Brake Job From Hell

Changed the rear brakes & rotors today on the 2014 while I only started the front - This is my first time doing all my own vehicle maintenance & upgrades on my vehicle as I've had shit cars in the past.

Anyone else out there thinking about doing it at home, I highly suggest getting 2 of the M8 1.25 bolts to "pry" your old rotor off instead of dicking around with the e-brake assembly with a flathead (rear only).

ON TO THE FRONT → As I was removing the 12mm bolt on the brake bracket for the front brakes, bolt snapped... Does anyone know the exact bolt this is so I don't have to look around the hardware tomorrow morning like a lost dog?

This isn't the first bolt to do this. I've had numerous other bolts break from being rusted / seized

Am I doing something wrong when removing these bolts? Or is this from the vehicle being 10 years old and an inherited thing form the good ol Toyota "rust problem"?

Thanks!

Also, installed the Aiden James newly released fang lights last weekend (attached photo). It took 6 months to get them but only due to problems that the shop couldn't help. Roof rack to hold all my camping shit next!

Cheers.

 

Don't know the bolt size...but anytime you intend to work on anything that is the least bit rusted you need to spray the bolts/nuts with a good penetrating spray, Kroil or PB Blaster would be my choice, spray them everyday at least 3 to 4 days in advance before attempting the work, it's also good to have a small portable propane torch to apply some heat to the more stubborn nuts/bolts to help free them up.

 

To add to @AuSeeker and his excellent information above: Using penetrant is a great thing, but you can reduce the wait time before attempting to remove by lightly tapping either the bolt head or the adjacent metal with a small hammer. Penetrating oil is very thin so that it can get between the threads, therefore tapping lightly causes vibration in the metal that helps the oil penetrate faster.

I'm not saying hammer at it with a sledge, just use something small, such as a lightweight ball been hammer and spray the penetrant, tap, wait 30 seconds and then spray and tap again. depending how much rust you see, do it a couple more times. You will be able to remove the bolt at most overnight.

 

Do not replace any hardware / fasteners on your vehicle with hardware store fasteners! Although they may be the same size and thread pitch, they are not even close to the same strength and durability. For instance, hardware store bolts at best have what is called in the plating trade "flash plating." This means that if they're Zinc plated, there's just enough Zinc thickness to cover the bare metal. The factory bolts have a way better finish. Why is this important? So they don't corrode prematurely.

As for the strength of the fasteners, don't even get me started.

 

Tap the bolt with a hammer or punch, too. The vibrations will help loosen the bond.

 

If the parking brake is really worn, you will warp the rotor hat using the M8 bolts without first backing off the star adjuster.

The caliper bolts have threadlocker on them from the factory. You can heat them up with a propane torch until red, then loosen while still hot.

Replacement bolts are M12x1.25x30mm. Go to your nearest auto parts store and look for one of these (they usually come in packs of two):
Dorman 14981
Carlson H821
Raybestos H17021
Delco 18K17021

Toyota bolts don't follow ISO standard. A hardware store M12 bolt would have a bigger head.

 

Appreciate all the suggestions & tips.

Hoping to get the front done today.

 

Update...

PB Blaster is a life saver

After the EZ out fix for the front right, the front left took about 20 minutes max.

Appreciate the help

 

50 years ago in the coal mine we used a German penetrating oil called "Veinner-Schlider"...

 

Found out after doing my brakes there is already an M8 1.25 bolt. It's the bolt that holds the brake line bracket I believe. One less trip to the hardware store that could be prevented.