2001 SR5 Brake Issue

Just picked up this mint condition 4Runner with only 105k miles and great looking inside and out. The dealer said all 4 brakes had just been done and while I was driving it on highways and through town, it really seemed that way. The brakes bit hard, almost unusually so. Then once we got it onto the back roads, after purchase of course, the brakes started getting hot enough to smell, and it seemed like there was brake fade once they got hot. When I ran my hand over the wheels themselves, they didn’t feel hot though. I took the truck into my local shop and they said that indeed the brakes look good, the front and rear calipers bite well and couldn’t figure out what the problem was. He said there is a possibility that the brake lines could be dirty and the calipers could be sticking when they are in frequent use. He also said if I’m experiencing brake fade it may be the master cylinder going out- but I don’t experience any fade when braking hard on the freeway. This is the one with drum brakes on the back and disk brakes on the front. Any suggestions? Greatly appreciated, community!

 

Could be that the wheel cylinders and calipers are internally grungy and need to be changed. Just did this on a 98 and a 99. The smell could be from new linings, will sometimes do this until they break in. See if you can find out if they were replaced when the new shoes and pads were installed.