GX470 Brake Pad and Rotor Replacement Instructions
06-02-24, 01:28 PM
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GX470 Brake Pad and Rotor Replacement Instructions
This is the procedure I used to replace my pads, rotors, as well as my front calipers on my GX470. It is a combination of the service manual, YouTube videos, and my personal experience. Sorry, there are no pictures and the format is all bunched together, this is more a checklist that you can follow while watching "Timmy the Toolman" videos. I was installing the PowerStop Z36 pads and rotors, so there are some notes specific to those
2008 Lexus GX470 Brakes
Front Pad/Rotor Replacement
1) Prior to jacking the vehicle up break the wheel lug nuts free
2) Block the wheels, then jack the vehicle up to get the wheel just off the ground and support with jack stands
3) Remove the lug nuts and wheel
4) Turn the steering wheel if necessary to get better access to the back side of the brakes
5) The caliper hardline is connected to a bracket, to allow the caliper to be removed the bracket will need to be disconnected
a. Remove the upper small bracket bolt from the larger bracket
b. Remove the large bracket bolt from the steering knuckle
6) Unbolt the caliper and hang from the strut spring, do not let the caliper hang from the brake line
7) Remove the rotor, this may take several hard blows with a hammer to free it from the hub
8) Temporarily remount the caliper to make subsequent steps easier
9) Remove the pads from the caliper, noting how the pins and anti-rattle spring are orientated; this is important to understand how they go back together
10) Loosen the brake master cylinder cap under the hood, this will allow brake fluid to push back into the reservoir when compressing the calipers
11) Compress the calipers to push the pistons all the way back into the caliper body. Perform the compression slowly and compress the pistons until they stop moving. The pistons can be compressed by putting an old brake pad back in place and then using a C-clamp to squeeze the pad against the pistons.
a. If the boots around the pistons are torn or the pistons will not compress, the caliper should be replaced or rebuilt. (see Caliper Replacement)
12) Tighten the brake master cylinder cap.
13) Unbolt the caliper and clean any excessive dirt, rust, grime, and then re-hang on the strut spring.
14) Clean the hub to remove rust and to make the surface smooth and even; using a hub cleaner attached to a drill is the ideal way to do this, a wire brush and flat head screw driver is also handy to scrap the surface smooth. This is an important step to ensure the new rotor is mounted evenly.
15) Apply a light coat of brake anti-seize to the hub surface, this will help make future removals easier.
16) Clean the new brake rotor with brake cleaner, especially the surfaces where the brake pads make contact.
a. If the rotor has a sticker indicating its location on the vehicle, ensure that it is removed
17) Load the rotor to the hub and install a couple lug nuts to secure it in place
18) Clean the caliper mounting surfaces and bolts, then reinstall the caliper (91ft-lb). Ensure the small tab on the large bracket is aligned to the hole in the knuckle.
19) Grease the back of the pads where the pistons will contact with brake grease, do not get any contaminates on the braking surface of the pad. Note: PowerStop Z36 pads come with a preinstalled shim (metal plate on the back of the pad), pads without shims will need to have a shim greased and installed.
20) Install the pads to the caliper. The pad with the wear indicator (metal tab) should be on the inside with the tab on the leading edge of the rotor rotation when driving forward.
21) Grease the top brake pad pin and slide it through the caliper and pads.
22) Grease the lower brake pad pin and slide it through the caliper, pads, and anti-rattle spring. Adjust the anti-rattle spring so that it is secured to the pads properly.
23) Install the pin retainers to the hole in the end of the pin to prevent the pins from sliding out.
