Front brake pad change, no big deal.......

Yeah it's good to use a torque wrench, follow the repair manual specs.

 

Difficult? No.

Due to my wife's job as a rural mail carrier, new pads every year and new rotors every 3rd set of pads. I got down to a 45 minute job, including set up and clean up. I found no need for resetting anything. but then I never opened the doors until the job was done. While I was in there, I also lubed the caliper pins.

 

I did my Gen 2 several years ago and didn't know there was suppose to be a problem, it was like any other car. Ignorance is bliss.

 

Question 1: If your wife is a mail carrier, can you get a right-hand drive Prius?

Question 2: Can you provide any more detail on cleaning/lubing the caliper pins?

 

There's a toyota spec'd lube for the pins, I've used Sil-Glyde Brake Lubricant a few times now, seems to work well, no issues. For points of contact between pad backs, and shims, and caliper, something like Permatex Anti-Seize is good.

One thing: whenever you're wrapped up, depress the brake pedal a few times, to take out excess travel.

I'd still strongly recommend to disconnect the 12 volt at the outset, only reconnect after the above step. Do note too: opening the drivers door will very likely trigger a pressurizing, which can disastrous if the caliper off the rotor, and/or trigger codes. This is basically a good time to play it extra safe, overkill is better than underkill, lol.

 

#1 - No, Purchased new, I took the center console out and reversed it and pushed it back until it hit the rear seat. I made a cardboard box to fit between the seats and over the hump so she could put a small pillow over it to fill the space between the seats. It left enough room between the dash and console for her left leg to reach the peddles, plus the car being narrow, allowed her to drive on the passenger side. Note there is a wire that runs into the console, so I needed to leave it in the car. When she retired 3 years ago, I put it back to OEM.

#2 - The calipers are held in place by 2 bolts. They actually fastened to the pins. Once the caliper is removed, you can slide the rubber boot down and remove the pins but pulling them out. They should slide out easily, if they are tight, I put a pliers to rotate the pins back and forth until they loosen up gradually working their way out. Then clean the pins and holes they went into with WD-40 then blow then out with an air nozzle. I liberally add grease in the holes and on the pin, you will notice flat spots on the pins, this allows grease to flow around the pins. Put the boot back over the pin and verify they move in and out freely. I use caliper specific grease, but if you have none, like oil, I feel any is better than none. I didn't worry to much about the grease as it came apart regularly.

Hope it helps

 

This practice of driving the car from the wrong side always seems weird to me. Do you drive with your left leg?

I have delivered mail with my own (left hand drive) car and (right hand drive) mail car. When driving my own car I just drove the route (in sections) in opposite direction while delivering (and driving) on the wrong side of the road.

 

I do not, but my wife did. She got so used to it, it was easier than the left side.

Driving on the wrong side of the road is illegal here, and if caught, would have been fired from her job.

 

Did mine myself very easy to do

 

Mere pressurizing of the system (that is, the pump running, as when the driver door is opened) doesn't directly cause catastrophes ... what gets pressurized is the accumulator; it does not normally feed out into the brake lines (sort of obviously) except during braking.

However (comma!), there are little self-test routines the brake system occasionally does. On my Gen 3, it happens a couple minutes after powering down the car. If you ever park and turn the car off and don't get out for a few minutes, you can hear it happen. Then you do hear the clicks of little valves opening and closing, and squirty sounds of fluid pressure being applied to the brakes and then released, plus the pump running to make the pressure back up.

If that happens while you have a caliper out of position, then yes, you're likely to get a piston ejected.

You're probably safe if you wait first, after powering the car off, or opening the driver door or anything that wakes it up, a few minutes or until you hear the self-test happen, and only then begin your brake work (making sure not to do anything that wakes it up again; I've seen pics where the driver door handle is taped over as a reminder).

But you're more certainly safe if you make the self-test impossible first.

-Chap

 

Yeah, I don't want any chance of the "patient" thrashing around.

 

That's confusing. The videos I saw on youtube and what I gather so far reading this thread is:
1. get out of the car
2. disconnect the battery.
3. don't open the driver's door.
4. do the brake work and finish it
5. reconnect the battery.

Where in the steps should we wait to hear the self test? I dont see how it can do a self test if the battery is disconnected. Unless we get out of the car, wait a few minutes for the car to do a self test, and THEN disconnect the battery.

 

Sorry for the confusion. You're definitely safe if you disconnect the battery—nothing can happen then.

What I was describing was a possible alternative if you don't want to disconnect the battery; I've never caught the system doing self-tests other than the one it does a few minutes after power-off, so you might be safe if you wait for that to happen, and then start work.

I haven't tried it, I don't guarantee it, and I'm not putting your caliper back together if I'm wrong. If you're averse to taking any chances, battery disconnected is the way to go.

 

Yeah, I want to make sure "the patient doesn't wake up and start thrashing around".