out of adjustment so we adjusted them and then took the LSPV rod from being bottomed out on the adjustment screw to topped out. It raised the rod about 1.5" which is just a tad under what my overal lift was over stock.

Took the parts back that I didn't need and came back to work.

All in all it cost me 14.95$ and about an hour and a half.

 

Good deal...hell of a sight better than paying someone to do it.

 

Well, thank goodness you did it yourself!! I was afraid I would have to come down there and work on your truck for you! LOL!!!!

So, all you did was change the pads?

 

Yeah. We looked at the rotors and drums and they look like they have been replaced recently. The only thing that had to be replaced were the front pads.

 

X2

4 pistons on my 89 x-cab delux, and my rears are frozen lol
I replaced the front calipers and pads about 7 months ago and it has been parked for about 7 months now so the rear drums are still useless.