EGainer

Alright, I drove an Es300 for 3 years, and I know Lexus like the back of my hand. I also know a little about toyota. Now I drive an audi.... I began to change the rotors and pads on my audi, but I was unable to put the car back together when I didn't have the proper tool (audi requires a special caliper compression unit).

But now my friend with her toyota camry wants me to change her rotors... Anyone have any pics or tech articles on how to do this. ToyotaOwnersClub has nothing. I'm guessin just to remove wheel, 2 bolts for caliper, then the rotor should drop off right? or do I have to take something else off? Is the rotor held on by just the lugs or by any setting bolts?

Any help would be appreciated greatly

cuttingedg

the rotor replacement will be just the same as on your es.nothing special or no special tools required.

SC300Es

On most cars the rotors are held by a nut with a cotter pin on top of it. Underneath should be bearings on each side of the rotor.

Ed

nthach

for cars using old-fashioned wheel bearings, yea. Most Lexus models use unit hubs.

jonathancl

No pics, but I have done this, only about six months ago.

There are two bolts that hold the calipers in place, but you only need to remove the lower one.
It's a little tricky, too. On on the inside of the caliper (towards the engine bay) is the bolt that you must turn. In order to turn it, however, you need to loosen a nut further down the bolt shaft. You'll see once you take a look at the caliper.

It's a regularly threaded bolt, so you turn the bolt counter-clockwise while applying clockwise pressure to the nut. I use a socket for the bolt and a flat wrench for the nut (you need a super skinny one). Remember, it's counter-clockwise when looking down on the bolt. Since you'll be looking at it from the bottom, it's backwards. That always screws me up.

Once you remove the lower bolt, the caliper will swing upwards, clearing the rotor completely. It'll even stay there while you continue to work. Toyota is so clever. Then you can remove the rotor. It will probably be stuck and require some force. Metal plates together under changing heat and weather conditions tend to get friendly. It's a good idea to apply some grease to the back of the new rotor to limit this.

As for special tools to push back the actuator, c-clamps or large screw drivers are generally sufficient. The manuals always show special pliers with flat faces, but they're really not necessary.