Big brake job front and back. Part Numbers. Tips/Mistakes.

Parts list for 2002 4runner SR4 4x4.

Brake Hydraulic Hose (Front) 9094702b14 x2 $81.72
Brake Hose (Rear) 9094702b16 x1 $41.89
Brake Hose (Rear) 9094702c59 x1 $40.86
Caliper Overhaul Kit 0447935040 x1 $24.98
Rear Wheel Cylinder 4755035280 x2 $102.88
Disc Brake Rotor (Front) 4351235210 x2 $113.18
Autozone Lifetime Brake Pads - FREE
Rear shoes\Drums - Still Good
2 32oz bottles of brake fluid.

Wrapping this up now. A few tips:

Keep the brake reservoir OVERFILLED. You do not want to bleed the master cylinder in a 2002.

Drum brakes...they suck. I had to use the bolt method to push them off as there was a lip all around the outside worn in. And the way TOYOTA put in the ratchet action, I couldn't back off the brakes. One drum stripped the bolt holes and I had to drill and tap to a bigger size. But I won in the end. If they just won't come off...from the back, you can snip the pin that holds the shoes to the backing shield. Now you can at least get the drum forward enough to wedge a bar between it an the shoes. Complete kit of replacement hardware (enough for both sides) is $10 from Autozone.

Rear brake lines are hard to get at. Jack up the car by the frame and unload the rear suspension so there is more room between the rear axle and the body. Didn't think of that before I finished. Spare tire removal should be obvious.

Rebuilding the front calipers is easy. I was replacing the brake lines so I just pinched the front brake lines off with pinch off plyers so the MC didn't drain. They leave the lines Find the guy on youtube doing the Tundra calipers for his third gen. Lots of great tips. Just clean clean clean and go slow and grease everything.

BLEEDING BRAKES IS A ONE PERSON JOB. Make sure things are sealed/closed (calipers, master cylinder). Turn on car, take a pole/post/box and wedge it between the seat and the brake pedal. Scooch seat up until brake pedal is halfway depressed. Casually go to each corner and bleed your brakes always checking that your MC is not too low. The car will keep constant pressure and bleed your brakes for you. No need to have anyone pump brakes.

 

I'm not sure about the third gen, but when I did the rear brakes on my 87 4Runners, you could back the "auto-adjust" star wheel off. It had a catch holding it from backing off. You need to reach in, lift the catch with one hand, and unscrew the star wheel with the other. It's a bit of a pita, but can be done fairly easily. It just takes a while to back it down enough to get the drum off, and turning the star wheel is difficult, with two small screwdrivers in one small hole.

When I read the FSM on my third gen, the catch was still there. Maybe you just needed to move it aside to back the auto adjust star wheel off?

Anywho, good write up! Thanks.
Pat☺

 

The catch is still there. And very different for 2001-2002 so no good online visuals. It's hard to move it away and move the adjuster at the same time. Also nearly impossible to tell when the adjuster moves.

Easier to just break stuff.

 

One last tip: Don't bleed rear brakes with the drums off. I forgot and hyper extended one of the old rear wheel cylinders. It exploded and brake fluid went everywhere. Luckily I was replacing the wheel cylinder anyways. Seems obvious now but I have never bled brakes before and I am one to make all the mistakes.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoQlAW4DPnA

Link to Caliper Rebuild Vid.