24) Fasten the large bracket to the steering knuckle (28ft-lb)
25) Fasten the small bracket to the large bracket (78in-lb)
26) The brake line was never removed so bleeding the brakes is not necessary, however it is a good practice.
a. Rubber band a shop towel under the bleeder valve, this will help keep brake fluid from running onto the caliper if some should escape from the valve threads, which is important when troubleshooting any leaks.
b. Attach a clear vinyl tube to the bleeder valve and route it into a container
c. Turn the vehicle on, but do not start, this will activate the brake booster
d. Have partner pump the brakes and then hold the brake down
e. Open the bleeder valve about a quarter turn to allow air to escape, then retighten
f. The partner can then let the petal up and pump the brakes again to repeat the process until no air can be seen coming from the caliper into the vinyl tube
g. Tighten the bleeder valve (96in-lb) and remove the shop towel
h. Check the brake fluid level in the master cylinder and refill if necessary
27) Remove the lug nuts that were holding the rotor in place
28) Install the wheel and tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern
29) Remove the jack stands and lower the vehicle to the ground.
30) Torque the lug nuts in a star pattern (82ft-lb).
Front Caliper Replacement
From Step 11:
1) Make sure the master cylinder cap is on to help slow the flow of brake fluid during caliper removal.
2) Obtain a vacuum cap of the appropriate size to cap off the brake line, it is good to have an assortment ready if you are not sure what size is needed.
3) With a flare nut wrench, undo the nut from the caliper and pullout the brake hardline.
4) Cap the end of the hardline with a vacuum cap to stop the flow of brake fluid.
5) Remove the old caliper.
6) Purchase a new caliper
a. Ensure the new caliper body has been painted to prevent future rusting
b. Check that the pistons are pushed all the way back
c. Check the boots around the pistons to ensure they are installed correctly (no tears or odd wrinkling)
d. Check for signs that the product is not someone else’s return
From Step 17:
7) Clean the caliper mounting surfaces and bolts, then reinstall the caliper (91ft-lb). Ensure the small tab on the large bracket is aligned to the hole in the knuckle.
8) Rubber band a shop towel under the brake line receptacle on the caliper, this will help keep brake fluid from running all over the caliper, which is important when troubleshooting any leaks.
9) Remove the vacuum plug from the brake hardline, move the hardline into the caliper receptacle and tighten the nut hand tight.
10) Fasten the large bracket to the steering knuckle (28ft-lb), this will help ensure the hardline is in the correct orientation before it is completely tightened.
11) Tighten the hardline nut (132in-lb)
12) Remove shop towel and cleanup any fluid that may have escaped
Return to Step 19 (skip step 24, and perform bleeding per step 26)
Rear Pad/Rotor Replacement
1) Prior to jacking the vehicle up break the wheel lug nuts free
2) Block the wheels, then jack the vehicle up to get the wheel just off the ground and support with jack stands
3) Remove the lug nuts and wheel
4) Unbolt the caliper and set on top of axle, do not let the caliper hang from the brake line
5) Unbolt the pad carrier and remove
6) Release the parking brake
7) Install two bolts (M8 x 1.25) into the treaded holes in the rotor, these bolts will push against the hub face to help remove the rotor
8) Tighten the two bolts evenly to push the rotor straight off the hub to prevent it from snagging on the internal parking brake shoes, remove the rotor
9) Loosen the brake master cylinder cap under the hood, this will allow brake fluid to push back into the reservoir when compressing the calipers
10) Compress the calipers to push the piston all the way back into the caliper body. Perform the compression slowly and compress the piston until it stops moving. The piston can be compressed by using a caliper compression tool.
a. If the boot around the piston is torn or the piston will not compress, the caliper should be replaced or rebuilt.
11) Clean any excessive dirt, rust, or grime from the caliper, especially the surfaces that will contact the brake pads.
12) Tighten the brake master cylinder cap.
13) Clean the hub to remove rust and make the surface smooth and even; using a hub cleaner attached to a drill is the ideal way to do this, a wire brush and flat head screw driver is also handy to scrap the surface smooth. This is an important step to ensure the new rotor is mounted evenly.
14) Apply a light coat of brake anti-seize to the hub surface, this will help make future removals easier.
