Caliper question

[supton]

Originally Posted By: eljefino

Dude you ARE in the sticks.

Yeah, it's a bit out there, I guess. To my south is the town of Weare, and people from there like to say they are from NoWeare. So I can technically say I'm north of NoWeare.

It's not too bad actually. 9 miles to the highway, gas and a grocery store; 25 miles past that gets me into Concord with all its attendant shops. Today though I had to run to Manchester which is almost 50 from home. Ten miles to my north is another grocery store and some small shops etc.

It's a quiet life out here.

 

[supton]

Hmm, this isn't going how I want it.

I hemmed and hawed over replacing the one that wasn't sticky, then decided to go for it. It decided to leak at first. Redid the connection, and I think it's not leaking now; but there's an air bubble someplace. Ugh. I got the wife to pump the pedal and fluid comes out clear, but it still goes to the floor. Ran out of light and the bugs were getting thick.

What I don't get is why the replacement calipers came with two crush washers per side. The originals didn't have any crush washers at all. I put on both and gave a good torquing down; that seemed to fix the leak. Tomorrow with better light I'll recheck.

I tried to be real quick at moving the hose from old caliper to new, but I wonder if there is an air bubble in the hose--its loop arcs up above the caliper.

 

[supton]

Well, I held the caliper above the line and tried bleeding. No go. Pedal feels fine, engine off; but with engine on it basically goes to the floor. Am looking at how to cycle the ABS pump next, but that appears to be a two person job.

 

[The Critic]

I am not super familiar with the Tundra, but some of the newer non-hybrid Toyota/Lexus vehicles require Techstream for routine bleeding. However, the service manual usually provides a workaround procedure that allows you to perform the task without the tool. Pay the $15 for a 48 hour subscription to TIS so that you can get the correct service procedure.

Usually a telltale sign (that you need techsteam) is if the master cylinder reservoir is huge.

 

[supton]

It is a good size master cylinder.

I did buy the knockoff Techstream a couple years ago, and it does connect. I went to do the abs pump but the steps it wanted me to do didn't quite jive with the 2009 repair manual that I downloaded years ago. I'll look at the TIS subscription and then give this another try.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: supton
It is a good size master cylinder.

I did buy the knockoff Techstream a couple years ago, and it does connect. I went to do the abs pump but the steps it wanted me to do didn't quite jive with the 2009 repair manual that I downloaded years ago. I'll look at the TIS subscription and then give this another try.


Go to the abs/vsc module and look for utilities. Then look for the "air bleed" function and follow the on screen prompts.

 

[asand1]

the two copper washers are for the banjo bolt. the old washers always stick to the line, the bolt, or the caliper. I guarantee they were there, and are probably stacked now. look carefully and clean off any crud obstructing your view.

 

[supton]

Well, I didn't see washers. It's not raining as bad as I thought it would be, so I could jack it up again and check. Lousy pics but wasn't thinking when I did the job.

I ran the ABS pump twice per side yesterday; no change. Engine off, pedal goes maybe halfway and stops. Does not sink if I hold pressure on the pedal. Engine on and it will go to the floor.

I'm at my wits end; I think I can get by tomorrow on one vehicle if I go into work late, but need vehicle for Wens on. I guess once the local shop opens up I can ask if they are familiar with running the ABS pump to bleed and can do this; or if I have to have it towed to the dealer for them to finish. I really don't want to take time off this particular week.

 

[Trav]

With 2 people. Get a piece of thin clear pcv hose and put it on each bleeder screw, make sure the MC is full and open the right rear screw and let it run out (you may need to push the brake pedal slightly to get it started.
Let it run for a minute or so have your helper keep an eye on the MC fluid level, do the same for all 4 calipers.

Now go back to the right rear, make sure the MC is full and have the assistant push down on the pedal without letting it up.
Open the bleeder, tap the caliper with a rubber mallet with the bleeder open, let any air out and close the bleeder. Now have the assistant let the pedal up. Repeat this for the other calipers. You may need to repeat a few times.

 

[supton]

Progress. Sun came out, so I beelined the local hardware store and got 2 quarts of brake fluid. Jack up the truck all around; got out a step ladder so I can refill the MC.

This is why I should have gone OEM:

Copper crush washers came with replacement caliper, but the much thinner and paired together OEM's are, well, easy to overlook. They were sandwiched quite well onto the hose, and took prying to get off.

