What I recall from last time I redid my brakes using OEM parts, the spring clips with the black patches on them went at the bottom position. The ones without the black patches went at the top position of each pad.

 

I’m guessing you’ve already pulled all the old clips out? When replacing them, I pull one out, find its match, install it. Repeat.

 

And I'm hoping you haven't yet removed your old brake hardware, you are just looking at the new items. You would use all 8 of those clips. 2 are used for each pad. As BMR said, when you remove the caliper on your first wheel, remove the old pads from that caliper (leaving the clips in the caliper), and understand which ones go where. Then pop one old one out, put an identical new one in, and repeat the same for the other 3 clips on that caliper. Let the old clips be your guide when trying to figure out which clips go where.

 

The caliper bracket has machined surfaces for the clips, and one side will be taller than the other (don't recall which off the top of my head). If you put them in the wrong spot, you'll have one stick out and the other will have machined flat surface stick out. Pay close attention and you'll see it.

As for rubber backing, I don't know. If both shorter and taller clips have the black backing, I'd put the clips with pad on the bottom (so that when the pad returns after braking it has some cushion). In grand scheme of things, the black padding makes no difference.

I got those same pads for one of my cars. No complaints, seem like good quality pads at a great price.

 

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When in doubt:
Please contact Raybestos Brakes for questions regarding brake parts at 1-800-686-4729 for immediate assistance.

 

Would you really trust the input of the person behind a monitor with headphones on for phone calls coming in regarding where these small brackets should go? I would not. I would just look at how the existing ones are placed in the caliper after removing the caliper and then put the new ones in exactly the same way as the old ones come out (assuming the previous person who did brakes on this car did them correctly). If it helps, the attached parts diagram says 2 of one type of clips go on the pad in contact with the caliper piston, and 2 of the other type of clips go on the pad opposite of the piston. Of course, the parts diagram is not clear enough to know which is which - that's why you should check how the old ones are currently installed.

 

Wow I appreciate all the responses. I have not started this brake work yet. To be honest I have never done any brake work before. Whenever people are talking about replacing brake pads or rotors I usually try to pretend like I know what they are talking about.

It sounds like the clip locations are at least somewhat self explanatory as long as I am observant. I'll take more pictures and call Raybestos if that is not the case.

This thread kinda reminds me of British Airways flight 5390: "...an improperly installed windscreen panel separated from its frame, causing the captain to be partially ejected from the aircraft... The previous windscreen had also been fitted using incorrect bolts, which were replaced by the shift maintenance manager on a like-for-like basis without reference to maintenance documentation, as the plane was due to depart shortly." Not really comparable but that story left an impression on me.

 

This thread kinda reminds me of British Airways flight 5390: "...an improperly installed windscreen panel separated from its frame, causing the captain to be partially ejected from the aircraft... The previous windscreen had also been fitted using incorrect bolts, which were replaced by the shift maintenance manager on a like-for-like basis without reference to maintenance documentation, as the plane was due to depart shortly." Not really comparable but that story left an impression on me.

I remember this aviation accident very well. I will gladly admit that I am probably one of the most anal Toyota Nation members, but my background doesn’t allow me to take any kind of a shortcut or leave any stones unturned.

My background involved 22+ years in the Navy where I was a Fighter jet power plant & fuel system specialist (F-14 Tomcat, F-4 Phantom, A-4 Skyhawk, F-5 Tigersharks, etc) then Missile & Gun Weapons specialist working with Anti-Ship Cruise missiles, RADAR - controlled Gatling guns and many others. Neither of these positions allowed for ANY mistakes as it could very well have been your FIRST and LAST mistake.

Granted, Toyota Camrys are not in the same ballpark as strategic military weapons but I strive hard to strike a balance between merely working on cars and keeping them running, and taking things over the top to the Nth degree. But I do take SAFETY seriously as does everyone here on TN.

There are some very, very knowledgeable folks on here that really know their stuff, and I believe everyone learns something new every once and awhile. Toyota Nation is a good place to be!