15) Clean the new brake rotor with brake cleaner, especially the surfaces where the brake pads and parking brake shoes make contact.
a. If the rotor has a sticker indicating its location on the vehicle, ensure that it is removed
16) Load the rotor to the hub and install a couple lug nuts to secure it in place
17) Adjust the parking brake shoes
a. Turn the rotor until the through hole is at the 6 o’clock position and the internal star wheel can be seen.
b. Turn the star wheel upwards until it stops, the brake rotor should now be locked in place by the parking brake shoes. If it is not then the star wheel was turned in the wrong direction, reverse the direction until the rotor is locked.
c. Back-off the star wheel 8 notches from the locked position, the rotor should now turn freely
18) Remove the brake pads from the pad carrier
19) Replace the clips one at a time to ensure the new clips are installed in the correct orientation
20) Remove and replace the rubber boots, apply lithium grease to the inside of the boots. The long boot can be difficult to install, the outside of this boot can be lubed and pushed through the carrier hole with a punch. The end of the punch should be large, a small punch and/or a lot of force can pierce the end of the boot.
21) Load the pads into the carrier without contaminating the braking surface of the pad. The pad with the wear indicator (metal tab) should be on the inside with the tab on the leading edge of the rotor rotation when driving forward.
22) Clean the carrier mounting surfaces and bolts, then reinstall the carrier over the rotor (77ft-lb).
23) Push on the outside of the pads to slide them into contact with the rotor, this will provide room for the caliper installation.
24) Apply brake grease to the inside pad’s surface that will contact the caliper piston and apply brake grease to the caliper arms that will contact the outer pad’s surface. Note: PowerStop Z36 pads come with a preinstalled shim (metal plate on the back of the pad), pads without shims will need to have a shim greased and installed.
25) Clean the caliper mounting surfaces and bolts.
26) Apply lithium grease to the shafts of the caliper bolts, do not grease the threads.
27) Install the caliper over the carrier and adjust the rubber boots as required to align with the bolt holes.
28) Install the caliper bolts (65ft-lb)
29) Clean any grease that may squeeze-out from the boots.
30) The brake line was never removed so bleeding the brakes is not necessary, however it is a good practice.
a. Rubber band a shop towel under the bleeder valve, this will help keep brake fluid from running onto the caliper if some should escape from the valve threads, which is important when troubleshooting any leaks.
b. Attach a clear vinyl tube to the bleeder valve and route it into a container
c. Turn the vehicle on, but do not start, this will activate the brake booster
d. Have partner hold the brake down, pumping is not required, the brake booster will continuously push the fluid out (rear brakes only).
e. Open the bleeder valve about a quarter turn to allow air to escape, when no bubbles are present tighten the bleeder valve (96in-lb)
f. The partner can now release the brake petal and the shop towel can be removed.
g. Check the brake fluid level in the master cylinder and refill if necessary
31) Remove the lug nuts that were holding the rotor in place
32) Install the wheel and tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern
33) Remove the jack stands and lower the vehicle to the ground.
34) Torque the lug nuts in a star pattern (82ft-lb).
Break-In Procedure (PowerStop Z36)
Copied from PowerStop instructions
Important: Break-in new pads/rotors using the pad bedding procedure as follows, proper bedding can prevent rotor warping. The break-in procedure is critical to brake performance. The reason for a proper break-in is to establish an even layer of friction material deposited on the rotors from the brake pads. It is very important that this initial layer of friction material is evenly distributed.
1) 5 aggressive decelerations from 40mph – 10 mph in rapid succession without letting the brakes cool and do not come to a compete stop. If you are forced to stop, either shift into neutral or give room in front so you can allow the vehicle to cool slightly. The rotors will be very hot and holding down the brake petal will cause the pad to create an imprint on the rotor, causing DTV (Disc Thickness Variation) issues. Shift into neutral and keep your foot off the brake petal.
2) 5 moderate decelerations from 35mph to 5mph in rapid succession without letting the brakes cool. You should expect to smell some resin as the brakes get hot.
