gridlock13

iTrader: (1)

i've got a 300 and, oddly enough, the front shim kit for our smaller brakes is more expensive even with the CL discount ($36.30).

apex47

I'm at around 65k miles and was told I need to replace my front brakes which are down to about 3mm. I'm not sure if turning and machining rotors mean the same thing but is that required when changing brake pads?

gridlock13

iTrader: (1)

yes because the material from the new pads need a clean rotor surface to bond to during break in

montz450

i don't think you need to turn or machine (same thing) your rotors unless you have a shaking or vibrating in your steering wheel when u hit the brakes.

apex47

Would bedding the pads also solve a vibrating issue?

Also, I'm order I'm parts from Sewell, would I need to order the pads, shims, and brake kit?

gridlock13

iTrader: (1)

vibration can come from warped rotors but also if the material from the pads aren't bedded onto the rotor surface correctly. i bought my pads off tirerack and there were instructions on how to bed the pads in properly.

and the shims and brake kit can be reused if you already have them on your car. the akebono proACT pads i bought off tirerack already came with a pad attached. i ordered the shim kit just for peace of mind (not necessary) and i reused the brake fitting kit that was already on.

canucklehe

i've done many brake jobs on many cars, trucks, atvs, dirtbikes. Sometimes I use a coarse emery cloth to sand rotors. nowadays, you get rotors with ceramic pads for pretty cheap, so I often just get new rotors.

getting them turned is also an option. rotors can warp in which case they are unlikely to be able to turn and retain minimum thickness. often the vibration feeling is from hotspots, and turning them will not eliminate that.

ALSO, make sure you remove the slider pins and make sure they move freely, and are well lubed. do not tear the rubber boot, it slides over the notch on the pin. a sticky slider might also cause some brake vibration.

Shims... I dunno. lots of times I have not used, and other times I've re-used. can't say i see what they are supposed to do. maybe I'm too hard of hearing to pick up the squeal. I've also put in cheap pads/rotors that are noisy no matter what I do, and squeak or squeal with shims.

I just replaced front pads on my 93 Es300. I re-used the 2 shims per pad. one shim is like it's vented (inner shim) and the outer shim is solid. My pad already had it's own shim permanently attached. I used both of the old shims anyways, but I don't know if it was necessary, especially with the pad already having some kind of shim. all-in-all I'm guessing it won't hurt. the caliper pushes in the pads, so brakes still work.

as for the theory about caliper grease working it's way into piston and contaminating brake fluid....just don't believe that is possible from grease. maybe some other issue caused leakage and internal seepage. I try to clean the bit of exposed caliper piston, then a shot of WD before I collapse it with c-clamp.

brake lines deteriorate from within. my mechanic friend swears they should all be replaced at 10-15 years old. I just replaced all brake lines on our '96 1T diesel. replacing brake lines AFTER they leak or brake is always ugly. doing them before issue arises is way easier.

ibidu1

iTrader: (1)

I ran mine without shims, only the shims that came on the aftermarket pads.

Why didnt you reuse the old ones?

canucklehe

did you notice any ill-effects from not using shims? noisier?

KJSmitty

I'll comment that I did not use my old OEM shims on the aftermarket ceramic pads due to the new pads came with pretty good looking shims installed... Well, all I can say is one would swear I didn't have pads at all - they scream so loud it's down right hideous. I was a Nissan, Olds, Pontiac and GMC tech in my past and have performed more brake jobs than I can remotely remember. This GS350 is by far the "squealiest" setup I have ever encountered - yet one of the easiest/simple caliper designs to work on. I've mumbled WTF more times in the last month over these brakes than any other time in my life. All I can say is in Lexus's "pursuit of perfection" they have definitely perfected the dash rattle and brake squeal.

That being said I received my OEM anti-squeal shim kit from Sewell today. Will install this weekend. I'll probably just replace the rotors and pads and basically start over.

For the OP, and the statement that using anti squeal/vibration lube/compound could result in it getting into your caliper/brake-lines and fluid....... Lets just say that would be nearly improbable. It would not only have to get past the piston boot yet also the piston seal/o-ring. If used properly I just don't see it happening.

Cheers

canucklehe

KJ Smitty, I get what you're saying.

I have had similar experiences with many after market pads, brake parts, etc... noisy, wear out quick, etc.. . I.E: Aftermarket rear rotors dragged or "clinked" on my Camry no matter how much I adjusted the E-brake shoes, ceramic pads, etc... Other pads wear out in no time, or cheap shims slip off and score rotor, & on & on.

I suspect many of these parts are mass produced junk under a variety of private label names. I've gone cheap, expensive and have had inconsistent results in both. I dunno anymore.

+1 on the brake caliper/contamination disbelief.

let us know how you make out with shims, and if you change pads.

swtjlsy

iTrader: (6)

he asked where and look what popped up lol