intermec

I know a lot of car owners out there replace brake pads themselve.

Many say it is an easy job. At the same time, it cost less vs taking it to the dealer.

I did it once (way back when I was a poor student), took the wheels off, put the new pads (that part was ok) but somehow when I stepped on the brake, it went way down to the floor. and of course, the car didn't stop well at all. Then I end up taking the car to a shop, they help me "remove" the air from the system.

I read some old repair manual for other car which shows steps about unplug the brake hose and put it into a can then have someone steps on the brake to get the air out (never able to figure out what they are talking about). and you have to repeat this on all 4 wheels.

So did you guys doing the DIY brake actually need to have 2 people working on the system to remove the air? If so, can someone gives me a better idea how it can be done?

WHY do we need to remove the brake cap at the beginning?
WHEN you do your brake, did you also change the brake fluid? Or is it really necessary to change the fluid anyway.

any feedback on DIY brake job is welcome, thanks
HAPPY HOLIDAYs

lex2001

You remove the cap so you can put the new pads on. The older pads get smaller as they are worn down. The brake system maintains pressure on them. When you remove the old pads the new ones will not fit in their place because the pistons have closed so much. When you take the cap off that allows you to push the pistons all of the way open so there will be room for the new pads. You don't have to replace brake fluid when you do the brakes each time. I think it is recommended every 30,000 or something like that. Go to the earlier pages of this thread. I posted a DIY with pictures.

Boomer01

Is this the caliper flange bolt? I know you are supposed to replace the caliper flange bolt when you remove the calipers but it doesn't seem like you remove them to replace the pads.

lex2001

No. That is a pin that holds what I'll call a vibration plate on and if I recall correctly it also goes through one end of the pads. I think the purpose of the pin is to keep the pads and shims from being loose and rattling around. It holds the pads in place and puts pressure on the vibration plate which in turn holds everything in. You don't have to remove the calipers to replace the pads. If you are replacing or grinding the rotors then the calipers have to come off.

lxus4xms

My rotors were turned when I got new brakes.

AlexusAnja

Unless your rotors are warped or you have deep grooves (which would render them useless anyway), then I believe turning modern rotors are a waste of money and probably prematurely reducing rotor life. Of all my vehicles, I remember turning the rotors once, and that was because I had to get the brakes done at the shop. I've always done my own pads and never turned the rotors and none of them lasted less than 150K, with the Integra having lasted 180K, but it's a manual trans.

jwarnermd

For brake pad replacement the dealer gave me a small bottle of BG Squeal Stop, which is a liquid that you saturate the pads with and allow to dry before installation. The parts salesman seemed keen to the problem of squeaking even with OEM pads.

The instructions by Moogy were an excellent time-saver. Initially, I had taken off the entire caliper and had bought a special square piston device that inserts into each piston and is turned with a ratchet to get it to retract. I noticed plenty of pad left at that time and quit. The screwdriver levered against the rotor worked well. I also chose to bleed and flush the brake fluid which was also easy.

Of note: the dealer said if the wear sensor for worn brakes is activated, the sensor(s), which are only on the passenger side pads, would have to be replaced to be functional again. There are no screech attachments to warn of worn pads as in older models.

I didn't worry about turning the rotors, since I had no vibration when braking and have had more trouble with that in the past than replacing the pads alone.

Budhah

sounds about right,, my '99 GMC truck cost over $600 at Midas...

Funny thing is, the GMC rides almost as good as a smaller Lexus, when it has a bit of a load.. Could not say that about the 08 Tundra I had.

derpie

An excellent thread

LSGarry

Excellent thread is right!! Just got finished doing the rears and it was cake as everyone described.
Will be doing the fronts next weekend as time permits.
In the meantime, thanks to everyone and particularly Moogy and Lex2001 for their input.
Great forum!

airtime

Reading this thread again, makes me wanna do mine just for the heck of it as I think mine is due pretty soon so to prevent having to buy the sensor, this may be my short summer project

Moogy

I'm glad my initial post helped! Rolling with 72,200 miles now. It'll be time to replace the pads again soon. Good info on the non-squeak stuff; mine still make noise occasionally and next time I replace the pads, I want to make sure they don't squeak at all anymore...

V8_Fan

Just did my pads over the weekend...maybe 2mm left on the fronts at 25K mi (original pads). One thing I discovered is I couldn't get my floor jack under the front center axle jack point w/o having to remove the plastic plates. I was too lazy to do that, so I just used the spare tire jack at each wheel. It was surprisingly fast. The spare tool kit is of very good quality. Another thing I noticed was the suspension system (A-arms, etc.) are all aluminum (=$$$$). PS: I used a 2.5" C-clamp purchased from Sears ($3.99) to retract the pistons. I didn't have any problem with one popping out as the other one was retracted. I also replaced the little wear sensor clip for the right side wheels. For the anti-squeal disc brake grease, the manual says to put it on both sides of the inner shim on the rear, but only on the outside of the inner shim for the front. Got the little packet of grease at Autozone for about $1. Dealer only had the anti-squeal grease in big tubes ($40/tube!).

dypitre

What is the torque lbs. on the stretch bolts holding the caliper on 2005 LS430?

kayuwong

Is there a reset procedure to cancel the brake warning light. My front pads are fine and I did replaced the rear pads. One sensor seem a little worn out, but still looks good. I put everything back together. Light is still up. Any sugguestion ? ?Thanks in advance.

Nathan
1994 LS400