3) After steps 1 and 2 are complete, drive around slowly, for as long as possible without excessively using the brakes and without coming to a complete stop (Try for about 5 minutes at moderate speed). This is the cooling stage. It allows the heated resin in the brake pads to cool and cure.
2008 Lexus GX470 Brakes
Front Pad/Rotor Replacement
1) Prior to jacking the vehicle up break the wheel lug nuts free
2) Block the wheels, then jack the vehicle up to get the wheel just off the ground and support with jack stands
3) Remove the lug nuts and wheel
4) Turn the steering wheel if necessary to get better access to the back side of the brakes
5) The caliper hardline is connected to a bracket, to allow the caliper to be removed the bracket will need to be disconnected
a. Remove the upper small bracket bolt from the larger bracket
b. Remove the large bracket bolt from the steering knuckle
6) Unbolt the caliper and hang from the strut spring, do not let the caliper hang from the brake line
7) Remove the rotor, this may take several hard blows with a hammer to free it from the hub
8) Temporarily remount the caliper to make subsequent steps easier
9) Remove the pads from the caliper, noting how the pins and anti-rattle spring are orientated; this is important to understand how they go back together
10) Loosen the brake master cylinder cap under the hood, this will allow brake fluid to push back into the reservoir when compressing the calipers
11) Compress the calipers to push the pistons all the way back into the caliper body. Perform the compression slowly and compress the pistons until they stop moving. The pistons can be compressed by putting an old brake pad back in place and then using a C-clamp to squeeze the pad against the pistons.
a. If the boots around the pistons are torn or the pistons will not compress, the caliper should be replaced or rebuilt. (see Caliper Replacement)
12) Tighten the brake master cylinder cap.
13) Unbolt the caliper and clean any excessive dirt, rust, grime, and then re-hang on the strut spring.
14) Clean the hub to remove rust and to make the surface smooth and even; using a hub cleaner attached to a drill is the ideal way to do this, a wire brush and flat head screw driver is also handy to scrap the surface smooth. This is an important step to ensure the new rotor is mounted evenly.
15) Apply a light coat of brake anti-seize to the hub surface, this will help make future removals easier.
16) Clean the new brake rotor with brake cleaner, especially the surfaces where the brake pads make contact.
a. If the rotor has a sticker indicating its location on the vehicle, ensure that it is removed
17) Load the rotor to the hub and install a couple lug nuts to secure it in place
18) Clean the caliper mounting surfaces and bolts, then reinstall the caliper (91ft-lb). Ensure the small tab on the large bracket is aligned to the hole in the knuckle.
19) Grease the back of the pads where the pistons will contact with brake grease, do not get any contaminates on the braking surface of the pad. Note: PowerStop Z36 pads come with a preinstalled shim (metal plate on the back of the pad), pads without shims will need to have a shim greased and installed.
20) Install the pads to the caliper. The pad with the wear indicator (metal tab) should be on the inside with the tab on the leading edge of the rotor rotation when driving forward.
21) Grease the top brake pad pin and slide it through the caliper and pads.
22) Grease the lower brake pad pin and slide it through the caliper, pads, and anti-rattle spring. Adjust the anti-rattle spring so that it is secured to the pads properly.
23) Install the pin retainers to the hole in the end of the pin to prevent the pins from sliding out.
24) Fasten the large bracket to the steering knuckle (28ft-lb)
25) Fasten the small bracket to the large bracket (78in-lb)
26) The brake line was never removed so bleeding the brakes is not necessary, however it is a good practice.
a. Rubber band a shop towel under the bleeder valve, this will help keep brake fluid from running onto the caliper if some should escape from the valve threads, which is important when troubleshooting any leaks.
b. Attach a clear vinyl tube to the bleeder valve and route it into a container
c. Turn the vehicle on, but do not start, this will activate the brake booster
d. Have partner pump the brakes and then hold the brake down
e. Open the bleeder valve about a quarter turn to allow air to escape, then retighten
f. The partner can then let the petal up and pump the brakes again to repeat the process until no air can be seen coming from the caliper into the vinyl tube
g. Tighten the bleeder valve (96in-lb) and remove the shop towel
h. Check the brake fluid level in the master cylinder and refill if necessary
27) Remove the lug nuts that were holding the rotor in place
28) Install the wheel and tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern
29) Remove the jack stands and lower the vehicle to the ground.
