Cyntada

Greetings all,

I need to replace a stuck brake caliper (passenger side) and it's time for new pads/rotors. I'm new to this kind of work, thinking it looks doable for a starter project. My question for all of you: I'm having a really hard time detetmining where to buy parts (especially a reman caliper) that are not junk, and worth the money. Any suggestions? It's '94 Toyota pickup, as base as it gets (my Dad bought a fleet truck through a friend at a dealer). Just doing front brakes for now.

We're saving a bunch over going to a mechanic, so I don't mind spending more on good parts that will last. It's a daily driver, don't need anything exotic, just don't want to waste money or risk my life on cheap brakes.

Specs: 1994 pickup, 2wd, 22RE, 5spd manual. Disc up front and drums in the rear, no ABS. Apologies if I missed any info you need, just ask.

Thanks!

scope103

Your stock calipers lasted 26 years, you can't go wrong getting the OEM part. 47730-35050 It will set you back north of $300. https://parts.lakelandtoyota.com/p/T...773035050.html (likely much more at a brick-and-mortar dealer).

Me, I'm not so worried about getting the most expensive parts for my truck. I may just be lucky, but I've never installed a replacement part that I thought failed prematurely. RockAuto carries name-brand remanufactured Calipers in the $30-$50 range, and new Calipers in the $70-$90 range. I'd be happy with just about any of those.

Pads and rotors? If you don't run the pads all the way down, even the cheapest rotors should last the life of the vehicle (even starting from 26 years) (back in the day, you'd regularly have your rotors "turned." The Indian foundries got so good at making inexpensive cast iron, that cars are now equipped with thinner rotors. By design, you aren't expected to turn them, just replace them. It's actually cheaper.) Do you really care whether the pads last 50,000 miles or only 35,000?

snippits

I have a 92 2wd five speed. Make sure you order the right casting number. My 92 takes 17S. Looks like yours takes either 17S or F18Q. Casting number is stamped on the brake caliper.

If you buy from RockAuto, buy Nugeon coated caliper with bracket. Semi loaded kits come with bracket, caliper, and hardware.

Cyntada

Thank you both very much! Curious about your opinions on RockAuto - I've seen complaints about their quality and service lately. Are they still a good vendor?

Andrew Parker

Rock auto drop ships the item of choice from the suppliers warehouse. The choice you make on the make of the item can be where you may have an issue. So the key here is to know who the vendors are and which ones you trust. The web page for Rock Auto is designed so that everything can be done without having to talk with a person. This can be infuriating when trying to do an RMA. When I purchased a set of eastcoast painted brake calipers for the winter salt from Cardone the one caliper was a leaker after installing it. As it took a week to get them, I had to get an O'reily unit so I could drive to work on Monday as the thicker Rotors were already installed and I did not want to re-do the wheel bearings again. They are both post July 1991 calipers but the castings are not the same aside from the one being painted from Cardone the O'reilly unit is definitely different but everything works and fits accordingly.

As for brake consumables the PowerStop rotors and pads are hard to beat. The rotors are drilled, slotted, directional and coated with anti corrosion finishing. The pads are semi-metallic and work great. The bedding in instructions are excellent and it is quick because of the slotted rotor surface. Aside from uprating the calipers and rotors from the pre June 1991 standard the brakes are much improved in both feel and modulation. The ability to skid the front wheels is much improved over the pre June 1991 brakes. Brake pedal effort seems like there is much more initial grip and therefore the effort is greatly reduced to bring on a skid when intended. Thus panic stops will invariably chirp the front tires.

swampedout

I agree with the previous comment abt rockauto.
know what youre buying. Their prices are rarely beatable but they sell parts that range from utter garbage to genuine quality stuff. Its up to you to know the difference.
shipping can sometimes be expensive if your order is coming from multiple locations so always calculate shipping before getting your credit card out.
i dread ever having to do a return. just make sure the part youre buying marches your trucks options, sometimes the website isnt super clear about that. Toyotas are more straightforward, but i have a ford that has 4 different calipers used in the same model year.

I use rockauto for almost all my purchases. Too many teenagers at the parts stores. A good manager who knows their stuff at a parts store is a local hero who should get a parade once a year. Most parts stores only sell their house brands, so rockauto also has them beat on selection.

Also, 2 words of advice about brake work: gravity bleed.

scope103

I've had no trouble with RockAuto returns; easier than walking over to the local parts store to do a return. But you always want to avoid it. Examine the photographs AND the descriptions carefully. Be sure you're ordering the part for your model; lots of otherwise identical parts are slightly different for 4wd v rwd, long bed v. std bed, and so on.

Even with shipping RockAuto will usually be cheaper than the parts store. Their website has a feature to tip you off which part comes from the same warehouse as the other parts in your shopping cart. If you don't care that much which brand of the 40 brands of brake pads to buy, that clue helps you save on shipping.

This isn't magic. Think of the target market for most auto parts stores. If you own a 2019 Tesla, you're not shopping at AutoZone. Their customers want the cheapest parts they can get to keep their POS running just another few months. Which means the store is squeezed on everything, including what they can pay the counter-person. Expecting to find someone who knows the ins and outs of every model vehicle for the past 30 years is asking a lot. [That's why you hang out at YotaTech.]