problem diagnosis

[americanjebus]

ok i put this on off topic because it doesnt apply to the supra but it does apply to my dads 89 toyota pickup v6 4v4 ext cab. if it helps. he bought this new in 89 and has only changed oil, tranny oil, and air filter since be bought it. (truck only has 20k miles) he came home today complaining that his front brakes are locking up bad, he will step on the brake to stop at a light and then when he lets off the pedal the brakes wont disengage and he has to drive it like that, he said he saw smoke coming from the front calipers when he just kept going and it took a bit for the calipers to let off. he took it to midas and they said he needed to change his calipers, rotors, pads, and flush brake lines for a total of like $700 so he's askin me if i can do it for him

(he's not much a mechanic)

anyway i was wondering what you guys would suggest looking at first, i havent had a chance to look at it but i will tomorrow after work.

right now on my list of things to look at is to check his brake fluid and bleed his lines and flush them with some cheepo brake fluid, then look at whats left of his pads and if hte flush didnt help swap out his rotors for some oem calipers and rotors.

any ideas here that could save me the trouble of buying a whole new brake system??

 

[drunk_medic]

Sounds like the caliper are locked. That happened to me on my Supra - the seal was worn out and the piston on the caliper was stuck HARD. I could barely even compress it back to normal in a large vise.
You MIGHT not have to change all of that stuff, but at the least you are going to need a caliper and pads. The rotors may be warped, and even so, they are probably worn down if it's an '89. Pads and rotors should also all be changed together, or at the very least, in pairs [both sides up front, both sides in the rear] to maintain even brake wear [you don't want to mess around when it comes to brakes].

Doing the work will save money, especially if you know what you are doing, and it doesn't take too long at all. The first time I ever changed a caliper, it took me less than 2 hours, and that includes the hassle of figuring out how to pound the thing off of the rotor, messing with the old one in the vise, and bleeding the brakes. It was the first time I ever worked on my car with help from my wife - we bled the brakes and getting the communication and timing down was funny. So, overall - yes, it's easy and fast.
Might want to buy some cheapo self-bleeders for the calipers, too. It makes bleeding the brakes a one-man job.

 

[SupraMario]

Doing the brake system is like drunk said pretty easy. most of it is self explanitory. and midas was going to charge $700 holy crap. get ur dad to help you. and get a book on the truck that will help alot.

 

[Supra Blues]

First thing to change are the calipers. They are probably sticking.

 

[GrimJack]

First thing to CHECK is the calipers. If it uses a single piston floating assembly like our Supras do, pull the caliper off and make certain the rod it floats on isn't corroded solid. If it is, chances are you can just clean it up, apply some grease, and bolt it back together for another 10 years of service.

 

[americanjebus]

well i know for one thing that nothing on this truck is corroded, like i said 20k miles and all in the garage. i mean the stock exhaust manifold and piping including the tip is still clean bare metal, last time i washed the truck there was no corrosion or anything anywhere on the rotors but i havent had a chance to look at it since my dad still has the truck out, im gonna ask him to drive my moms car today and i'll spend the night looking at it.

how do i test a caliper?
and how can i flush the brake lines, do i just bleed them over and over till i wash it out?
any tools that i would need that arent in a normal ratchet set?
i WANT to do this on my own because i really need and want to earn my dads trust in terms of mechanics, he freaks out when i change my own oil or when i put a k&N on my car and this is the first time he has ever asked me for help on a car. kind of 18 and he doesnt know that i have modded my car, as far as he knows i just read allot about my supra.

im going to bleed his brake system since he has the same brake fluid since the car was purchased in 1989. and im gonna follow his lines to make sure there are no leeks and go from there. i'll pull the rotors and have the machine shop measure them to see if i can save them and then just slap on some pads with new calipers if needed.

 

[GrimJack]

Flushing the lines is easy - just bleed them until the fluid coming out isn't black anymore.

Remember to get parts from the dealers on the forums - even including shipping, chances are you'll get a much better price than you would locally.

 

[americanjebus]

ok problem solved calipers and pads swapped in less than 2 hours allong with full flush.
omg it is easy to do brake work 2 bolts and a bleeder nozzle.