Replacing brake pads and shoes

[Coudreaux18]

I have a 2003 Tundra SR5 and im about to replace the front and rear brakes. The front are obviously disc and the rear are drum, any suggestions or problems that i might run into on the way?

[5 Speed]

Good luck getting the front pins out, they might be stuck in place, be sure to get extras before you start the project. The rears are probably fine if this is the first set up front. When you remove the rear drums be sure to check for the thin fiber spacer and clean it all off or you will warp the rears.

[Remmy700P]

The only suggestion I have is to make sure you have replacements for the small parts, i.e. springs, pins, etc. and a healthy supply of CRC Brake-Klean (do NOT use compressed air to blow the brake dust off!!) and high-temp brake grease. Just take it step-by-step, go slow, and you'll be fine.

Attached are a couple of good step-by-step PDFs for attacking the brakes. (The front disk brake tutorial is targeted at the caliper upgrade for the earlier year Tundra models, but the pad install procedures are still applicable.)

Good luck.

[deanot]

As said above, make sure you have spare pins, I got mine from Toyota at a cost of 1.39 a piece, or very close to that price.
Advance Autos quoted me 7.00 a piece! Ouch.....

Fronts are simple to do, I just did mine and the rotors, make sure your rotors look ok, make sure you have not damaged them or you may need to have them turned down a little.

[GORILLA]

hi,
if you likeld the feel of your brakes,before they wore out.
than i suggest you replace with OEM part's.
many people have had issue's with aftermarket part's. the pedal and feel and stopping does change ALOT!
gorilla

[ricqik]

I've replaced my front pads 4 times and rear once. I don't have any issues with pins being stuck or what ever you guys are talking about.

[Remmy700P]

I've replaced my front pads 4 times and rear once. I don't have any issues with pins being stuck or what ever you guys are talking about.

It's easy to forget to apply a little grease to the pad retaining pins and pin holes on the caliper, and a bad winter/heavy mudding can get them seized up, and having to use a metal punch to get them out is a PITA.

Oh, and I highly recommend the Toyota OEM pads. You're asking for trouble going off the reservation looking for aftermarket "performance" or brake dust-minimizing pads. Just my $0.02.

[Tailfeathers]

Good info above. My pins were a little rusted and a little extra work to get out. Too bad they weren't stainless steel. The little pins that hold the long pins in can be a pain and get distorted. I just used cotter pins on the ones I boogered up when removing. One thing, one BIG thing you should know. There are TWO sizes of front brake pads for that vehicle, the 2003 when it was produced. My truck took the bigger pad. Its a V6, 4WD, Auto Tran. extended cab and no towing package. I 'm glad my truck uses the bigger pads, but not happy when I gooed up the back of a set, added the shims and it wouldn't fit cause I was sold the smaller set. They took it back and had the larger set in stock luckily, AFTER we looked closer at the info on the computer screen, UGH! Now I know and now the kid at the store knows 2003 Tundras take two sizes. I wrote the size in my repair manual, I think it took 5 and something inches as opposed to 4 and something inches, I would bring in the old pad to make sure . I'm not sure if the dimensions were calculated end to end or hole to hole to determine which pad size.
Good luck. Tundras are remarkably easy .

[Ken0la]

Just to add to the stuck pins mentioned. I am currently in the process of replacing my front pads. I was lucky enough to get a pin out after mushrooming the head and and then grinding it back down. The pins were all badly rusted, likely due to the fact that salt is added to the roads here in North Western Ontario during the winter months. I was also not so lucky with another pin that I am going to have to cut out as it bent badly after attempting to remove it with a metal punch. I actually bent my punch as well if you can believe that. I am using a little never seize on the new pins in hopes of never having to go threw this procedure again.

[kerryman71]

Ditto on the pins. I used a tool for setting Hilti anchors to get mine
out. It was a little smaller in diameter than the pins and I was
able to use a hammer to bang them out, but it was a royal PITA.

Definitely use some anti-seize on the replacement pins if you don't
want the problem in the future.

[hdtech]

I just recently did my front brakes and:
1 Get new pins! Mine were badly corroded and I sanded them clean. (new ones ordered)
2 Perhaps Tundra Solutions Forum - View Profile: trfytoy can make some Stainless ones?
3 Do not use antisieze on the caliper pins it can get thick over time. Use silicon hi-temp caliper grease.
Perhaps Mevang can chime in on this?

[HOGWILD]

Lotta great info & here is a newer pdf it's actually for 05 Tundra which might be a little different as in newer info? Might not? Hope it helps anyway! 03's did not suffer from poor designed brake system as far as i know