Change brake pads and shoes for 1st time on 95 Tacoma 4WD

Doubt your rear shoes need replacing - especially if already done once. Just wash out the dust and inspect them. If there are no grooves or blue burn marks on front rotors, just scuff them up on both sides with sand paper (320 or so). Be usre to use special goop on back of pads where the meet the anti-vibration plates and coat the rods they run on with special brake grease. If you have never changed the brake fluid - now would be good time to do that. I prefer synthetic but many still prefer normal DOT approved brake fluid.

All brake fluid is synthetic...nothing natural about an ethylene glycol alkyl ether product.

The higher number on the brake fluid means that it has a higher boiling point. DOT-3 is the standard, DOT-4 is better, DOT-5.1 is tops, and avoid DOT-5--it's totally incompatible silicone.

I like ATE and Castrol GT LMA brands.

Ken

Thanks, the rear shoes have never been done before, only the front pads. But I will inspect them nonetheless.

I checked out the front rotors and there are no grooves, but they shine like a mirror. Don't know if that is a good sign or a bad sign or no sign at all. Maybe it's from the non OEM pads previously used. I will skuff them up but is it worth my while to take them to get turned?

I don't know if the brake fluid has been changed so I'll do that too. I'll use 5.1 as Ken said.

Thanks. Eric

It is royal pain to remove rotors on 4WD (if a 95 is like my 90) unless you were planning to repack wheel bearing or replace a leaky seal.. Some places can turn rotors on the vehicle but when they are turned they get thinner and tend to warp even fast. So if they are true (pedal doesn't pulsate when your brake) then just scuff the surface up. I meant to say silicon brake fluid -- I used it on my '90 Runner and never had any problem with it --- flushed the entire sytem of old and then refilled and bleed with the silicone.