Front Brake Job questions

C clamp is fine just do it slowly

 

"I know I'm supposed to unplug the 12V btw."

Good. Now wait for Mendel Leisk to come along to set you straight on the rest of it. And a c-clamp is fine, just make sure it is centered exactly on the piston before applying pressure.

 

Is the front piston plastic? IIRC it is. I'd put a piece of plywood on the rim of it, to spread the load of the C-clamp.

I never opened bleed screw when pushing the piston in: it's just a can-of-worms I don't want to open, in case the car freaks. I do replace quart of brake fluid tri-yearly though, using Toyota DOT3, and following the Repair Manual instruction for brake bleed without Techstream (attached). Also, I disconnect the neg cable from the 12 volt battery before doing any disassembly. And leave it thus till everything's reassembled, AND I've pushed the brake pedal a bunch of times, taken up any slack.

For lube, I used Permatex Anti-Seize, a thin/uniform applicationon all points of contacts between pad backs and shims, and calipers. For the caliper glide pins, if I relube them I used Sil-Glyde Brake Lubricant. This is my personal choice, something readily available, and I've used for decades, on various cars, with no problems. Someone may be along shortly to explain why I'm a bad influence.

Addendum: Repair Manual brake excerpts added:

 

Sil-Glyde silicone grease is to prevent the slide pin rubber boots and seals from breaking down or swelling.

It doesn't contain petroleum products in it, like anti seize compound or traditional grease that can cause previously mentioned problems.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Some subscribe to opening the bleed valve, and have plausible reasons. I think it's more necessary if you're not doing a perdiodic brake fluid replacement. I've made it this far without ever doing that (opening bleed valve when pushing back pistons), and I think with the Prius I'd be more nervous: the brake bleed instruction (attached above) says you should be in Invalid Mode. Maybe for a quick blip you're ok, especially with 12 volt disconnected, but I'd just rather not go there.

 

You are refering to the rear brake calipers. You have to screw them back in.
If you use a medium sized pry bar you push the piston back, on the fronts, before removing
the calipers. I wedge it between the outer pad and caliper so I don't chance damaging
the disk.

 

Don't forget, front caliper pistons are some sort of plastic, avoid point-loads when pushing them back.

 

I totally don't get your incessantly, deliberately trolling attitude.

We're here to get the best information to readers on PriusChat, right? Is that why we're here? To kind of, you know, help people?

Is there anything wrong with you having a personal grease preference that disregards what Toyota recommends? Not at all! No reason not to have that preference, talk about it all day long. No problem.

But you stop, every last single time, at partial disclosure.

It is good that you say this much:

But you know the rest, and and you deliberately leave it out every time. It's not like it's hard to say: your personal choice is a silicone product, and the Toyota-specified 08887-01206 is a non-silicone, glycol product, and you don't know why they specify that but they consistently do, and have reaffirmed it a bunch of times when asked, but you like your stuff and you haven't noticed any problems.

That would be a perfectly honest and responsible way to say it, and it isn't difficult at all. Then readers are empowered to make their own judgments with the facts at hand.

The worst part is I am totally sure that you get this, because I am sure I remember seeing you expect proper disclosure from other people here on some other topics.

 

????? I don't understand what you mean?
If you use a clamp, you leave the pad in, so you don't damage the puck.
Though some don't do that.
"I wedge it between the outer pad and caliper so I don't chance damaging
the disk."
I don't care about damaging the pad, which doesn't damage it, because I'm replacing them.
And that will put even pressure on the puck as it's pressed back.

 

Yeah as long as old pad is on piston, or something similar. At least one report here, a clamp directly on piston rim, not spread out load, cracked the piston.

 

I've done lots of brake jobs (front and back) but have, yet, to do one on a hybrid. For bleeding the brakes, I've tried many ways and not really happy until I tried using an oil extraction pump device which seems to be very good for doing it alone and does a pretty good job pumping out a cup or so of brake fluid rather quickly without making a mess everywhere. Always use new brake fluid from a new can since any old cans will absorb any moisture in them which is bad. (Dot 3/4 is fine) I dump the old stuff in a small box with kitty litter in it to dispose of it...not recyclable and will ruin oil if mixed with it.

 

Local to me Toyota dealership took my used brake fluid; something you might check out.

they’re likely dealing with large quantities, have a place to recycle. Hopefully…

Addendum: i do see a lot of recommendations for kitty litter method; I have used that for some solvents, like brake cleaner for example.

 

They will dump the brake fluid into the old engine oil tank....

 

Some people wear the pads down to the medal, damaging the rotor with a huge lip.
I couldn't get he pads out or caliper off. That's how I figured out, there was no other way.
On some calipers you can use large channel locks to grip the back of the caliper and
the pad or rotor and squeeze it enough to get the pads off the caliper.

 

These are sweet, but I don't think I'll ever get one, just use a big C-clamp:



Where they are very handy, is with dual piston calipers. I could have used it this time:


(Honda Pilot front brakes.)

 

It kind of depends on where the air is that you're trying to bleed out. If you are sure everything is good except maybe the line to a wheel where you had a caliper off, this kind of approach might be enough.

If there is any chance of bubbles being in the underhood hardware, the bleed procedure controlled by the ECU commanded by a scan tool is the only way, because there are multiple passages in there that depend on which way the valves go, so some of those passages you are not even bleeding at all unless the ECU switches the valves for you.

 

With the old pad in place, you'll only need ONE clamp, in the center of the pad.