Check ALL the caliper slide pins

+1 my left rear caliper pin rusted last winter. I wasted a brand new set of brake pads because of it. But mine was only about 30% of the rust in that picture.

 

There's a cylindrical rubber piece at the tip, is it still there, salvageable? If it's gone I'd spring for the replacement pin.

Sil-Glyde Brake Lubricant works fine. And be real careful with reassembly, get that spoke cross-pattern on the piston oriented like and "x", so the pad backing plate pin is in between spokes. Then tromp the brake pedal a number of times. Then reconnect the battery neg cable, take it for a drive, and only then apply parking brake, if you want.

 

How's the rubber boot, not ripped? Could be all the rust in the groove under the head just prevented it from sealing?

 

The pin is item 47835 here:


REAR DISC BRAKE CALIPER & DUST COVER. For 2012 Toyota Prius Base Plug In Hybrid | Toyota


And $10. Was your source more?

 

Looking up on my go-to dealer site (metrotoyotapartsnow.com) the pin is $7.39 they do charge shipping but not usually too outrageous especially of you order some filters too.

 

Good!

I don't think my 2010 has a clue about the year? Doesn't have that interactive screen.

I have memory saver device, but that would likely defeat the purpose during brakework. If you're logging miles, use odometer readings, they persist.

 

That's pretty much what I check at each tire rotation. If they slide in and out and twist easily and feel greasy and not rough, and I don't notice any damage to the rubber boots, I call it good without actually pulling them out. So far they've been fine. It takes sliding them in and out a couple times to loosen the congealed grease back up.

-Chap

 

I don't know if it would work on a Gen3, but on my Gen2, I was able to turn the slide pin boots inside out for easier cleaning.

Maybe I don't understand something about PIPs, or did you mean N? I test the brakes by braking while in neutral, so that the friction brakes and only the friction brakes are used.

 

All the boots are rubbery enough to flip inside out for cleaning ... that's how I do it (if I even bother taking them off).

Any boot that's gone non-rubbery enough to be hurt by flipping inside out is non-rubbery enough to replace.

My strategy with this car has just been to order one front and one rear caliper rebuild kit right away when I bought the car. Each kit has all of the rubber bits (plus a few of the miscellaneous metal bits) for two front or two rear calipers. So far I have not needed to open either kit, but if I ever find a rubber boot, etc., that wants changing, I've got it on hand. Then I could either go all out on a rebuild and use everything in the kit, or just reorder the bits I used a la carte.

-Chap

 

Well said.

At the last springtime brake inspection, I discovered a torn slide pin boot, and had no spare at hand. I cleaned it up a bit, greased, reassembled, ordered new boots and pins, and drove it a couple summer months before replacing. Even with a torn boot it was still in good working order for that short time. The boot is not absolutely vital to the functioning of the brakes, but it drastically increases the time between cleaning and relubeing.

So tearing a slide pin boot that has become inelastic is a minor problem. Just replace it soon.

 

How did that go with your drill press, you mounted the pin like a drill? You were able to clean out the groove at boot pretty good?

 

My front rotors were rusted out before they actually wore out. Amazing! Thanks. Now I am paranoid about my caliper pins and it's too cold outside to check.

 

Same here. Now I do a moderate neutral braking from 100 to 30 km/h (about 60 to 20 mph) once per week and also every time it rains or snows, preferably shortly before parking. Or when in town, I ride the brakes for four or five seconds to get them warm and dry before parking.

In winter, when the roads are massively salted here, I occasionally check the brake rotor temperatures with an infrared thermometer, so I can catch a stuck or dragging pad before it gets too bad.