curiousB

I don't believe these are stretch bolts. Just hardened steel bolts which come with pre applied threadlocker. Stretch bolts are more commonly used on cylinder heads to ensure fairly consistent torque when applied with pneumatic tools.

Lexus does recommend new ones so if you don;t mind the cost replace em. I have 50k miles on my old ones since they were reinstalled. So far I haven't crashed off a cliff into the ocean.

JimsGX

That's only because there's not a lot of ocean to fall into in IL...

warminwisc

It is a part of the car you use often...your brakes. Why screw around for 25 bucks. It may have nothing to do with brake pulsation but that is a pet peave of mine I would rather not deal with and avoid.

Bon

Jim - when you get your bolts will you please let us know if you see thread locker on the bolt threads? Thanks!

JimsGX

Will do....

JimsGX

The new hubs and caliper bolts came today. There's no thread lock on the caliper bolt threads...

Jim

V8_Fan

The bolts aren't reusable since they are much softer than the high tensile ones like those found on Toyota SUV's. The issue is the A-arms/suspension components onto which the calipers are attached on the LS430 are made of aluminum (weight savings, corrosion resistance), which is a lot softer than the steel components on the other toyotas (and for that, just about every car other than high-end luxury ones like BMW, Audi, etc.). So the bolts used for the calipers have to be much softer so they don't strip the aluminum before reaching proper torque. There's no way the dealer will reuse the bolts. Let's say they did, and you drove off the lot and the caliper bolts sheared when you hit the brakes hard, causing you to crash. There would be major liability issues on the dealer's side. OTOH, if you reuse the bolts and the same thing happens, you only have yourself to blame. At $5 each bolt, it's peanuts compared to whatever brake job you're doing. That's $10/caliper or $20 per axle, less than what the dealer charges each time for "misc shop supplies" like rags, gloves, and cleaning solvents! I reused a simple brake hose bracket bolt on my LX like 4x (torque on it was like 25 ft-lbs) and the thing sheared off when I tried to torque it to spec the 5th time...had to drill the bolt and use one of those extractors to remove it.

JimsGX

Here's a quote from Mitchell DIY pertaining to the front calipers on the LS430... The operative words being "2 new bolts"...

INSTALL DISC BRAKE CYLINDER ASSY LH Install the caliper with the 2 new bolts. Torque: 110 N.m (1,122 kgf.cm, 81 ft.lbf) NOTE:Since the bolted portion is an aluminum knuckle, keep it clean and avoid over tightening. Pull the disc brake cylinder assy toward the outside of the vehicle to remove any play between the pin and knuckle hole. From this position tighten bolt 1 and 2. Always follow these directions when installing.

curiousB

To each his own. As I said I'm almost 50k miles into my resuse of the bolts and no problem. Sure anythings possible but suggesting the most extreme of fringe scenarios as a possible outcome is just silly.

I think I am 100000x more like to have a tire blowout at highway speeds that a sheered caliper bolt is going to cause a serious accident. I'd rather buy a slightly better tire.

Viper6

My local dealer replaced the Hubs under powertrain warranty on my 04 and they used new caliper bolts. Mechanic said they have to be new each time but did not state why...

JimsGX

Quoting my own post here but I wanted to let everyone know that the caliper torque of 81 ft. lbs. that I had copied and pasted into the message above is incorrect. Mitchell has erroneous data posted... I found another reference on Mitchell that says the torque for both front and rear caliper bolts should be 58 ft. lbs... I also double checked on AllDataDIY (I have a subscription on there as well) and they also state that the caliper bolt torque should be 58 ft. lbs...

Milan

iTrader: (5)

Thanks for clearing up the proper torque spec for the calipers. I remembered reading 81 ft/lbs but in the wheel bearing thread I saw 58 so I was a bit confused.

StanVanDam

From the 2002 and 2005 service manuals, it says the 2 caliper bolts should be torqued to 81 ft-lbs. See attached.

JimsGX

Well, this is certainly confusing... Below are three quotes from Mitchell online. One states 81 ft. lbs, the other two state 58 ft. lbs... Below that are two exploded views of the front and rear suspension for the 2005 LS430 off of AllData... They both state 58 ft lbs... What is the copyright date of the repair manuals you have? I wonder if the spec was changed?

Mitchell:
INSTALL DISC BRAKE CYLINDER ASSY LH Install the caliper with the 2 new bolts. Torque: 110 N.m (1,122 kgf.cm, 81 ft.lbf) NOTE:Since the bolted portion is an aluminum knuckle, keep it clean and avoid over tightening. Pull the disc brake cylinder assy toward the outside of the vehicle to remove any play between the pin and knuckle hole. From this position tighten bolt 1 and 2. Always follow these directions when installing.

Mitchell:
INSTALL DISC BRAKE CYLINDER ASSY REAR LH Install the disc brake cylinder assy rear with 2 new bolts. Torque: 78 N.m (800 kgf.cm, 58 ft.lbf) NOTE:Since the bolted portion is an aluminum knuckle, keep it clean and avoid over tightening. Pull the disc brake cylinder assy toward the outside of the vehicle to remove any play between the pin and knuckle hole. From this position tighten bolt 1 and 2. Always follow these directions when installing.

Mitchell:
NOTE:Brake caliper bolts can not be reused. Do not twist the brake hose. Make sure that no damage and no foreign matter is attached on the bolts. Sliding the brake caliper outer side of the vehicle and tighten bolt A first then bolt B. Torque: 78 N.m (800 kgf.cm, 58 ft.lbf) NOTEo not over tighten the bolts.

Alldata Exploded Views Front & Rear (2005 LS430) 58 ft. lbs.

V8_Fan

I have the 2005 LS factory manuals...front caliper is 81 ft-lbs, rear is 58 ft-lbs. Not only that, you have to pull the caliper out towards the outside of the vehicle to remove as much play as possible, then do the final torque on the bottom bolt first, then the top (in that order). This goes for both calipers. Do not overtighten, as they bolt onto an aluminum knuckle.