 

Getting sucked into a jet fighter's engine air intake. Luckily his helmet came off and took the worst of it for him, saving his life. First (and last) mistake indeed!

 

Funny that you should post the sailor getting sucked into the A-6, Norm! I actually met that guy about 3 months after that happened. We were pulling into Singapore and most of us liked hanging out at this place called the “Terror Club.” I have no idea why the Singapore folks named a club like that but oh well, he walked in by himself and sat down at the table next to mine. I had forgotten about the incident already and I asked him who the hell beat him up & I hope the other guy looks worse, and he said “no, I was the guy who got sucked into the jet!” He didn’t buy a single drink that night. I used to know his name and even had a picture of him, but the passing decades have resulted in lost memories and photographs.
Although I have never had to pick pieces of human flesh and bones out of a jet engine, my immediate supervisor had when the engines got to AIMD for repair back in NAS Miramar where we were stationed. Yes, he was VERY lucky indeed!

Me: Late 1970’s Navy Fighter Squadron VF-211 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CV-64) air-ops in the Indian Ocean. 12 Tomcats with 24 Pratt & Whitney TF-30-414P engines.

 

Well, this thread escalated quickly.

 

Alright, I had a return of the memory: all 4 shims are actually different, and you cannot place them in the wrong spot without things looking wrong (as I explained in my previous post above).
There are 2 taller shims, inner and outer, and 2 shorter shims, inner and outer.

In the first pic, 4 shims on top are for one caliper, the other 4 shims in 2nd row are for the other caliper.

That's it.

 

Does it matter how the wear indicators are positioned? Did you put them on the leading or trailing edge?

 

That's a great question. I typically put them on the trailing edge, but when I've removed old pads, I've seen them both ways. I'm not certain which way is correct. Hopefully others will chime in.

 

I've seen both here also, depending on brand / manufacturer of brake pad. It's not 'critical' if the squealer is installed on the leading, or trailing edge by the manufacturer. ... Either way: it's gonna "sound horrible" (metal grinding), -if- the pad wears down to that level.

The "shape" of the inboard pad w/ wear indicator (installed against the caliper piston) should match the rotor, when installed.

 

@Strega315 Those are some awesome photos and memories. The internet says the Terror Club might have been named after a Royal Navy ship back when the British were running the show there???

Brakes!
I removed the driver's side caliper. Seems like the brake pads are barely worn. I had to wiggle the caliper off with the help of a flat head screw driver. It appears there is some kind of fiber backing on the shims that got scrapped up as the caliper slid off. The slide pins move around pretty good. Should I just put it back together and put my new brake parts in the closet for a couple years?? Here are some photos.

What's up with the cv boot in the last picture?

 

Should I just put it back together and put my new brake parts in the closet for a couple years?

If the slide pins are moving freely, and if both sides are just fine like this one, then I would just put it back together and drive on.

Key question: why did you think you needed a brake job? Where there symptoms of braking issues? Unusual noise?

 

Is that a split in the CV boot, just before grease begins coming out?

Check it out carefully to make sure. If you replace the boots OEM half shafts can last you the life of the vehicle (new boot kit costs $40 at the dealer).

Norm

 

Usually I drive and drive and drive until there is some horrible grinding noise... and then I get a massive bill to fix the brakes. After repairing the timing belt and fuel tank I thought: "If I can fix those things by myself, maybe I can do something proactive." But I am not currently experiencing any braking issue.

To be clear, there is no issue. It's been years sense they were serviced and I thought the brake pads would be toward the end of their life. But that does not appear to be the case.

 

Here is the passenger side, these pads are a lot thinner than the drivers side. The slide pins move freely but one boot appears torn:

 

I wonder if the reman caliper with the torn dust boot has a sticking/seized piston.

 

How did you identify it as re-manufactured?

 

All the stamped paint marks on there and I thought it probably went through the reman factory line.

