The Toyota Tundra like all vehicles periodically needs maintenance. If you are hearing squeaking or grinding when you brake, it is time to inspect and/or replace your brake pads. Here is a guide on how to do it. 

Toyota Tundra Maintenance - Brakes

A well-maintained Toyota Tundra is key to resale value and overall safety. Here is a guide to keeping your brakes at their optimal performance.

Fortunately, the brakes on the Tundra are pretty easy to replace. They are disc brakes with a pad and an anti-rattle spring. It is really all about taking precautions when taking the calipers off to not snap a line. Also, you can use an assortment of lubricants on the screws/bolts and the brake pads to keep them from squeaking or freezing up.

Changing the Brakes

  1. When you begin this project, make sure you have a well-lit area and you have an assortment of mechanics tools including sockets, wrenches, breaker bars, and jack stands. Also, make sure you engage the parking brake.
  2. Loosen the lug nuts on the side you want to work on then. Then jack the vehicle up and support it with jack stands. Remove the tire.
  3. Looking at the caliper, find the two side bolts on the back of the caliper. You can often turn the front wheels to see them better. Remove these bolts.
  4. Carefully, lift the caliper off the rotor. Hang or secure the rotor in such a way as to not pinch the brake lines.
  5. Find the brake pad retaining clips or anti-rattle clips on the exterior of the rotor. Remove this clip with needle-nose pliers and then remove the brake pads.
  6. Put the new brake pads in exactly how you took the old ones out.
  7. Next, you will need to compress the caliper. This can be done with either a special caliper compression tool or a c-clamp with an old brake pad. To do the c-clamp trick, lay the brake pad along with the caliper piston and put a c-clamp around it and the brake pad. Tighten the c-clamp and the caliper will compress.
  8. Put the now compressed caliper back on and put the bolts back on.
  9. Lastly, put the tire back on, lug nuts finger tight and then lower the vehicle to the ground. Then, tighten the lug nuts.
  10. With the tire back on and the new brake pads installed, depress the brake pedal until the brakes become hard again.
  11. Check the brake fluid and add as necessary.
  12. Congrats, you have changed the front brakes.
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Keeping your brakes up to the manufactures specifications ensures that you can stop quickly and efficiently when you need to. It is important when you do change them that you use quality parts. Shop OEM Tundra parts here.