Once up, I could see one caliper had leaked overnight (fluid on the wheel). Once I figured out the washer thing, I looked at this one, and, defective machining.

Mating surface is not only not flat but has very bad swirl marks on it.

In process of swapping the original caliper on. Mr Murphy strikes again: this was the side that I decided to replace simply because I decided to buy both and proactively replace this side. *Sigh*.

 

[supton]

Ran a pint or two of fluid through the system. No change. Gave up.

Decided to see if the brakes worked "well enough" to get to a garage. I swear, it firmed up a bit just moving forward a bit? Took a quick spin and forced ABS to actuate on a dirt road, so the brakes work enough for that. I think it is still actuating lower to the floor than it should, but it seems functional.

I might force ABS once or twice more, then try bleeding again this week. I think I can do that without removing a wheel, bit of a nuisance but not impossible.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: supton

In process of swapping the original caliper on. Mr Murphy strikes again: this was the side that I decided to replace simply because I decided to buy both and proactively replace this side. *Sigh*.


That is the stuff that always gets me.

I had a pretty good oil pan gasket leak on the Cherokee. Decided that I should replace the rear main seal while I had the oil pan off. It was only a weep.

Of course, the Jeep was out of commission for a month from that.

 

[supton]

Yep, gotta love Mr Murphy.

Drove to work just fine. I think the pedal is about where it was before. Something is still just a bit off: after the 50 mile trek the other three rotors were nice and cool, but the one with the new caliper was warm. Not hot but quite warm. The caliper itself was not warm, though. I did replace the caliper hanger, so I wonder if the new position of pads is causing the pads to break in again, and perhaps I just need to rebed the brakes.

Man, I had plans to tackle the valve cover gasket instead! Then again, perhaps that job would have gone just as well.

 

[Gokhan]

Toyota sells OEM caliper-rebuild kits for under $20 for both sides. I would rebuild the calipers on both sides instead of replacing with a questionable aftermarket one on one side only. Rebuilding the caliper is easier than removing and reinstalling it. Besides, everything stays OEM and untouched.

http://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/parts-list/2010-toyota-tundra/rear-disc-brake-caliper-dust-cover.html

 

[Bladecutter]

Supton,

The other thing to consider would be the rubber brake line.
If those start to degrade internally, they may cause a caliper to drag slightly when the brake fluid can't return to the master cylinder freely after you remove your foot from the brake pedal.

Whenever your replace a caliper, it's always a safe bet to replace the rubber brake line also.

And don't worry about messing up by banjo bolt washer stacking.
I've seen "professional's" do that too.

BC.

 

[supton]

Man, this is the most unreliable vehicle I've ever had! Caliper and now brake lines, after only six years / 120k? What [censored].

I will have to look into replacing the line I guess. It's still dragging just slightly on that side--so either's it the reman caliper or the hose. I haven't taken the core back just yet; not sure if mine is rebuildable, as the piston is quite well stuck.

Ugh.

 

[Gokhan]

As I said, get the $20 rebuild kit from the dealer and rebuild both sides. You also need CRC brake grease for the booted pivots.

 

[Gokhan]

Originally Posted By: Gokhan
As I said, get the $20 rebuild kit from the dealer and rebuild both sides. You also need CRC brake grease for the booted pivots.

Use both brake fluid and the pink glycol grease in the OEM kit for the inner sliding parts. Be careful to install the piston boot and snap ring correctly. Also, push the piston straight.

Sometimes brake hardware such as shims and springs (need to be replaced every time pads are replaced) or improper installation can cause problems as well. I doubt it's the hoses.

 

[supton]

Is there a way to pressurize the caliper off the vehicle? I was unable to push out the piston when it was on with the brake pedal. Not sure how long I have to return it for core, but I'm game to try to rebuild it first.

I *did* try to push the piston out using the brake pedal, but I wasn't thinking and tried to do that, engine off, so it only went out half-way.

 

[Gokhan]

I just pushed the brake pedal to remove the piston myself (no need for compressed air) but if it's already disconnected, you will probably need compressed air as instructed in the OEM repair manual. Put a piece of cloth between the piston and cylinder in case the piston hits the cylinder when you apply compressed air through the fluid port.

Note that glycol grease is included in the OEM rebuild kit: