Hi,
I read all your posts. I decided to solve this problem. My pins were solidly rusted from the regular salt up north. I wrote a short procedure in 2003 but now my procedure has everything but a shop light in it. This is a short summary of what to do that worked for me in 5 minutes on the Never-Seez'ed pins on one side and 10 minutes on the pins that were not coated.
Critical parts list for the D-I-Y person trying to remove rusted Toyota brake pins.
Craftsman # 9 18687 4-piece air chisel set that cost about $32. You want the pin punch tool.
Craftsman or Chicago Pneumatics air chisel for use with the above set or a package deal.
*Cut the shaft off one of the tools you don't want with a hacksaw about one inch from the raised ridge portion of the tool.
*Grind the end flat. Do not taper or chamfer. You have the tapered pin punch in the above set for that.
Never-Seez(Registered), 1 pound can or less, Bostik Chemical Group, Emhart, Broadview, Ill, 60153. Maximum temperature is 2000 degrees F. Do your brakes get that hot?
Craftsman black pin punch, 5 inches long, 3/16 inch, #9-42885.
Craftsman black pin punch 5.5 inches long, 1/4 inch, #9-42886.
Liquid Wrench, not a spray.
2 brake pin sets for the front brakes. Auto Zone, $8 each. Or buy two Carlson # 14108 sets.
(The black and orange Carlson box says, "An International Brake Industries(r) Company". Carlson subsidiary is in LIMA, OHIO.)
I wrote a complete very detailed procedure to remove the pins and pads. This is the meat of my idea. Do you really think a mechanic spends more than a few minutes on removing these pins? That idea led me to this short summary procedure.
Turn the steering wheel so you can better access the back of the pins. Using the blunt tool you made, SQUARELY hit the brake pin on the flared end first with a quarter second blast from the air chisel. Remove the clevis spring wire system holding the pins in place in the back. Next, squarely hit the clevis end of the brake pin on the backside of the caliper. It will move. Go as far as you dare. Switch to the air powered tapered pin punch to drive the pin into the recess of the caliper pin hole where it was frozen up. Switch to a hammer and your manual black pin punch. Hammer the pin the rest of the way out. Apply lubricant as needed. The pins will come out with little trouble. I mushroomed one of the pins and collapsed the wire hole on one where I didn't use Never-Seez last time. The tapered air chisel punch drove it through into the caliper enough to switch to the hammer.
Remove both pins and note how the anti-rattle spring curls around the pins. The curved arch always goes down on either side on a 1999 Tacoma truck
Never-Seez (Register Trademark) Procedure.
You can do this anytime before or after you remove the old pads. Using the tip of a pin or a small screwdriver, dip it into NEVER-SEEZ and coat the inside of the pin guide holes in the caliper castings in the front and back of the caliper and at the top and bottom pin locations.
Once you get the pads and shims greased and installed, you are ready to put the Never-Seez coated pins in. Mount the anti-rattle spring as you do the following. The spring arch goes down. Coat the whole pin with Never-Seez. You can use brake grease on the MIDDLE of the pins, if you want after installation. It depends on how bad the rust was on your pins. Push the new pins into the first casting and through the first set of pads, shims, and the rattle arch spring. Coat the clevis pin hole end with N-S while twisting the pin. Coat the flared end and push the pin all the way into the caliper. This should completely coat the caliper casting holes with anti-seize Never-Seez or your silicone brake grease. The N-S will make it easy to remove the pins next time. You WILL become a believer in Never-Seez. You can put some brake grease on the middle of the pins if you like to prevent rusting where the pads ride on the pins or the stainless steel spring anti-rattle ends. This can be hard to do and not get it on the pads. Be creative.
There’s no hocus-pocus black magic in this summary procedure. Get the right tools and this is an easy brake job to do.
Disclaimer: I do not guarantee that this will work on your truck. I have no way of knowing your skill level, your truck, or the condition of your calipers. The blunt and tapered pin punch trick worked on the rusted brake pins for me and that's the main point. You assume all risks. If you don't understand all this or don't have all these critical tools, then let your dealer or your mechanic do the job.
HTH,
Rusty Pin
