Special tools for 02 Taco brakes?

I'm considering changing the brake pads on my 02 Tacoma. Never done this before. I'll be buying the Toyota service manual first. I've got loads of tools (ratchets, etc), but I'm wondering if there are any oddball tools required. This expense, if any, will figure into whether I actually do the job, or take it to my long-time mechanic. Any & all advice is much appreciated.

Reply to
Doug Kanter
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Should've mentioned that I'll be doing front brakes first. Rears are fine.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

For $10, you can get all the applicable documents online @ techinfo.toyota.com.

Reply to
B A R R Y

Nothing out of the ordinary is needed to do the job. If you have metric wrenches, you're good to go. It'll be an easier job if you have something with which to compress the piston back into the caliper so the new, thicker pads will fit (a "C" clamp works well), but It's easy to improvise if you don't have a clamp.

BTW, the rear shoes last a LONG time! You'll go through many pads before the shoes wear out, at least I do.

Reply to
Radrunner

I could probably get another year out of the front pads, but my 16 year old son just started driving. Too much on the brakes, not enough planning ahead (yet). The beatings will begin this weekend. :-)

Reply to
Doug Kanter

I'm 56 going on 17 and I'm hard on my brakes too.

For all your Tacoma-related questions, come on over to customtacos.com.

Reply to
Radrunner

I put new brakes on my daughter's '02 Tacoma PreRunner using just standard tools that I have in my collection.

It is possible that you may need to have the brake rotors turned in order to make them true again. I go to my local Kragen or AutoZone stores to have this work done for $10 per rotor. They will measure the thickness of the rotor for you to see if it is safe to do this, or if you need to buy new rotors.

DO NOT STRESS over replacing rotors, this is also done using the standard tools you should have at home.

Frankly, if you haven't the standard tools needed for this job already, then perhaps you should reconsider taking the job on. It is reasonable that you might need a particular size wrench that you haven't got already, but the job is essentially a very easy one. If you need to buy a set of tools to get the work done, then you may not have the expertise needed, but if you are only missing one or two tools, then you should be okay with the job ahead.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

I use a pry bar to open the calipers BEFORE I take them off. I accept that this is considered risky, it is very easy to do correctly and not do any damage to anything else. I complete one side -- take apart and put back together -- before I move onto the other side.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

So far, there's no wobble at all to the rotors. Not sure about thickness, though, so I'll probably get them checked. Aside from variations from one spot to the next, is it acceptable to get a general idea of thickness simply using calibers?

Reply to
Doug Kanter

The rotors will be the same all of the way around. They likely do not need to be turned, but you can measuer them with a simple micrometer that you get for around $20. Or, you can carry them down the street and the guy with the lathe will measure them for you. Personally, I think it is always a good idea to remove the ridges and grooves that form, even if you have no problems with warped rotors.

I don't recall what you said the mileage was, but if this is the first brake job, you probably can safely throw in a new set of pads and have another beer.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

48,000 miles, driven in a style defined as "I can't afford unnecessary repairs due to recreational nonsense". :-) My biggest concern at the moment is the leaky edges where the alloy wheels meet the tires.
Reply to
Doug Kanter

If I get through this successfuly, I'm gonna figure out a way to send beer to you through a newsgroup server, in return for your encouraging words. :-)

Reply to
Doug Kanter

With 48k on the clock, the odds are very good that you DO NOT need rotors.

I don't see what leaky edges where the wheels meet the tires has to do with brakes though ...

And, those leaky edges are called "bead leaks." The tires have beads where they mate to the rims, when they leak, the term is bead leak.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

I'd prefer you take a few minutes to teach your kid to drive like HE has to pay for the repairs. ;-)

I subscribe to the driving method you use, I can't afford the repairs so I use the pedals softly to delay the need for them. My kid drives the same way, and she doesn't seem to mind. She does do 80 on the freeway, but mostly as a response to her Survival Instinct, but off the freeway she starts slowly and brakes early -- two good qualities that all kids should learn.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

Totally separate issue, just thrown in here for no particular reason.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

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