Jim Johnson

I'm replacing the front brake rotors/pads on my 2000 RX3000. The manual shows that the front caliper installation bolts require 87 ft-lbs torque and the rear ones only need 25 ft-lbs. Can I trust the numbers? If yes, does anybody know why the big difference? Cheers, Jim

Thanks for the tips, code58! I attached a picture to show what I referred by pad support plates. They are more like clips that hold the pad to the caliper bracket. I assume the pads are supposedly be able to move freely inside the caliper bracket. I have a simple question regarding how brake works. I can see that the piston/caliper will push the pads towards the rotor. But I don't see any mechanism to pull the pads away from the rotor. Am I right that the friction between the rotor and pad will push the pad away? By the way, does anybody have recommendation on a good online store that carries brake caliper bracket? I bought my brake pads/rotors from rockauto, but they don't seem to have caliper brackets. Cheers, Jim Jim- not sure exactly what you're referring to concerning the pad support plates unless you talking about the thin shim like plates that maybe clamp onto the back of the pads. Just transfer if that's what you're talking about. I think they are actually SS noise eliminators. One thing to remember is always only do 1 side at a time, that way you have the other side to refer to if you get puzzled about how something goes. And be sure to pump the brakes 2 or 3 times when you're done with everything to bring the pads solidly against the rotor, before you even turn the key. More than one person has had the surprise of their life when the 1st time they hit the brakes, they went to the floor because the pistons weren't extended.

I finally removed the rear rotors. You wouldn't believe what a stupid mistake I made: I put emergency brake on to make it easier to get the wheel lug nuts off (remember they were overtightened ?30% by the dealership). I didn't know that the emergency brake actually holds onto the rear rotors. I will keep you posted on my progress. Cheers, Jim Do you have any directions or instructions on how to change the pads and the rotors. I have a 99 Rx 300. The dealer told me that I have 2mm lefts on my pads and may need my rotors machined. He also mentioned that I need new shims. All told he was quoting ~330 for the two rear wheels. Was wondering if this is something I can do myself. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Prashant

Thanks a lot for your replies. I started working on the project this past weekend. Taking everything apart was the toughest part. The wheel lug nuts were way over tightened. I first tried using the torque wretch on the nuts and the nuts wouldn't loosen a bit at 100 lbft (the spec is 76 lbft)!!! I had to use a long breaking bar to remove them. I'm stuck with one of the rotors. I used two bolts and screwed them in the rotor removing holes. They did break the rotor apart from the hub, but I can just slide it off the axle as somebody else suggested. Is there anything I missed that secures the rotor to the hub/axle? I put the new pads in the caliper, but they're kind loose in it. I see that there are pad support plates between the caliper and the pads on both end. I assume the plates are used to secure the pads to the caliper? How do I attached pads to them? Cheers, Jim Do you have any directions or instructions on how to change the pads and the rotors. I have a 99 Rx 300. The dealer told me that I have 2mm lefts on my pads and may need my rotors machined. He also mentioned that I need new shims. All told he was quoting ~330 for the two rear wheels. Was wondering if this is something I can do myself. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Prashant

I have a 2000 RX300 with 60,000 miles (as you can see, I don't drive it that much). I can feel vibration and pulse on the brake pedal when I step on it. I took it to a local Lexus delearship and they quoted me over $800 to replace all 4 pads/rotors. It's just hard to believe that I need to have everything replaced at the same time. I read quite a few messages on this forum on how to replace brake pads/rotors and I'm very encouraged to do the job myself. This is my first time working on brakes, so I would like to get some suggestions/recommendations: * Which tool can I use to measure the thickness of brake pads/rotors so I know for sure they need to be replaced? * Which brand of brake pads/rotors should I buy? * I have a torque wrench and a ratchet set with various sizes of sockets. What other tools/materials do I need to do the job? Thanks, Jim