I have a 92 Toyota pickup, 2wd. A mechanic told be my driver's side brake caliper is bad. I looked at it, because for some strange reason I don't fully trust mechanics, and indeed the boot on the caliper is leaking. I replaced the passenger side caliper about six months ago and later learned that both calipers should be replaced at the same time because replacing only one causes pressure imbalance in the system which can blow out the other old caliper. BTW, is this true of wheel cylinders too? Should both cylinders be replaced at the same time for the same reasons? I bought the passenger side caliper at Autozone. The box says it's a Duralast, but the employee at Autozone told me it's an Atsco or something like that. So should I replace the driver's side caliper with the same Atsco caliper from Autozone or should I buy a better brand caliper elsewhere if Atsco is not reputable? Can mixing caliper or wheel cylinder brands cause problems?

Is the one man bleeding method of placing one end of a hose on the bleeder nipple and the other end submerged in brake fluid in a bottle and pumping the pedal gently until no air comes out a good bleeding method? Speed bleeders are very popular but isn't there the possibility that they can also allow air in the system because they need to be loosened when bleeding just like regular bleeding nipples? Thanks for any replies.

 

How can you see when there are no air bubbles if your pumping the brakes? Use two people or a vacuum pump so you can see while bleeding.
As far as parts go it's pretty simple hydraulics mixing brands shouldn't cause problems, if your happy with the caliper you bought from autozone I wouldn't hesitate to get another.

 

You pump the brake pedal with your hand and look underneath the vehicle to see when the air bubbles stop.

 

I wish my eyes were that good to detect the lack of air bubbles on the right rear wheel.

If your eyes are that good Have you thought of a career in Naval aviation ???

Brake Rule #1 what you do to one side also do to the other!!!!!

 

I wouldn't personally worry about matching the callipers, wheel cylinders I tend to do in pairs since they are so cheap.

The best way i've found to bleed brakes on toyota pickups is to use a syringe to push fluid from the wheels back to the master. This was the ONLY way I could get the brakes to function on my pickup.

 

Calipers do not need to be replaced in pairs. Replacing one doesn't effect the other one at all. That said, they've typically both been on the same amount of time, if one fails, the other may not be far behind.


Duralast remanufactured calipers are Cardone. You'll get the exact same calipers at almost any major parts store, although Autozone has the best warranty system, which you'll need with cardone calipers.


speed bleeders do not let air into the system

 

delete

 

Just wondered were you having trouble getting rear brakes to bleed? Mine won't fronts bled fine. Book said something about Load Sensing Proportioning Valve (LSPV), it had a bleeder screw so bled it and it was fine. Started trying to loosen lines and it seems like it's either in a line between LSPV and calipers or LSPV itself. Long explanation to ask is this similar to problem that required syringe injection

 

As far as the air bubbles are concerned, use clear plastic tubing attached to the bleeder nipple. Pump until you no longer see bubbles in the tubing. Don't forget to keep your master cylinder full during the whole process.

 

Automotive industry standards would contradict that. Brake hydralics should always be replaced in pairs. Having a new caliper on one side and and old one on the other side can cause a brake pull. Also brake fluid leaks are usually due to contamination of some sort. Most of the time with calipers leaking it is due to moisture in the fluid since brake fluid is hygroscopic. The moisture causes corrosion that pits up the cylinder wall and causes break down of the seals. If one starts leaking, how long do you think it will be before the other one leaks?

MAPP standards dictates that brakes be serviced PER AXLE, NATEF and ASE both agree on this. Just want people on here to have good info.

 

Go ahead and read my post again. It's alright, I'll wait

I said that changing one will not CAUSE the other to fail (OP says, "because replacing only one causes pressure imbalance in the system which can blow out the other old caliper"). But that it's a good idea to replace them together because "if one fails, the other may not be far behind"




They absolutely SHOULD be replaced in pairs, but they do not HAVE to be.