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 In this page you will learn how to replace the front brake pads on a 2005 Toyota Tundra 4wd.

The truck we are working on didn't show any signs of wear on the disc brake rotors, so it was not necessary for us to either replace them or to have them re-surfaced by a machine shop.

It is important that you pay close attention to the condition of the brake rotors in your truck before you replace the front brake pads, if they are warped, they have grooves or they are worn past their recommended minimum thikness they will need to be replaced. The minimum thikness is stamped on the brake rotor, a micrometer is the tool of choice to measure the thikness on disc brake rotors.

 To perform this job you will need to lift the front end of the truck and set it on jackstands, remove the front wheels.

Using needle nose pliers, remove the safety clips from the metal pins that hold the brake pads in place.
















 Next, remove the upper and lower pins from the brake caliper.



















 Remove the anti-rattle clip as shown in the picture.

















 This particular truck has a fixed brake caliper set-up, remove only one brake pad for now as shown in the picture.

 To be able to compress the pistons in the brake caliper while at the same time avoiding sending contaminated brake fluid back in to the braking system, it is necessary to install a brake bleeder hose attached to a container to catch the brake fluid leaving the caliper as the pistons are compressed.

Place the container higher than the caliper, that way you eliminate the possibility of air entering the system as you compress the caliper piston, loosen the bleeder slightly with a wrench as shown in the picture.














 Hold one of the pistons with your hand to keep it from expanding as you pry gently on the other piston to compress it and make room for the new brake pad.

Once both pistons are compressed, close the brake bleeder.














 Because the brake rotors in this truck didn't show any signs of wear, we opted to leave them alone, but to make sure that the new brake pads would have an ideal surface to break-in, we sanded the rotors with 80 grit sand paper in a criss cross pattern, after that, we cleaned the rotor and the caliper with brake cleaner.

  To avoid having noisy brakes, we applied a light coat of disk brake quiet to the brake caliper pistons. We installed the new brake pad on the front side of the brake rotor and we repeated the same steps for the brake pad on the back side.

The reason why we didn't remove both brake pads at the same time is because if we did, the rear pistons would expand while we were compressing the front caliper pistons.















 After both new brake pads are installed, proceed to install the anty-rattle clip and both metal pins that secure the brake pads in place.

 Don't forget to install the safety clips, ( see image ).

Once the brake pads on both sides have been replaced, check the brake fluid level in the reservoir, add new DOT-4 brake fluid if needed, before you install the wheels, depress the brake pedal very slowly a few times to seat the brake pads in place, at first the pedal will feel soft and it will travel lower than normal, but after the second or third time it will be at its normal position. Once you are done, check the brake fluid level again, add fluid if necessary.

Check for brake fluid leaks around the brake caliper pistons, there shouldn't be any leaks, but it is better to make sure before installing the wheels.

Install the wheels, tighten the lug nuts to the specs outlined in your owners manual and take it for a test drive, the brake should work smoothly
and quiet, check again for brake fluid leaks.