Hi,
I have an 03 echo and it starting to develop a grinding noise under hard braking, took a look at the rotors and they seem a to have a bit of grooving, so I plan on swapping the rotors/pads out this weekend. I have done brakes work on other american vehicles, is the echo pretty straight forward? Any tips/tricks? My main concern is compressing the brakes pad for removal, I was planning on just using a c-clamp, any thoughts? Should i have the rotors turned or just pickup some new ones? I found a writeup on doing work on scion front brakes, should the echo be similar? Thanks!

I've done brakes on VW's, domestics and my echo and found the echo to be quite straight-forward to do. (the back drums have an adjuster that I hadn't seen before, but it was easy enough to figure out)

Your idea of using a c-clamp is much better than what I did with a big screwdriver used as a prybar.

Unless you have a buddy who can turn the rotors for you and/or you're short of cash, you may as well buy new. By the time they take enough metal off to remove the grooves, the rotor thickness usually isn't up to spec anymore.

I had to use a breaker bar for the bolts holding the calipers on. Without that tool, I may have had a hard time.

 

about the rear break, i don't know about because i haven't changed them yet.
as for the front breaks, they are easy to change.

My main concern is compressing the brakes pad for removal, I was planning on just using a c-clamp, any thoughts?

if by that you mean the caliper piston, toyota's maintenance guide suggest to pry it with a hammer handle bar. which worked fine for me!

i hope i was of any help. i could give you a copy of the manual if you want it; just ask for it.

good luck

 

I did the brakes a few hours ago and it was very easy and straightforward, thanks again.

 

fantastic!

 

 

Thanks a million for the advice, and the technical documentation on the brakes. Finished it last night. Only thing I didn't have was torque specs for the bolts fastening the bracket that the caliper rides on and attaches to the hub assembly. Other then that, it went well and is working great. Thanks again :thumbsup: