olddog

iTrader: (2)

hey guys,
i am embarking on a greaat mission; A DIY project. Because the lexus dealer diagnosed that my front rotors are warped and are charging a ridiculous price to fix it(almost 1000dollars), i have decided to do it own my own since i am a able-bodied young man(LOL ). i have decided to buy the rotors and brake pads from e-bay.
now i have two questions;

1. what tools do i need for this DIY project and
2. they said i had "hotspots" on my rear rotors. what are Hotspots and does it mean i have to change the rear rotors also(i really do not want to waste money on uneccessary things).

if my first DIY project goes well, i estimate to save about 700 dollars. This intend to lavish on my car (94 gs300) by giving her her first MOD(since i got her). whoooooooooooo . i intend on spending it on new rims and tires.
Hope all goes well.
so guys, what do y'll think?

turbogs300

No special tools needed, except maybe a caliper piston compressor. Some auto parts shops might even loan it to you. Clean and paint the calipers while you're in there. Maybe do some stainless brake lines as well.
You're replacing the rotors, so don't worry about the hotspots, unless your calipers are sticking.

Tammy

You'll need a 14mm socket and ratchet. A section of old coat hanger to hold up the caliper. A four inch C-Clamp with a small block of wood. Spray brake cleaner, a few old rags. Spray rubber preservitive, like Vinylex or Aerospace 303. Synthetic brake caliper grease...CRC brand for example. Additionally, I use a 3/8 torque wrench, so no bolts removed are weakened when reinstalled. And a 1/2 torque wrench with a 21mm deep socket to torque the wheel lugs. An over-torqued lug nut will warp the rotors, new or old. Lexus lugs are set to 76 Ft Lbs. I use a T-Wrench to pretighten the lugs evenly.

I assume you have replaced brake pads before. Jack up the auto and between the jack and the tire, place a jack stand on the body edge. ( you may have to shift the jack a little towards the middle to fit the stand in) This is for your safety, use them. Disengage the emergency brake, leave in Park..

After removing the tire, spin on one lugnut to hold the disk in place till your ready to remove it. The bottom 14mm slide bolt with the rubber boot is what is removed. Swing the caliper on the upper slide bolt up and away from the rotor and pads. The coat hanger wire is used to hold the caliper up to the spring.

You now have access to the pads, shims and stainless pad clips. The inner pads may have squeel clips that are removed from the old pads and reinstalled on the new inner pads. Be aware.
Remove the pads with the anti-squeel shims. Clean the shims, recognizing they fit together only one way to the pad back. I used a putty knife to clean mine, along with a solvent. Using an old paint brush, clean with brake cleaner the point where the pads lay into the stainless clips, upper and lower.

Remove the last lugnut installed previously and remove the disk from the spindle hub. A tap from a hammer may be needed to break loose any rust. Clean off the hub after removing the disk. Install the replacement and again use a lugnut to hold the new disk into place.

Now this is the tricky part. Place the small wood block on the face of the caliper cup where it meets the pad. This keeps the cup true in its bore as you press it. Place the C-Clamp screw side on the wood block and eyeball the cup as it retracts into the caliper while "gently" screwing in the clamp. Careful not to pinch or cut the cup boot as you press it in. Check the brake master cylinder reservior of overflow. Remove a little brake fluid if needed to prevent spilling out.

Using a little caliper grease, coat the pad back, the shims (both sides) and the upper and lower pad contact points. This prevents brake squeel. Reinstall the pads tight against the disk in the caliper. Don't grease the caliper cup surface where it meets the pad.

Remove the hanger wire and swing down the caliper onto the pads. Grease the slide bolt and reinstall into the bottom caliper hole and snug the bolt. Remove the upper bolt, clean, regrease it's outside and reinstall. Preserve the boots with a rubber preservative.

The front 14mm caliper botls are torqued to 25 Ft Lbs front and 20 Ft Lbs rear.

By hand, pump the brake pedal to restore brake fluid to the caliper cup. Reinstall the wheel, snug the lugnuts sequentually, and remove the jack stand. Retorque the wheel lugs to 76 Ft Lbs.

Remember, the rear disks contain a drum surface for the emergency brake. Clean the emergency brake drum shoes and the inner brake surfaces with the spray brake cleaner. Don't mess with the individual wheel adjusters. If the emergency brakes need adjustment, it's adjusted where the brake cables come together at the single pulling point. There is a double nut adjustment.

This gives an idea what the $700 pays for. Take your time....Check your work... Twice !

Hot Spots are indicated by a blueing if the rotor metal, due to overheating. This takes away some of the "temper" or hardness of the steel surface. Consider having the disk turned 1/2 mm to true it if you don't replace the disk.

I have attached a PDF file indicating the shim and pad placement on the RX... very close to your application.

7Cain

Wow, Great instructions Tammy!! I was wondering if we had any members without a Y chromosome. You rock!

7Cain

olddog

iTrader: (2)

hey,
that was a nice write -up. thanks alot
what else besides a wraped rotor and bumpy tires could cause a wheel to shake at arounnd 60-70 miles/hr.
control arm, ball joints?

Tammy

My thanks to all ...

Any worn suspension part may cause wheel play or wabble. From the rack bushings, tie rod ends, ball joints in the steering. The rubber bushing mounts for the sway bars and their pivits. Loose upper strut mounts I've been advised may also be a cause. Grab the part or mounting and shake it for play, as with the tie rod end, for instance. There should be very little play felt, but, just a little bit is normal. Otherwise, it's binding, as if it were bent.

Xeeeeeem

Do you feel any resistance when driving?? Your calipers and pads could be sticking. I had this problem. Above 50mph my car would vibrate for a good 2-3-4 minutes and it would go away. Towards the end when my calipers got really bad, my car vibrated all the time and my car lacked alot of power!!

olddog

iTrader: (2)

i usually get the vibration when i am doing about 60-70 miles/hr and then it gets a little better when i cross 70. but it gets worse when i step on the brake at the above spped limits.
i took it to lexus repair centre and they said my 2 front rots were warped and my tires were sorth of bad(though they are almost new).
s i decided to change the rotors and brake pads as soon as possible.
do u think this is a good idea or could it be something else?

7Cain

Rotors and pads are always good to replace if there is a question about there integrity! I'm not trying to side on the dealer here either, I hate them, but if you have had this problem for a while then you could have ruined the tires without knowing it. I say get a second opinion or suck it up and let the dealership handle it.

Maximum Respect

gulleyman

Ooookay, so this is an awesome write-up and it inspired me to try this myself for the first time ever but I have a couple of questions.
1) While I was pressing the cup in the cup boot did not fold up like it should on one side. How do I remedy this?
(edit: figured this out, just put the other brakes together, left this caliper hanging and pumped the brake until the cup was extended again. Tried it again and the cup boot folded up just fine. Maybe I didn't retract it evenly the first time?)
2) I put the brake grease on the pad back and both sides of the shims like Tammy said, but how do I keep the caliper cup surface from getting grease on it once the pads are in and the caliper is back in place? Should I not grease the back of the shim where it meets the caliper cup? I hope Tammy chimes in