How to Replace Front Disc Brakes in a Toyota Tacoma

If you want to keep up themaintenance on your 2001 through 2004 Toyota Tacoma, then you need to make surethat you replace the front disc brakes. If you take preventive measures ratherthan waiting for your brakes to fail, you’ll avoid paying a heavy cost later.

• Park the Toyota Tacoma on a flat surface.Put the emergency brake on and put wedges behind the wheels to prevent thevehicle from rolling. Disconnect the negative battery cable from the battery.
• Drain 2/3 of the brake fluid from themaster cylinder by using a turkey baster, syringe or similar tool to siphon asmall amount of brake fluid from the reservoir. Remove the wheel. Loosen the brake caliper upper side mounting bolt. Loosen and then remove the lower side mounting bolt using a flathead screwdriver.
• Press in the brake caliper piston using ahammer or similar tool. Remove the anti-squeal spring, if your Tacoma has one. Check the disc thickness anddisc runout before you install the new pads. Remove the brake pads.
• Compress the piston of the disc brakecaliper using a C-Clamp or similar tool. Install the pad support brakes, the anti-squeal shims, to each pad and then install the disc pads. Make sure thatthe wear indicator plate is facing downward. Install the anti-squeal springs,if you removed them.
• Install the brake caliper so the boot isn't wedged, torqueing the caliper bolts so that the 2-wheel drive with PD60 typedisc is 29 foot/pounds and the 2-wheel drive with FS17 type disc is 65 foot/pounds. Install the wheel and tire assembly.
• Check the fluid level and add brake fluidas needed. Press the brake pedal several times to seat the brake pads againstthe rotor. Keep pressing the brake petal until you feel resistance. Drive the Tacoma at a slow tomoderate speed until you're sure that you performed the maintenance correctly.