30) Torque the lug nuts in a star pattern (82ft-lb).
Front Caliper Replacement
From Step 11:
1) Make sure the master cylinder cap is on to help slow the flow of brake fluid during caliper removal.
2) Obtain a vacuum cap of the appropriate size to cap off the brake line, it is good to have an assortment ready if you are not sure what size is needed.
3) With a flare nut wrench, undo the nut from the caliper and pullout the brake hardline.
4) Cap the end of the hardline with a vacuum cap to stop the flow of brake fluid.
5) Remove the old caliper.
6) Purchase a new caliper
a. Ensure the new caliper body has been painted to prevent future rusting
b. Check that the pistons are pushed all the way back
c. Check the boots around the pistons to ensure they are installed correctly (no tears or odd wrinkling)
d. Check for signs that the product is not someone else’s return
From Step 17:
7) Clean the caliper mounting surfaces and bolts, then reinstall the caliper (91ft-lb). Ensure the small tab on the large bracket is aligned to the hole in the knuckle.
8) Rubber band a shop towel under the brake line receptacle on the caliper, this will help keep brake fluid from running all over the caliper, which is important when troubleshooting any leaks.
9) Remove the vacuum plug from the brake hardline, move the hardline into the caliper receptacle and tighten the nut hand tight.
10) Fasten the large bracket to the steering knuckle (28ft-lb), this will help ensure the hardline is in the correct orientation before it is completely tightened.
11) Tighten the hardline nut (132in-lb)
12) Remove shop towel and cleanup any fluid that may have escaped
Return to Step 19 (skip step 24, and perform bleeding per step 26)
Rear Pad/Rotor Replacement
1) Prior to jacking the vehicle up break the wheel lug nuts free
2) Block the wheels, then jack the vehicle up to get the wheel just off the ground and support with jack stands
3) Remove the lug nuts and wheel
4) Unbolt the caliper and set on top of axle, do not let the caliper hang from the brake line
5) Unbolt the pad carrier and remove
6) Release the parking brake
7) Install two bolts (M8 x 1.25) into the treaded holes in the rotor, these bolts will push against the hub face to help remove the rotor
8) Tighten the two bolts evenly to push the rotor straight off the hub to prevent it from snagging on the internal parking brake shoes, remove the rotor
9) Loosen the brake master cylinder cap under the hood, this will allow brake fluid to push back into the reservoir when compressing the calipers
10) Compress the calipers to push the piston all the way back into the caliper body. Perform the compression slowly and compress the piston until it stops moving. The piston can be compressed by using a caliper compression tool.
a. If the boot around the piston is torn or the piston will not compress, the caliper should be replaced or rebuilt.
11) Clean any excessive dirt, rust, or grime from the caliper, especially the surfaces that will contact the brake pads.
12) Tighten the brake master cylinder cap.
13) Clean the hub to remove rust and make the surface smooth and even; using a hub cleaner attached to a drill is the ideal way to do this, a wire brush and flat head screw driver is also handy to scrap the surface smooth. This is an important step to ensure the new rotor is mounted evenly.
14) Apply a light coat of brake anti-seize to the hub surface, this will help make future removals easier.