I've used them and the quality is iffy at best. Now I prefer to rebuild when the caliper is still in good shape (not always the case I know) with genuine rebuild kits.

 

Do you think I should replace the the pads and rotors?

 

Like other said about why changing them, the pads definitely seem good in the pics, except the side-to-side uneven wear (that's why I wondered about seized hardware).

If not for the torn dust boot I would clean up everything and wirebrush the metal parts, then lube the metal contact points and reinstall. And probably swap the pads left and right and bed them in.

However, seeing the torn dust boot I would rebuild the caliper. Not sure why Raybestos says their kit is for Japan-made Camrys, but aftermarket caliper rebuild kits are inexpensive and I've used them too. And when those calipers are reman, it's hard to tell their origin. But check to see if yours are still under warranty (Raybestos on rockauto shows 18 months, Cardone 24 months, and Nugeon limited lifetime.

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Also, no need to "routinely" resurface or swap out rotors, especially if you use a high quality ceramic brake pad like Akebono (ProAct or ASP). I just slap new pads on there if the rotors are above minimum thickness.

According to:
https://www.motor.com/wp-content/uploads/PM-Brake-Rotor-Maintenance-Jan-2003.pdf

"Resurfacing an otherwise “good” rotor reduces its available service life by making it thinner, sooner. A modern rotor is light to begin with, so losing metal to resurfacing reduces its ability to absorb and dissipate heat. This increases the likelihood that it will warp in the future"

"Many vehicle manufacturers have stated that the rotors on their vehicles do not require resurfacing as a matter of routine during brake pad replacement. General Motors and Ford both recommend reusing rotors “as is” if they meet specifications for minimum thickness, thickness variation, parallelism and runout, no pedal pulsation is present and they aren’t badly scored. GM has also stated that rotor grooves of up to .060 inch are acceptable if the rotor meets all other specifications."

And if you need brake grease, use only a JIS K2228 approved grease like CRC Silaramic. Petroleum based greases will deteriorate the rubber parts, causing them to swell and caliper pins to seize. So it's good to hear those anchor pins are sliding freely!!

 

I don't think there was an abutment clip on the passenger side outboard bottom spot. It either magically got up and walked away or was never there. I don't see it in the photos either. Would that missing clip make the passenger side wear more?

Edit: Also, the bleeder valve snapped off on the passenger side when I tried to crack it open while compressing the brake piston back in. How bad?

 

Here is the driver's side caliper bracket. My Harbor Fright extendable breaker bar broke removing the caliper bracket bolts. It looks like the last person put both double springy abutment clips on the caliper piston side.

 

The pads don't look like they have tapered wear. If the double spring clip is missing only on the outboard, I would think there's going be tapered wear on the outboard side.

How does the pad move with the double spring clips in there? These were common after Gen 5, but I don't think Gen 4 had them. I wonder if the driver side pads didn't move much because of these double clips.

Also Harbor Freight branded tools usually carry lifetime warranty, so it's a matter of walking in and exchange for a new one.

I use their extendable ratchet, works very well for me and no problems at all. I find these (1/2" and 3/8" very convenient). Then again, I torque to spec and don't impact nuts and bolts like a lot of shops do.

1/2 in. Drive Extendable Ratchet

Amazing deals on this 1/2In Dr Extendable Ratchet at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

The passenger side bracket was missing both bottom abutment clips. I initially thought it was just one missing clip but actually it was two missing clips.

The diver side bracket had all the clips. I took a photo of it just to show how the last guy positioned the different styles of abutment clips. I guess I would have to call Raybestos to definitively determine which clips go where. I don't really care at this point. As found, the original pads all moved around nicely whether they had been correctly installed or not, with or without a complete set of fitment hardware.

The V shaped wire spreader thingys were also missing.

 

Yeah the important thing is the pads move freely in the bracket. But given the stainless steel clips offer a smoother sliding surface, I'd use them if they don't impede movement. And with JIS K2228 grease like CRC Silaramic.