Front brake pad longevity 2002 Toyota 4-runner

I have a 2002 4-runner sport SR5 with towing package.

I thought it was supposed to have upgraded brakes (not sure)

My truck has 48k and the front brakes look good still.

Whats the average life?

Any hints on how to change them?

I loosened the 2 of the caliper bolts, and fluid started leaking..
These are nothing like previous brake work I have done.

hombrewdude wrote:[color=blue]
> I have a 2002 4-runner sport SR5 with towing package.
>
> I thought it was supposed to have upgraded brakes (not sure)
>
> My truck has 48k and the front brakes look good still.
>
> Whats the average life?
>
> Any hints on how to change them?
>
> I loosened the 2 of the caliper bolts, and fluid started leaking..
> These are nothing like previous brake work I have done.
>[/color]
Yep, never loosen those bolts.

Pad life varies greatly with the driving habits and traffic
conditions of the driver. There is no way to estimate someone
else's pad life.

Don't the pads just slip out after the retainers are removed?


Ken

I will have to check that..

I sometimes pull a small camper with the truck.

When the brakes heat up they sometimes have some chatter.
Probably warped rotors.
I bought new rotors, so I need to change the pads and the rotors...

I need to find a book!

If fluid came out, you didn't loosen the caliper bolts.





"hombrewdude" <hombrewdude@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1127481404.376657.324970@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
>I have a 2002 4-runner sport SR5 with towing package.
>
> I thought it was supposed to have upgraded brakes (not sure)
>
> My truck has 48k and the front brakes look good still.
>
> Whats the average life?
>
> Any hints on how to change them?
>
> I loosened the 2 of the caliper bolts, and fluid started leaking..
> These are nothing like previous brake work I have done.
>[/color]

"hombrewdude" <hombrewdude@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1127493056.399564.307870@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
>I will have to check that..
>
> I sometimes pull a small camper with the truck.
>
> When the brakes heat up they sometimes have some chatter.
> Probably warped rotors.
> I bought new rotors, so I need to change the pads and the rotors...
>
> I need to find a book!
>[/color]

Yes, you do.

Jeff Strickland wrote:[color=blue]
> If fluid came out, you didn't loosen the caliper bolts.
>
>
>
>
>
> "hombrewdude" <hombrewdude@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:1127481404.376657.324970@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
>[color=green]
>> I have a 2002 4-runner sport SR5 with towing package.
>>
>> I thought it was supposed to have upgraded brakes (not sure)
>>
>> My truck has 48k and the front brakes look good still.
>>
>> Whats the average life?
>>
>> Any hints on how to change them?
>>
>> I loosened the 2 of the caliper bolts, and fluid started leaking..
>> These are nothing like previous brake work I have done.
>>[/color]
>[/color]
Loosening the bolts that hold the two halves of the caliper together
will allow fluid to leak out.

I found that out...

so how do I replace the rotor then?

The caliper itself is held on the steering knuckle by two 17mm bolts. Once
the bolts are out, you can slide the caliper off the rotor, and the rotor
pops right off the hub. If you are in to doing basic stuff like this
yourself, grab a Chilton. It's a must have for doing little simple (yet
critical) things like brake work!

I have done many brakes before on american cars... I never seen one
like this.
Chilton does not make a book for my 2002 truck.. I checked.

Are my brakes different cause it was the towing package?
My rims are 16"

On 26 Sep 2005 17:31:33 -0700, "hombrewdude" <hombrewdude@yahoo.com>
wrote:
[color=blue]
>I have done many brakes before on american cars... I never seen one
>like this.
>Chilton does not make a book for my 2002 truck.. I checked.[/color]

You might have to break down and get the Toyota Factory Service
Manual set from the dealer. They are hellaciously expensive when
compared to Chilton or Haynes, but the best and most accurate repair
books I have ever worked with.

You'll get your payback for them the first problem you solve (like
how your front brakes come apart) and you'll get a chunk of it back
again in resale value by passing the books on to the new owner when
you sell the car.
[color=blue]
>Are my brakes different cause it was the towing package?
>My rims are 16"[/color]

Might be, but I don't know. (I have a LandCruiser with the 4-piston
fixed calipers.) They are more than likely different between the 2WD
and 4WD versions of the truck. That might be a case of 'plop them on
the dealer parts counter and see what the parts man says.'

--<< Bruce >>--

--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.

The books are $129 each and there are 2 of them..

I don't mind spending the money on a repair book, since I do everything
myself... But I didn't know how detailed the factory books were...

"Ken Shelton" <shelton@cablespeed.com> wrote in message
news:wradnSWBtIAIg6reRVn-vA@cablespeedwa.com...[color=blue]
> Jeff Strickland wrote:[color=green]
>> If fluid came out, you didn't loosen the caliper bolts.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "hombrewdude" <hombrewdude@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>> news:1127481404.376657.324970@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
>>[color=darkred]
>>> I have a 2002 4-runner sport SR5 with towing package.
>>>
>>> I thought it was supposed to have upgraded brakes (not sure)
>>>
>>> My truck has 48k and the front brakes look good still.
>>>
>>> Whats the average life?
>>>
>>> Any hints on how to change them?
>>>
>>> I loosened the 2 of the caliper bolts, and fluid started leaking..
>>> These are nothing like previous brake work I have done.
>>>[/color]
>>[/color]
> Loosening the bolts that hold the two halves of the caliper together will
> allow fluid to leak out.[/color]



Sure, but those aren't the bolts that hold the caliper to the hub assembly,
and hence are not the "caliper bolts".

"Bruce L. Bergman" <blPYTHONbergman@earthlink.invalid> wrote in message
news:qrghj19l4n6e5uoer5k70sqq8eqnh7em2v@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> On 26 Sep 2005 17:31:33 -0700, "hombrewdude" <hombrewdude@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>[color=green]
>>I have done many brakes before on american cars... I never seen one
>>like this.
>>Chilton does not make a book for my 2002 truck.. I checked.[/color]
>
> You might have to break down and get the Toyota Factory Service
> Manual set from the dealer.[/color]


.... which is a MUCH better choice, by the way.

"hombrewdude" <hombrewdude@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1127828642.639767.114180@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> The books are $129 each and there are 2 of them..
>
> I don't mind spending the money on a repair book, since I do everything
> myself... But I didn't know how detailed the factory books were...
>[/color]

Very.

If you do your own work, you NEED the factory shop manuals. I have it for my
Jeep, and it's WONDERFUL. I can't imagine doing the work without it. The
pictures are, "your framis looks like this," where the Hanyes or Chilton
say, "your framis looks kinda like this," but the framis they are showing
doesn't even begin to approach the part you have in your hand.

If one is inclined to buy a manual, they should buy the factory shop manual
and not even consider Hanyes or Chilton.

hombrewdude wrote:[color=blue]
> The books are $129 each and there are 2 of them..
>
> I don't mind spending the money on a repair book, since I do
> everything myself... But I didn't know how detailed the factory
> books were...[/color]

Check eBay if you don't need them in a hurry, they have a wide selection for
various models and are usually at a good price. I've bought 3 new factory
sets there at a lot less than dealer.
HTH, davidj92