04 tundra brake pad change problems

[lient]

I was attempting to change the brakes on my wife's 04 tundra the other day and ran into some issues. I can not get the pistons on the inside to push back in to put the new pads in. So I was taking the caliper off to use a c-clamp to recess them. The Caliper mounting bolt sheared off while trying to loosen it. I drilled it for a bolt extractor to try and remove the bolt and the extractor broke off now. Any suggestions on removing the extractor? Also I still am not able to recess the piston with a clamp when the caliper is off so suggestions on that too. I am going to bring it into he mechanic but they cannot get me in until Thursday so I figured if I could fix it before then and save a little money I would.

Thanks

[Jeremy airjer W]

used knuckle and a new caliper.

Other wise try drilling the bolt from the other side of the knuckle with the rotor off. Then use a punch to push out the extractor.

[delcecchi]

If, perish the thought, the same thing had happened at a service center, who pays for the extra parts and labor?

[Dave S]

Would the pistons on the Toyota calipers have to be turned in order to go in? I know the rear pistons on our G6 have to be rotated while pushing them in. But that's a GM product.

Just a thought.

[CAMAN]

I know it's too late but to save you and someone else future headaches, in my experience being a machinist, bolt extractors/easy outs are junk and cause more headaches than they potentially solve. In most cases the bolt sheared off because it is rusted or frozen in place. And expecting a tool that is a smaller diameter than the bolt that just broke off to break that bond is asking a lot. Though they are great for screws and bolts that have been stripped or sheared/cut off for other reasons.

Usually punching a center point to the bolt and using a couple drills to step up the hole size to just under the thread size, then using an awl and needle nose to break the rest out is typically the best way to go. You can sometimes grab the end of the thread and pull it straight out like a spring.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Many times the tech eats the labor for removing the broken bolts. If additional parts are needed the customer will get the bill. Typically when unforeseen problems pop up the "you pay for the parts and we'll pay for the labor" routine is employed. at least all the shops I have been involved with use this procedure.

You may say that it is the shops fault for breaking that bolt but the shop has only had the vehicle for a couple of hours of the vehicles years of service. Things break and we do are best not to get into those situations. When they do pop up all we are trying to do is fix the problem without loosing money. If it broke than it would have broken at any shop or if you had tried doing it yourself. Its nobodies fault, its just what it is.

There are many "routine" jobs that I will specifically ask for additional labor because I know that there is a good likely hood there will be issues. Additional parts can also be requested on those estimates as well. If the job goes smooth those additions are removed.

[delcecchi]

Thanks. I wasn't making accusations or anything, just wondering.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Would the pistons on the Toyota calipers have to be turned in order to go in? I know the rear pistons on our G6 have to be rotated while pushing them in. But that's a GM product.

Just a thought.

These would be muti piston calipers with a piston inboard and a piston outboard. They can be a little tricky to get pushed in at the same time but they should compress without any special tools.

The calipers that need to be turned are rear calipers with the emergency brake built into them. The emergency brake uses a ratcheting mechanism within the caliper to constantly stay adjusted as the piston travels. Rotating the piston while compressing releases the mechanism and allows the piston to return back into the caliper.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Thanks. I wasn't making accusations or anything, just wondering.

Happy to share the other side of things.

[98prosport]

just a quick question. Some of the Tundra's had a recall pertaining to rust on the frame. If the rust is bad enough they are replacing the entire frame. Sounds like you may have a serious rust issue. I'd check it out.

[Jeremy airjer W]

just a quick question. Some of the Tundra's had a recall pertaining to rust on the frame. If the rust is bad enough they are replacing the entire frame. Sounds like you may have a serious rust issue. I'd check it out.

The calipers do not need to be removed and are typically not removed to replace the pads. If the rotors need to be serviced than the caliper has to be removed. It is not uncommon for the bolts to be rusted up even as soon as there first service. This is common among a lot of manufacturers. It does not indicate the condition of anything else except the parts that are frozen.