15) Clean the new brake rotor with brake cleaner, especially the surfaces where the brake pads and parking brake shoes make contact.
a. If the rotor has a sticker indicating its location on the vehicle, ensure that it is removed
16) Load the rotor to the hub and install a couple lug nuts to secure it in place
17) Adjust the parking brake shoes
a. Turn the rotor until the through hole is at the 6 o’clock position and the internal star wheel can be seen.
b. Turn the star wheel upwards until it stops, the brake rotor should now be locked in place by the parking brake shoes. If it is not then the star wheel was turned in the wrong direction, reverse the direction until the rotor is locked.
c. Back-off the star wheel 8 notches from the locked position, the rotor should now turn freely
18) Remove the brake pads from the pad carrier
19) Replace the clips one at a time to ensure the new clips are installed in the correct orientation
20) Remove and replace the rubber boots, apply lithium grease to the inside of the boots. The long boot can be difficult to install, the outside of this boot can be lubed and pushed through the carrier hole with a punch. The end of the punch should be large, a small punch and/or a lot of force can pierce the end of the boot.
21) Load the pads into the carrier without contaminating the braking surface of the pad. The pad with the wear indicator (metal tab) should be on the inside with the tab on the leading edge of the rotor rotation when driving forward.
22) Clean the carrier mounting surfaces and bolts, then reinstall the carrier over the rotor (77ft-lb).
23) Push on the outside of the pads to slide them into contact with the rotor, this will provide room for the caliper installation.
24) Apply brake grease to the inside pad’s surface that will contact the caliper piston and apply brake grease to the caliper arms that will contact the outer pad’s surface. Note: PowerStop Z36 pads come with a preinstalled shim (metal plate on the back of the pad), pads without shims will need to have a shim greased and installed.
25) Clean the caliper mounting surfaces and bolts.
26) Apply lithium grease to the shafts of the caliper bolts, do not grease the threads.
27) Install the caliper over the carrier and adjust the rubber boots as required to align with the bolt holes.
28) Install the caliper bolts (65ft-lb)
29) Clean any grease that may squeeze-out from the boots.
30) The brake line was never removed so bleeding the brakes is not necessary, however it is a good practice.
a. Rubber band a shop towel under the bleeder valve, this will help keep brake fluid from running onto the caliper if some should escape from the valve threads, which is important when troubleshooting any leaks.
b. Attach a clear vinyl tube to the bleeder valve and route it into a container
c. Turn the vehicle on, but do not start, this will activate the brake booster
d. Have partner hold the brake down, pumping is not required, the brake booster will continuously push the fluid out (rear brakes only).
e. Open the bleeder valve about a quarter turn to allow air to escape, when no bubbles are present tighten the bleeder valve (96in-lb)
f. The partner can now release the brake petal and the shop towel can be removed.
g. Check the brake fluid level in the master cylinder and refill if necessary
31) Remove the lug nuts that were holding the rotor in place
32) Install the wheel and tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern
33) Remove the jack stands and lower the vehicle to the ground.
34) Torque the lug nuts in a star pattern (82ft-lb).
Break-In Procedure (PowerStop Z36)
Copied from PowerStop instructions
Important: Break-in new pads/rotors using the pad bedding procedure as follows, proper bedding can prevent rotor warping. The break-in procedure is critical to brake performance. The reason for a proper break-in is to establish an even layer of friction material deposited on the rotors from the brake pads. It is very important that this initial layer of friction material is evenly distributed.
1) 5 aggressive decelerations from 40mph – 10 mph in rapid succession without letting the brakes cool and do not come to a compete stop. If you are forced to stop, either shift into neutral or give room in front so you can allow the vehicle to cool slightly. The rotors will be very hot and holding down the brake petal will cause the pad to create an imprint on the rotor, causing DTV (Disc Thickness Variation) issues. Shift into neutral and keep your foot off the brake petal.
2) 5 moderate decelerations from 35mph to 5mph in rapid succession without letting the brakes cool. You should expect to smell some resin as the brakes get hot.
3) After steps 1 and 2 are complete, drive around slowly, for as long as possible without excessively using the brakes and without coming to a complete stop (Try for about 5 minutes at moderate speed). This is the cooling stage. It allows the heated resin in the brake pads to cool and cure.
Last edited by skjos; 06-06-24 at 07:43 PM.
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