Brake Problems - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

rty · 03-18-2010, 09:43 PM

In my 97 V6 new pads don't fit in one of calipers in the rear. Yes, the piston is pushed all the way back. This is actually on the the outer side, which doesn't have a piston. The piston side fits fine. I have to keep an old worn down pad there because new ones don't it. If I bolt everything up with a new pad the wheel doesn't turn. I checked different pads and rotors, same thing happened. Something is wrong with the caliper here. Any ideas?

Also does anybody know where I can buy the little stupid clips that go between the pads and the calipers? Are they important? I broke mine off accidentally.

KiDGiB · 03-18-2010, 10:42 PM

I bought the best pads autozone had which were about 50 bucks, plus it came with all the hardware. For your rear caliper, i would just try to put the new pads on, run the car and pump the brakes without driving it. Then i would try and bleed the brakes to see if it fixes your problem.

***BMR*** · 03-18-2010, 10:52 PM

Are they Toyota pads or some aftermarket brand? I once tried some aftermarket pads that barely fit, the friction material was almost too thick. For other reasons I now use only Toyota pads.

Those clips can be purchased at a Toyota dealer or rockauto.com. You're looking for a "disk brake hardware kit". They're $12 to $15 at rockauto.com, depending on which brand you pick. I'm pretty sure one kit does both sides. And YES, they're fairly important. I wouldn't put 'er back together without 'em.

***JohnGD*** · 03-19-2010, 12:33 AM

Aren't the pads all the same size? Is there dirt under the pad rail clips that go on the caliper bracket?

That's why I would specify Akebono ProAct ceramics for typical driving. Toyota uses them too, but there is a chance the dealer will give you the less desirable NBK pads that's not worth the time to put them on. It depends on who is the lowest bidder for the batch.

http://www.akebonobrakes.com/aftermarket/index.asp

As far as the clips between pads and calipers: are you talking about the noise reducing shims? OEM clip-on ones are best I have to say. The stick-on ones are good until the first cleaning, if you clean your brakes periodically. The cleaner affects the glue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rty

In my 97 V6 new pads don't fit in one of calipers in the rear. Yes, the piston is pushed all the way back. This is actually on the the outer side, which doesn't have a piston. The piston side fits fine. I have to keep an old worn down pad there because new ones don't it. If I bolt everything up with a new pad the wheel doesn't turn. I checked different pads and rotors, same thing happened. Something is wrong with the caliper here. Any ideas?

Also does anybody know where I can buy the little stupid clips that go between the pads and the calipers? Are they important? I broke mine off accidentally.

rty · 03-19-2010, 07:56 AM

They are aftermarket pads and as far as I can tell there is no dirt on the caliper where the pads fit. I've tried 3 different brands though and they all had the problem. Also, the problem occurs only on the right side. The left side fit fine with the same parts, although it was pretty close. But the wheel rotates freely on the left side and on the right side it gets stuck if I install a new pad. Same rotors, same pads.

They are not the noise reducing shims. I took those off the pads BTW and they still don't fit. That "disk brake hardware kit" is what I'm looking for. Thanks. Most parts stores around here don't sell parts that specific.

PortugalFocus · 03-19-2010, 12:36 PM

Really? Those shims that fit into the caliper bracket should have come with the new pads. Mine did, I used aftermarket Duralast Gold from Autozone with AZ rotors all around and had no issue with them fitting.

Mike Gerber · 03-19-2010, 01:16 PM

Is the slide pin on that rear caliper moving in and out freely and is it moving as far in and out as the side that fits?

Mike

73sport · 03-19-2010, 02:53 PM

Hmm . . . you never said what doesn't fit.

Does the outer pad not fit into the calipers openings or do the new pads not fit over the rotor because they are too thick?

I'd guess you're saying the first thing but its still unclear. Any chance someone swapped that caliper with something else?

Look it over VERY closely: equal amount of rust, dirt, debris, casting marks, any subtle differences. . .

You might grab some calipers and measure the rotors if the pads won't open enough to fit. Can't imagine 3 pads being oversized though.

rty · 03-19-2010, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 73sport

Hmm . . . you never said what doesn't fit.

Does the outer pad not fit into the calipers openings or do the new pads not fit over the rotor because they are too thick?

I'd guess you're saying the first thing but its still unclear. Any chance someone swapped that caliper with something else?

Look it over VERY closely: equal amount of rust, dirt, debris, casting marks, any subtle differences. . .

You might grab some calipers and measure the rotors if the pads won't open enough to fit. Can't imagine 3 pads being oversized though.

The new pad, it is a single pad on the outer side, does not fit over the rotor because the pad (or rotor) is too thick. If I put it on and bolt everything up the wheel won't rotate, it will be sized.

Quote:

Is the slide pin on that rear caliper moving in and out freely and is it moving as far in and out as the side that fits?

I don't know. I didn't check that. I didn't know that was one of the required steps. So I should be able to move the whole caliper while it's bolted up?

SexieWASD · 03-19-2010, 05:12 PM

pull the pins out, and wipe them off, then apply a new thin coating of brake grease (available at any auto store, i suggest the purple), and put them back, slide them back and forth a bit to make sure that they slide freely.

I really should do a writeup on a full brake service going through everything like how to clean the bracket, measuring the run out of the hubs and rotors, and resurfacing the hubs and shimming them. it's a shame that I did mine not that long ago. I know of a lot of shops that won't even do a proper brake job.

rty · 03-19-2010, 05:59 PM

Thanks. I'll give that a try when I get the time.

carsrus · 03-19-2010, 06:10 PM

Ive had weird problems like this working on some cars with rear disks. Usually the calipers and mounts have a good amount of rust on them when something like this happens. Sometimes new clips dont work, and sometimes the slide pins are in perfect shape too.

Its either the caliper piston isn't completely flush, or the caliper mount isn't letting the pads slide freely. They should move in the clips easily with no resistance. You could clean up the mating surface in between the clip and mount to see if that helps. Screw in calipers alot of fords and VW's use are notorious for this kind of stuff.

73sport · 03-21-2010, 03:07 PM

All,
Someone please chime in and tell us the rear caliper is not integrated having the parking brake built into the caliper. If it is, this changes everything.

My 95 is not and uses a drum for the p/b. Is that how this 97 is?

rty · 04-24-2010, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 73sport

All,
Someone please chime in and tell us the rear caliper is not integrated having the parking brake built into the caliper. If it is, this changes everything.

My 95 is not and uses a drum for the p/b. Is that how this 97 is?

97 is the same.