Brake Issue - After recent pad change

So here is an interesting issue. A bit of a background this is a 2016 with 54k miles.

I got the vehicle about a year ago, back in April I could tell the brakes appeared original and I decided to replace them. Got pads and rotors locally. As I started the job, I came to find my front left caliper was seized. Stop the job, get a caliper, bleed the brakes, install pads and off I went. However within a few weeks I almost could like feel grit on the surface of the rotor but the vehicle braked without issues.

Fast forward last week, I decided to stop by the store I got the stuff from and mention this to them and they’re like we’ll swap out your rotors and pads. I upgraded to a heavier duty pad (Raybestos SP976TRH ). Went to work to install this setup as my previous set was only couple of months old.. all went smooth go for a test drive steering wheel shakes. Go home, check the work over etc. go test drive same thing. Put the pads and rotors on I bought 2 months ago from the same store - no issues

Went back to the store and explained to them these must not be true.. after all I didn’t have any real issue after the April change…and the vehicle drives fine with the “older” setup.

They give me another set, same as last week. Redo the job again.. same thing.. shake. Test drove around neighbour, slow fast etc, if I stop and let go of the brake, put in N the vehicle moves freely - that tells me nothing is sticking. Not sure what’s going on. Why am I seeing this issue now.

The front left caliper I replaced is a reman. If the vehicle pulled to the right, I assume something is not working on the left side? Bad left caliper after 2 months? Could there be air in the system? But I feel like I would have felt this the last 2-3months..

Kinda confused especially since if I install the old setup issue disappears.

 

I went through several sets of aftermarket rotors for the same issue. Check with dealer on oem rotors,they were not that much more and stopped smoothly.

 

But the rotors are of the same make/model as the ones I got in April that don’t do this lol. I could believe that I got one bad batch, but the second?

I should also state, I used my thermo gun and there was about 20C difference between front left and right. The one on the right seemed to be inline heat wise to the rears, while the front left was 20C lower.. telling me it’s not braking on this side potentially?

 

Had same issues 3 sets were warped out of the box lol. I couldn't believe it either. Don't overthink the problem, it'll drive ya nuts

https://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/oem/toyota~disc~fr~43512-60191.html

Oem rotors in the link

 

I guess anything is possible. I’ll stick my old (2month old) rotors on back tomorrow and see. If the vibration is gone then it’s the rotors.. guess I got two warped sets.. but I have a hard time believe this.. ‍♂️

 

I just helped a buddy with differing temps on the front two rotors. We think we solved his issue (it’s still not together yet as he’s waiting on parts. But we’re pretty sure it’s a bad rubber line that terminated at the caliper. We figured it out when we noticed one side had way more resistance at the brake pedal when bleeding than the other side. The rubber line must have collapsed internally which would not allow pressure to be transferred or relieved to caliper at the same rate as the other side. We disconnected the rubber hose at the hard line junction, and the pedal was able to pass fluid with normal “open bleeder” pressure on the brake pedal.

There’s a possibility it can be the rebuilt calipers though, since we didn’t think to disconnect the rubber hose at the caliper before checking at the hard line junction.

Might be worth double checking how much pedal pressure you feel on each side when bleeding them. If there is a difference, you’llnhave something to consider.

 

But the issue wouldnt disappear once I reinstall the previous setup then, right? If it was a hose I’d get the same symptom and issue regardless.

However the different temperature also makes no sense and just adds confusion in what I was seeing that.

 

Well put the 2month old rotors on which are exactly the same as these replacements. Used the new pads and no shake. Vehicle brakes fine, no shutter or shake.

So is it possible that I received 2 sets of rotors that are not true? In this day and age this is a bit surprising. The rotors I got are World Parts WS1-231554, they also list Centric and Raybestos # on the box.

Think I’m gonna get myself some Powerstop rotors instead.

 

The rotors that you just put back on - were those new in April? If so, why would you change those?

 

Yes, they were new in April and exact same make/model I’ve been trying to replace with.

The reason I’m replacing them is because from the setup (pad + rotor) in April it felt like there was deposits left on the rotor face constantly cause it felt like a small jitter during light braking and it was not always there. But no other issues. So after I mentioned this to the place they just said we’ll give you new pads and rotors.. we thought it was maybe pad material breaking down on the rotor face hence why the upgraded the pads this time around but gave me the same make/model of rotor.

 

That’s true, I agree. Weird situation. I mentioned it because those hoses are 8 years old, and I’ve heard that when they get clamped when swapping calipers at that age, that’s when the inside of the rubber hose can come apart.

Honestly, why muck around with aftermarket pads/rotors. For decent aftermarket, it’s rarely a cheaper option than OE. The front end on 4runners is so touchy, that any little install or parts variable can be the thing that sets off a shake.

Not sure if toyota sells reman calipers or how expensive they are, but I’d also prefer them if they are anywhere close to prices of aftermarket reman calipers.

 

I have never changed rotors and I always use factory pads and change at about 70% used.
Rotors are measured for thickness at pad changes.
I keep clean brake fluid in reservoir and bleed caliper & lines when changing pads. 235,000 miles on Honda Pilot rotors, 61,000 miles on 4runner, 70,000 miles on Honda Accord. Above rotors in spec, brake smooth and are original.